Melody
An owl teaches his class full of birds about melody. It's all around in nature. Only birds and man can sing; man "sings" even when he speaks. We see a quick survey of the stages of life, as captured by songs: the alphabet song for primary school, Here Comes the Bride, The Old Gray Mare, etc. Some inspirations for song are outlined in song: love, sailing, trains, the West, motherhood, etc., but "we never sing about brains." Finally, an example of how a simple melody can be expanded into a symphony: an elaborate version of the simple tune that opened the lesson
Charles A. Nichols
Ward Kimball
Casts & Crew
Bill Thompson
Harry Stanton
Also Directed by Charles A. Nichols
Wilbur the pig is scared of the end of the season, because he knows that come that time, he will end up on the dinner table. He hatches a plan with Charlotte, a spider that lives in his pen, to ensure that this will never happen.
Mickey is running a banana plantation. Pluto is frightened by Mickey's boomerang and gets tangled up with it. Meanwhile, Mickey has found an Emu egg whose owner isn't at all happy that Mickey wants to take it.
Ranger Woodlore is interpreting Grand Canyon for the tourists; Donald is of course making more trouble than everyone else put together.
A bootle beetle elder tells the story of Morris, the moose about the size of a rabbit. Thunderclap the moose is taking on all challengers, and Morris decides to try, much to the amusement of Thunderclap. As a result, he meets Balsam, a full-size moose with tiny antlers (Morris' antlers are full size). The two team up, and with the help of a log that makes them very tall, defeat Thunderclap.
Pluto spots Dinah the dachshund and is smitten, but she ignores him. He uses a giant bone to steal a kiss, and hides behind a mirror, but still no luck. Then Dinah is nabbed by the dogcatcher, and Pluto goes in to free her. Their thrilling escape finally gets Pluto another kiss.
Morning, and Figaro the kitten wants to play. Pluto, on the other hand, has been out all night and wants to sleep. Finally, the sandman who has been putting Pluto to sleep calls in Figaro's sandman.
Pluto and the cat, goaded by a TV commercial for turkey, raid the fridge and find a turkey inside. The cat gets there first and re-heats the turkey, first on the furnace duct, and then, trying to hide from Pluto, inside the tube-type TV - but he over-does it a bit.
Mickey sends Pluto to the butcher store. Butch sees this and contrives to take Pluto's sausage, ultimately using some of his fleas to distract Pluto long enough. Pluto manages to retrieve the prize and get it safely home, only to discover it's a birthday present for Butch
Chip 'n' Dale have filled a hollow tree with nuts. Pluto sticks a bone into the tree, but this triggers an avalanche of nuts - right into Pluto's doghouse. He's not at all happy about them coming after the nuts. Chip 'n Dale hide in a pair of garden gloves and eventually get Pluto to haul his nut-filled doghouse to their tree.
Also Directed by Ward Kimball
Part cartoon and part documentary, this film offers a humorous look at birds and the ways people perceive them.
With a combination of documentary footage and animation, the science and history of rockets, and the effects of space travel on man are illustrated.
Rare Walt Disney Space series from 1959, speculating about the use of satellites, including controlling the weather of the Earth!
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Contains: "Lambert the Sheepish Lion" (1952), "Pigs is Pigs" (1954), "Toot, Whistle, Plunk and Boom" (1953), "Noah's Ark" (1959)
In this short subject (which mostly represents a departure from Disney's traditional approach to animation), a stuffy owl teacher lectures his feathered flock on the origins of Western musical instruments. Starting with cavepeople, whose crude implements could only "toot, whistle, plunk and boom," the owl explains how these beginnings led to the development of the four basic types of Western musical instruments: brass, woodwinds, strings, and percussion.
Mars and Beyond is an episode of Disneyland which aired on December 4, 1957. It was directed by Ward Kimball and narrated by Paul Frees. This episode discusses the possibility of life on other planets, especially Mars. It begins with an introduction of Walt Disney and his robot friend Garco, who provide a brief overview. It continues with an animated presentation about mankind seeking to understand the world in which he lives, first noticing patterns in the stars, and developing certain beliefs regarding the celestial bodies. (Source Wikipedia)
A live-action short, using many avant-garde film techniques, that looks at American car culture in the late 1960s. The main section deals with the many trials and obstacles a teenager must face on the path to being able to drive. Surviving the driver's education class is only the first step, as the teenager must then pass his driving test, and then finally get permission to borrow the family car.
1968 film by Ward Kimball protesting LBJ's escalation of the war in Vietnam.
The moon is the subject here. Man's fascination with the moon (via animation) is presented, as is the moon's usage in popular culture (from Shakespeare to nursery rhymes to popular songs). Also, superstitions and suppositions associated with the moon is presented. Then scientific research on the moon is shown, followed by plans for (and then a simulation of) an actual trip around the moon.