← Back to Reviews
in
Melody Time is an anthology film released by Disney in 1948. It is comprised of seven different shorts all using songs and music to take you to different lands and stories. Although they all feature different characters, one of them features Donald Duck, along with José Carioca and the Aracuan Bird, both of which were introduced during Saludos Amigos and Three Caballeros respectively.
This period of the mid-40s was a bit of a struggle for Disney, for obvious reasons. With the nation still struggling with the aftermath of the war, it seemed easier to separate animation groups and resources to focus on these musical anthologies, instead of one big project. The result is inevitably a mixed bag that isn't as cohesive as one might wish.
Whereas in Saludos Amigos and Three Caballeros there seemed to be a Latin-infused focus, the focus here isn't as defined but it seems to be different types and styles of music. But the lack of a general connective tissue to it all hurts it a bit. Even Three Caballeros frames it all as a celebration of Donald Duck's "birthday". Here, it just feels like what they are, random bits and pieces some of which work better than the others.
This applies to the stories as well as to the animation. The first segment, "Once Upon a Wintertime", features an intentionally minimalistic animation that I really liked, while the animation in "The Little Toot" felt more broad and under-produced. On the other hand, the latter has a charming vibe that other stories lack. Even my kid's interest waned from story to story.
Melody Time is far from a waste of time, but it lacks the hook and flair of his other similar counterparts. Despite the attempts of its songs and stories to take you to the land "where music is king", every time one ends and the other starts, it feels like the journey just keeps going back and forth without really getting anywhere.
Grade:
MELODY TIME
(1948, Various)
(1948, Various)
"A song is the one and only thing that will take you to the land where music is king."
Melody Time is an anthology film released by Disney in 1948. It is comprised of seven different shorts all using songs and music to take you to different lands and stories. Although they all feature different characters, one of them features Donald Duck, along with José Carioca and the Aracuan Bird, both of which were introduced during Saludos Amigos and Three Caballeros respectively.
This period of the mid-40s was a bit of a struggle for Disney, for obvious reasons. With the nation still struggling with the aftermath of the war, it seemed easier to separate animation groups and resources to focus on these musical anthologies, instead of one big project. The result is inevitably a mixed bag that isn't as cohesive as one might wish.
Whereas in Saludos Amigos and Three Caballeros there seemed to be a Latin-infused focus, the focus here isn't as defined but it seems to be different types and styles of music. But the lack of a general connective tissue to it all hurts it a bit. Even Three Caballeros frames it all as a celebration of Donald Duck's "birthday". Here, it just feels like what they are, random bits and pieces some of which work better than the others.
This applies to the stories as well as to the animation. The first segment, "Once Upon a Wintertime", features an intentionally minimalistic animation that I really liked, while the animation in "The Little Toot" felt more broad and under-produced. On the other hand, the latter has a charming vibe that other stories lack. Even my kid's interest waned from story to story.
Melody Time is far from a waste of time, but it lacks the hook and flair of his other similar counterparts. Despite the attempts of its songs and stories to take you to the land "where music is king", every time one ends and the other starts, it feels like the journey just keeps going back and forth without really getting anywhere.
Grade: