Ralph Wright Movies

The Aristocats was the first Disney Studios animated feature to be produced after Walt Disney's death. A wealthy woman leaves her vast fortune to her four cats: the well-bred Duchess and her kittens, Berlioz, Toulouse, and Marie. Jealous butler Edgar, eager to get his mitts on the cats' legacy, abandons the felines in the French countryside. The four lost kitties are aided in their efforts to return home by the raffish country pussycats Thomas O'Malley and Scat Cat. In keeping with a tradition launched by The Jungle Book (1967), The Aristocats is top-heavy with celebrity voices, including Phil Harris, Eva Gabor, Scatman Crothers, Hermione Baddeley, and the ineluctable Sterling Holloway. Assembled by the "nine old men" then in charge of animation, The Aristocats was a commercial success, essentially proving that Disney animated features could succeed without the involvement of the company's founder. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

The final animated feature produced under the supervision of Walt Disney is a lively neo-swing musical, loosely based upon the tales of Rudyard Kipling. The story takes place in a tropical jungle where people are conspicuously absent. But one day Bagheera the Panther (voice of Sebastian Cabot) discovers a baby in the wreck of a boat. Feeling pity on the child, Bagheera takes him to be raised with the wolves. Ten years later, the child has grown into Mowgli (voice of Bruce Reitherman). Mowgli discovers that his life is in danger because of the return to the area of Shere Khan the Tiger (voice of George Sanders), whose hatred of humans is such that Mowgli faces certain death if discovered. Bagheera agrees to transport Mowgli to the human village, where he will be safe from Shere Khan. Along the way to the village, night falls and Mowgli and Bagheera almost succumb to the man-eating snake Kaa (voice of Sterling Holloway). Escaping Kaa's coils, they run into the lock-step military elephant band of Colonel Hathi (voice of J. Pat O'Malley). Afterwards, Mowgli, who doesn't want to be sent to the human village, runs away from Bagheera and meets up with the fun-loving Baloo the Bear (voice of Phil Harrris). With both Bagheera and Baloo to protect him, Mowgli is saved from several more life-threatening situations -- including a barber-shop quartet of vultures, the crazed King Louie of the Apes (voice of Louis Prima), and Shere Khan himself -- before making it to the village of humans. ~ Paul Brenner, Rovi

Originally released in 1963, this Disney nature documentary follows the charming adventures of Tuffy and Tubby, two cubs living in Yellowstone National Park. Separated from their mother, the two young bears roam the wilderness alone, and cause a stir when they come across groups of tourists and campers. ~ Carly Wray, Rovi

One of several feature-length collaborations between Disney Studios and Canada's Calgary productions (others include Big Red and The Incredible Journey), Nikki -- Wild Dog of the North concentrates on the adventures of the eponymous canine and his master, trapper Andre Dupas (Jean Coutu). Nikki, a wolf dog, comes across an orphaned bear cub. Oblivious to the fact that the two animals are supposed to be mortal enemies, Nikki befriends the cub and takes it back to Andre. When the master's boat overturns, Nikki and the cub are left to fend for themselves. Tied together, the two beasts have their share of disagreements, but soon discover that they must depend upon one another for survival. (The last time we saw this plot, it was called The Defiant Ones!) Captured by cruel hunter Jacques Lebeau (Émile Genest), Nikki is trained to attack anything that moves, but the dog's friendship for the now-grown bear transcends his new marching orders. Despite many deprivations, the animals have it pretty soft in Nikki compared to the humans, especially when taking into consideration the un-Disneylike climactic fight to the death between Andre and Lebeau. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

Herbert and Trudie Knapp, the husband-wife team of photographers who were largely responsible for the Disney theatrical-short series "People and Places", are the focus (no pun intended) of this Disneyland episode. The Knapps are shown in the Peruvian Andes, filming an ancient Incan temple; and in the Fiji Islands in the Southwest Pacific, recording the customs and traditions of the local natives. The remainder of the episode consists of the Knapps' Oscar-nominated "People and Places" production Siam, originally released by Disney in 1954. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

Filmed independently by Paul Kenworthy Productions, "Rusty and the Falcon" was first shown as an episode of the TV anthology Walt Disney Presents. Based on Charles Ogburn's book The White Falcon and lensed on location in Heber, UT, this is the tale of Rusty (Rudy Lee), a 12-year-old boy who lives in a remote Rocky Mountain mining town. With few friends his own age, Rusty has developed a fantasy world which manifests itself in the abandoned mine shaft where he plays every day. It is here that the boy finds an injured falcon, whom he ultimately restores to health and grooms as a hunting bird. Among other things, this episode features a brief lecture on falconry by expert Morlan Nelson, an archery exhibition by narrator (and future Disney producer) Jerome Courtland, and an original song, "A Boy Is a Curious Thing." Rusty and the Falcon was released theatrically overseas in 1966. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

This episode of Disneyland is set in the basement of the Disney studio, storehouse for many a fantastic and phantasmagoric prop. Walt Disney turns the hosting duties over to the Spirit of the Mirror, originally seen in Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs and here played by the ineluctable Hans Conried. In demonstration how the art of magic has been utilized in animation, the Spirit introduces clips from several Disney cartoons, including Mickey Mouse's "Sorceror's Apprentice" sequence from Fantasia. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

In answer to viewer requests, Disneyland host Walt Disney explains how his story men come up with the ideas for their various cartoon shorts and features. In the first example, a Donald Duck-Chip 'N' Dale cartoon is inspired by the song "Crazy Over Daisy". Next, some "reality" footage from a "True-Life Adventure" short forms the basis of a cartoon featuring Mickey Mouse as a hunter. Then, one of the animators' army exam during WW2 leads to a similarly-themed Donald Duck cartoon. And finally, Walt Disney's own favorite hobby, model railroading, is incorporated in another Donald Duck-Chip 'N' Dale vehicle. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

Lady and the Tramp represented two "firsts" for Disney: It was the studio's first Cinemascope animated feature, and it was their first full-length cartoon based on an original story rather than an established "classic". Lady is the pampered female dog belonging to Jim Dear and Darling. When her human masters bring a baby into the house, Lady feels she's being eased out; and when Darling's insufferable Aunt Sarah introduces her nasty twin Siamese cats into the fold, Lady is certain that she's no longer welcome. The cats wreak all manner of havoc, for which Lady is blamed. After the poor dog is fitted with a muzzle, Lady escapes from the house, only to run across the path of the Tramp, a raffish male dog from the "wrong" side of town. The Tramp helps Lady remove her muzzle, then takes her out on a night on the town, culminating in a romantic spaghetti dinner, courtesy of a pair of dog-loving Italian waiters. After their idyllic evening together, Lady decides that it's her duty to protect Darling's baby from those duplicitous Siamese felines. On her way home, Lady is captured and thrown in the dog pound. Here she learns from a loose-living mutt named Peg that The Tramp is a canine rake. Disillusioned, Lady is more than happy to be returned to her humans, even though it means that she'll be chained up at the insistence of Aunt Sarah. Tramp comes into Lady's yard to apologize, but she wants no part of him. Suddenly, a huge, vicious rat breaks into the house, threatening the baby. Lady breaks loose, and together with Tramp, runs into the house to protect the infant. When the dust settles, it appears to Aunt Sarah that Tramp has tried to attack the child. That's when Lady's faithful friends Jock the bloodhound and Trusty the scottie swing into action, rescuing Tramp from the dogcatcher. Once Jim Dear and Darling are convinced that Tramp is a hero, he is invited to stay...and come next Christmas, there's a whole flock of little Ladies and Tramps gathered around the family. Beyond the usual excellent animation and visual effects, the principal selling card of Lady and the Tramp is its music. Many of the songs were performed and co-written by Peggy Lee, who years after the film's 1955 theatrical issue, successfully sued Disney for her fair share of residuals from the videocassette release. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

Song of the South is a blend of live action and animation, based on the popular "Uncle Remus" stories of Joel Chandler Harris. Set in the years just after the Civil War, the story begins with young Johnny (Bobby Driscoll) being sent to live at the southern plantation of his grandmother (Lucile Watson) while his parents contemplate divorce. At first disconsolate, the boy is cheered up by African-American handyman Uncle Remus (James Baskett), who tells him many delightful fables concerning the clever trickster Br'er Rabbit, whose adventures are illustrated in cartoon form. Each story has a moral, which Johnny applies to the exigencies of his real life. Johnny's mother (Ruth Warrick) disapproves of Uncle Remus, and orders the boy never to visit the kindly old black man again. Uncle Remus packs his bags and leaves; while chasing after him, Johnny is injured by a bull. He recovers thanks to the friendly presence of Uncle Remus, and all is forgiven. The film was awarded the Best Song Oscar for "Zip-a-dee Doo Dah," and James Baskett won a special Oscar for his portrayal of Uncle Remus. Disney has withheld the movie in the U.S. ever since its last theatrical re-release in 1986, due to controversy over what some (including the NAACP) argue is a sugar-coated depiction of the Reconstruction-era South. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

This 43-minute animated feature is Walt Disney's contribution to the wartime "Good Neighbor Policy" between the USA and Latin America. Opening with live-action footage of Disney and his staff (referred to by the narrator as a "group of artists and musicians") heading off to South America to glean material for a new cartoon project, the film then segues into the misadventures of American tourist Donald Duck at Lake Titicaca. Moving down to Chile, the audience is entertained by the story of Pedro the little airplane, who vows to deliver the mail through the treacherous mountain ranges between Santiago and Mendoza. In the Argentine Pampas, our old friend Goofy tries to acclimate himself to the life of a Gaucho. The best sequence is reserved for last: the Carnaval in Rio de Janeiro, with an animated paintbrush guiding Donald Duck and his South American counterpart Jose Carioca on a surrealistic, samba-rhythmed tour of Brazil. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi