The Mello Men Movies
- 1958
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
- Starring:
- Jerome Courtland, Morlan Nelson, (more)
- 1955
Another of Disneyland's many cartoon compilations, "The Adventures of Mickey Mouse" loosely bastes together several theatrical Mickey Mouse shorts into a story of sorts, with narration by host Walt Disney. The cartoons presented herein include Mickey's first color short, 1935's The Band Concert, followed by Alpine Climbers, Squatter's Rights and the "Mickey and the Beanstalk" sequence from the 1947 feature Fun and Fancy Free. This last segment is given an amusing new ending, with Walt Disney rather than the original film's Edgar Bergen reacting in fright as an animated giant asks directions to downtown Hollywood. The Adventures of Mickey Mouse was later cannibalized for another Disney-produced TV hour, "Adventures with Mickey". ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- 1955
In this early episode of his TV anthology Disneyland, Walt Disney informs the viewers of how he has used music in his cartoons and live-action films, beginning with the classic "Who's Afraid of the Big Bad Wolf" in 1933's The Three Little Pigs. Other examples include the songs from Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, Song of the South, and especially Lady and the Tramp, which was still unreleased when this episode first aired. The Lady segments feature singer-composer Peggy Lee providing the voices for both of the Siamese Cats, composer-musician Sonny Burke coming up with instant lyrics, and the Mellow-Men vocal group singing a plaintive dog-pound ballad. Rounding out the hour is an explanation from Disney's staffers as to how the music is matched to the image. Though initially telecast in black-and-white, "Cavalcade of Songs" was providentially filmed in color, assuring the episode a rebroadcast on the producer's later NBC anthology Walt Disney's Wonderful World of Color. ~ 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
- Starring:
- Peggy Lee, Barbara Luddy, (more)
This Disney feature-length cartoon combines the most entertaining elements of Lewis Carroll's Alice in Wonderland and Through the Looking Glass. Chasing after the White Rabbit, who runs into view singing "I'm Late! I'm Late!," Alice falls down the rabbit hole into the topsy-turvy alternate world of Wonderland. She grows and shrinks after following the instructions of a haughty caterpillar, attends a "Very Merry Unbirthday" party in the garden of the Mad Hatter and the March Hare, stands in awe as the Cheshire Cat spouts philosophy, listens in rapt attention as Tweedledum and Tweedledee relate the story of the Walrus and the Carpenter (a sequence usually cut when Alice is shown on TV), and closes out her day with a hectic croquet game at the home of the Red Queen. The music and production design of Alice in Wonderland is marvelous, but the film is too much of a good thing, much too frantic to do full honor to the whimsical Carroll original, and far too episodic to hang together as a unified feature film. One tactical error is having Alice weep at mid-point, declaring her wish to go home: This is Alice in Wonderland, Walt, not Wizard of Oz! Its storytelling shortcomings aside, Alice in Wonderland is superior family entertainment (never mind the efforts in the 1970s to palm off the picture as a psychedelic "head" film). ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi
- Starring:
- Kathryn Beaumont, Ed Wynn, (more)
Rating Systems
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