Clyde Geronimi Movies

This Disney animated classic is based on the children's story by Dodie Smith. The story involves the canine pets of a struggling composer and his wife: Dalmatians Pongo (male) and Perdita (female). Perdita gives birth to fifteen spotted pups, cuing the entrance of the scheming Cruella De Vil. She demands that the dogs' owners sell her the pups, but she is shown the door instead. Under cover of night, Cruella arranges for the pups to be stolen. The human police are baffled, but the "dog network" is alerted by Pongo and sent to rescue the pups. It is discovered that Cruella has been rounding up every Dalmatian she can get her hands on, hoping to use their pelts to make one spectacular fur coat. The dogs rescue the 15 pups, plus 86 others stolen by Ms. DeVil. After an eventful escape, the 101 Dalmatians make their way home--whereupon the composer pens a hit tune, "Dalmatian Plantation". 101 Dalmatians represents the Disney animation staff at its very best, and as a bonus introduces the world to Cruella De Vil, one of the greatest movie villains--cartoon or "real"--of all time. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

This episode of Walt Disney Presents pays homage to the illustations of artist Heinrich Kley, who specialized in pictures of elephants. Host Walt Disney explains that it was Kley's genius that inspired such animated sequences as the "Dance of the Hours" segment (with its ballet-dancing pachyderms) in the 1940 animated feature Fantasia and the "Pink Elephants on Parade" number in 1941's Dumbo. The remainder of the episode consists of Niok, a "People and Places" short subject originally released theatrically in 1957. Filmed in the jungles of Cambodia, this segment details the relationship between Chinese village boy Ayot Van Koen and his beloved pet, a 6-month-old Indian elephant named Niok. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

This is the second Disneyland episode to trace the development of Disney's elaborate cartoon features from the studio's earliest "Silly Symphony" short subject. Among the the cartoons represented herein are The Grasshopper and the Ants (with the song hit "The World Owes Me a Livin'"), Who Killed Cock Robin?, Water Babies, Farmyard Symphony, and Wynken, Blinken and Nod. Perhaps because much of the footage excerpted in this episode was originally released in black and white, "More About the Silly Symphonies" is one of the few Disney TV anthology episodes never to be rebroadcast after its initial airing. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

The first portion of this Disneyland episode brings viewers up to date on construction of the Disneyland theme park as of the spring of 1957. Somehow or other, this segues into an illustrated history of American folklore. The episode's final segment consists of the "Pecos Bill" segment from the animated feature Melody Time, with Roy Rogers and The Sons of the Pioneers musically narrating the saga of the "toughest critter west of the Alamo" (remember how Pecos Bill rolled his own cigarettes in those pre-censored prints?) and his ill-fated romance with the haughty Slue-Foot Sue, "a heck of a cowgirl". Also appearing in this segment are Roy's horse Trigger and child actors Luana Patten and Bobby Driscoll. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

Narrated by two members of the feline family--a jungle maneater and a humble housecat--this Disneyland episode gets started by explaining that there are two classifications of human beings: Those who like cats and those who don't. Using newly-minted animation and a few live-action sequences, the episode illustrates its point by tracing the history of cats, from their veneration as sacred icons in the Egypt of 4000 years ago to their important role in the realm of Superstition. Some of the cartoon footage in The Great Cat Family later resurfaced in the 1977 Disney TV special Hallowe'en Hall of Fame. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

One of the most popular episodes from Disneyland's first season, "From Aesop to Hans Christian Andersen offers choice clips of past Disney cartoon shorts, based on famous fables. Excerpts include scenes from The Tortoise and the Hare, The Country Cousin, The Ugly Duckling, The Brave Little Tailor (starring Mickey Mouse), and Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, here seen on TV for the very first time. An expanded version of From Aesop to Hans Christian Andersen was released theatrically in Europe in 1958. ~ 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

A pet project of Walt Disney's since 1939, this animated version of James M. Barrie's Peter Pan reached full fruition in 1953. Eschewing much of Barrie's gentle whimsy (not to mention the more sinister aspects of the leading character), Disney and his staff fashioned a cheery, tuneful cartoon extravaganza, which cost $4 million and reaped several times that amount. The straightforward story concerns the Darling family, specifically the children: Wendy, Michael and John. Wendy enjoys telling her younger siblings stories about the mythical Peter Pan, the little boy who never grew up. One night, much to everyone's surprise, Peter flies into the Darling nursery, in search of his shadow, which Wendy had previously captured. Sprinkling the kids with magic pixie dust, Peter flies off to Never-Never Land, with Wendy, Michael and John following behind. Once in Peter's domain, the children are terrorized by Captain Hook, who intends to capture Peter and do away with him.

After rescuing Indian princess Tiger Lily from Captain Hook, Peter must save the children, not to mention his own "Lost Boys," from the diabolical pirate captain. In addition, he must contend with the jealousy of tiny sprite Tinker Bell, who doesn't like Wendy one little bit. Breaking with several traditions, Peter had been played by a girl in all previous incarnations, Tinker Bell had always been depicted by a shaft of light, etc ... this "Disneyized" version of Peter Pan may not be authentic James Barrie, but it has never failed to enthrall audiences of all ages. Adding to the fun are the spirited voiceover performances by Bobby Driscoll (Peter), Hans Conried (Captain Hook and Mr. Darling), Kathryn Beaumont (Wendy) and Bill Thompson (Smee), and the sprightly songs by Sammy Cahn, Sammy Fain, Ollie Wallace, Erdman Penner, Ted Sears, Winston Hibler, Frank Churchill and Jack Lawrence. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

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

Originally released as half of the 1949 feature The Adventures of Ichabod and Mr. Toad, Bing Crosby narrates this Disney adaptation of Washington Irving's story of Ichabod Crane and the Headless Horseman. ~ Jason Ankeny, Rovi

This animated musical was included in a 1946 feature called Make Mine Music, after originally being planned for the oft-delayed sequel to Fantasia. Featuring narration by Sterling Holloway, Peter & the Wolf adds Walt Disney's touch to Prokofiev's masterpiece, telling the story of the brave young boy who takes it upon himself to go out hunting for a dangerous wolf, while accompanied by a bird, a duck, and a cat. Rather than featuring dialogue, each character is voiced by a different musical instrument. ~ Matthew Tobey, Rovi