Wilfred Jackson Movies

This episode of the TV anthology Walt Disney Presents is an expansion upon the classic Academy Award-winning animated short Toot, Whistle, Plunk and Boom (originally released in Cinemascope in 1954). When his students ask him, "Where does the music come from?" Professor Owl is only to eager to demonstrate the music is merely an organized series of sounds -- consisting primarily of the "toot" of the brass instrument, the "whistle" of the woodwind, the "plunk" of the string and the "boom" of percussion. Among the segments used to augment the original running time of Toot, Whistle, Plunk and Boom is an extended "cradle to grave" sequence from 1953's Melody, one of several successful Disney attempts to match and surpass the style popularized by the UPA studios. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

In one of the best-loved and mostly fondly remembered episodes of the TV anthology Disneyland, host Walt Disney discusses the nuts and bolts of animation, and how individual cartoon components ultimately make up the sum total. For example, Disney demonstrates how a bouncing ball inspire a sequence in Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, how an intensive study of water, fire, smoke and mud result in the "Rite of Spring" segment of Fantasia, and how a genuine ballet was transformed into a pas-de-deux between a hippo and an alligator in the "Dance of the Hours" segment from the same film. "The Tricks of Our Trade" was later released on 16 millimeter for classroom showings. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

This episode of Disneyland consists primarily of four lengthy excerpts from two of Disney's animated features of the 1940s. The Kings' Men Quartet musically narrate the story of those famous feudin' families, the Martins and the Coys, in a sequence originally seen in Make Mine Music (1946). Also from the same source, Jerry Colonna delivers a spirited narration to the cartoon version of "Casey at the Bat", by Ernest Lawrence Thayer. And Dennis Day doubles as the voice of the narrator and the title character of "Johnny Appleseed", a segment lifted from Melody Time (1948). Rounding out the episode is a newly animated musical adaption of "Casey Jones, the Brave Engineer", again featuring the considerable talents of Jerry Colonna. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

In this classic Disneyland episode, host Walt Disney explains that anything is possible in an animated cartoon so long as one establishes "suspension of disbelief" (sometimes literally, as when Mickey Mouse stands in mid-air without realizing that he's in danger of falling). This technique is traced back to the ancient legends and myths of the Egyptians, Greek and Chinese, then is brought up to date with the Mickey Mouse cartoon short Thru the Mirror and a lecture on "The Creation and Believability of Animated Characters"--delivered by none other than Donald Duck. The episode's highlight is the first-ever exhibition of the animated pencil tests for the "soup sequence", a segment conceived for, but ultimately removed from, Disney's first feature-length cartoon Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

The first half of this one-hour episode from the TV anthology Disneyland shows the same-named theme park in Anaheim, California in a state of near-completion. Host Walt Disney guides viewers through such attractions-to-be as the Peter Pan aerial ride, the Mark Twain sternwheeler and Mr. Toad's Wild Ride--as well as a handful of exhibits that were scuttled before Opening Day. The second half of the episode consists of the animated-except segment "A Tribute to Mickey Mouse", originally telecast on the inaugural Disneyland episode of October 27, 1954. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

Another of Disneyland's "Fantasyland" segments, this one-hour episode traces the history of cartoon animation from 1906 to the mid-1950s. The program begins with clips from J. Stuart Blackton's pioneering Humorous Phases of Funny Faces, then moves on to highlights from Winsor McKay's "interractive" 1914 cartoon Gertie the Dinosaur. Thereafter, the emphasis is on the output of the Disney studio, from the modest "Laugh-o-Grams" of the 1920s to such sophisticated animated features as Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs and Lady and the Tramp. Conspicuous by its absence is the brilliant animation of Disney's chief rival Max Fleischer. "The Story of the Animated Drawing" was later distributed for classroom use as the educational short The History of Animation. ~ 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

Living on a farm near Pittsburg Town in the early 19th century, young Johnny Chapman cares only about his apple trees, picking and harvesting the luscious red fruit while singing with his animal friends. Seeing a wagon train heading westward, Johnny would like to go along, but feels that he lacks the courage and perseverance of a true pioneer. Enter Johnny's red-bearded guardian angel, who advises our hero to go West and plant as many apple trees as humanly possible. Donning a tin pot for a hat (it not only provides comfort but comes in handy at dinnertime), Johnny Appleseed, as he is now known, spends the next forty years bringing bountiful apple crops to the Great Frontier. When time comes for him to shed his "mortal husk", Johnny again meets his guardian angel, who invites him to continue planting apple trees in the Great Beyond. Singer Dennis Day provides all the character voices and performs the original songs "The Lord is Good to Me" and "There's a Lot of Work to Do". Initially released in 1948 as a segment of the animated Disney feature Melody Time, Johnny Appleseed was reissued theatrically as a separate 19-minute featurette in 1955. ~ 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

The shortest of Disney's major animated features Dumbo involves a baby elephant with unusually large ears. Ostracized from the rest of the circus animals, poor Dumbo is even separated from his mother, who is chained up in a separate cage after trying to defend her child. Only brash-but-lovable Timothy Mouse offers the hand of friendship to Dumbo, encouraging the pouty pachyderm to exploit his "different" qualities for fame and fortune. After trepidatiously indulging in a vat of booze, Dumbo awakens in a tall tree. Goaded by a group of jive-talking crows, Dumbo discovers that his outsized ears have given him the ability to fly. The musical score by Frank Churchill and Oliver Wallace won Oscars for them both. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

Fantasia, Walt Disney's animated masterpiece of the 1940s, grew from a short-subject cartoon picturization of the Paul Dukas musical piece The Sorcerer's Apprentice. Mickey Mouse was starred in this eight-minute effort, while the orchestra was under the direction of Leopold Stokowski. Disney and Stokowski eventually decided that the notion of marrying classical music with animation was too good to confine to a mere short subject; thus the notion was expanded into a two-hour feature, incorporating seven musical selections and a bridging narration by music critic Deems Taylor. The first piece, Bach's "Toccata and Fugue in D Minor", was used to underscore a series of abstract images. The next selection, Tschiakovsky's "Nutcracker Suite", is performed by dancing wood-sprites, mushrooms, flowers, goldfish, thistles, milkweeds and frost fairies. The Mickey Mouse version of "Sorcerer's Apprentice" is next, followed by Stravinsky's "Rite of Spring", which serves as leitmotif for the story of the creation of the world, replete with dinosaurs and volcanoes. After a brief jam session involving the live-action musicians comes Beethoven's "Pastorale Symphony", enacted against a Greek-mythology tapestry by centaurs, unicorns, cupids and a besotted Bacchus. Ponchielli's "Dance of the Hours" is performed by a Corps de Ballet consisting of hippos, ostriches and alligators. The program comes to a conclusion with a fearsome visualization of Mussorgsky's "Night on Bald Mountain", dominated by the black god Tchernobog (referred to in the pencil tests as "Yensid", which is guess-what spelled backwards); this study of the "sacred and profane" segues into a reverent rendition of Schubert's "Ave Maria". Originally, Debussy's "Clair de Lune" was part of the film, but was cut from the final release print; also cut, due to budgetary considerations, was Disney's intention of issuing an annual "update" of Fantasia with new musical highlights and animated sequences. A box-office disappointment upon its first release (due partly to Disney's notion of releasing the film in an early stereophonic-sound process which few theatres could accommodate), Fantasia eventually recouped its cost in its many reissues. For one of the return engagements, the film was retitled Fantasia Will Amaze-ya, while the 1963 reissue saw the film "squashed" to conform with the Cinemascope aspect ratio. Other re-releases pruned the picture from 120 to 88 minutes, and in 1983, Disney redistributed the film with newly orchestrated music and Tim Matheson replacing Deems Taylor as narrator. Once and for all, a restored Fantasia was made available to filmgoers in 1990. A sequel, Fantasia 2000, was released in theaters in 1999. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi