Ted Sears Movies

The first half of this 1961 Walt Disney Presents episode shows the work that went behind the delightful animated opening titles of the upcoming Disney theatrical feature The Parent Trap. Famed studio artists Bill Justice, X. Attencio, and T. Hee are seen bringing the titles to life, from storyboard to final print; as a bonus, excerpts from The Parent Trap are previewed, and Tommy Sands and Annette Funicello are shown recording the film's hit title song The rest of the episode consists of Disney's Oscar-winning "True-Life Adventure" short subject Nature's Half Acre, originally released theatrically in 1952. Narrated by Winston Hibler, the film follows the four seasons of nature, from the viewpoint of several species of birds, insects, and plants. "Title Makers and Disney's Half Acre was Walt Disney's final TV-anthology episode for the ABC network, and the last one telecast in black-and-white. Beginning in the fall of 1961, the producer's series would air on NBC under the title Walt Disney's Wonderful World of Color. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

Disney produced this lavish animated fairy tale, the most expensive cartoon ever made up to its release with a budget of $6 million. When the young princess Aurora is cursed at birth by the evil fairy Maleficent, the baby is kidnapped by a trio of good fairies who raise the girl themselves, hoping to avoid the spell's fulfillment. Nevertheless, at the age of 16, the beautiful Aurora falls into a deep sleep that can only be awakened by a kiss from her betrothed, Prince Phillip. Knowing that Phillip intends to save Aurora, Maleficent takes him prisoner. When the good fairies launch a rescue attempt, Maleficent transforms herself into a spectacular fire-breathing dragon, forcing Phillip to defeat her in mortal combat. Sleeping Beauty (1959) was Oscar nominated for its musical score, which featured adaptations of Tchaikovsky compositions. ~ Karl Williams, Rovi

"Operation Deepfreeze" is the second of three Disneyland episodes commemorating the US-Antarctic participation in the International Geophysical Year of 1956. Like the earlier Antarctica, Past and Present", this installment details the activities of Navy Task Force 43, with narrator Winston Hibler detailing the 43rd's latest scientific findings at the South Pole. These two episodes, combined with "Antartica--To the South Pole for Science" would be released theatricallly in 1958 as the Disney featurette Seven Cities of Antartica. ~ 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

Another of the "progress reports" presented on the TV anthology Disneyland to promote the new theme park of the same name, this episode was designed to bring viewers up to date on the section of the park known as "Adventureland." While there is a great deal of emphasis on "Davy Crockett" tie-ins, the centerpiece of the segment is a filmed trip along the new Jungle Cruise ride. The rest of the episode is taken up with the Oscar-winning 1952 "True Life Adventure" short subject Water Birds. This up-close-and-personal look at our aquatic feathered friends was later incorporated in a 1960 episode of Walt Disney Presents, "Escape to Paradise and Water Birds." ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

James Algar,the writer-director of Walt Disney's "True-Life Adventures" short subject series, takes the viewers of the TV anthology Disneyland behind the scenes to show how these remarkable documentaries are made. Segments include photographers Clare and Bill Anderson filming on location in the Everglades, and Bob Crandall doing close-up photography of a busy ant colony. The second half of this one-hour episode consists of the 1952 "True-Life Adventure" theatrical release The Olympic Elk. This vibrant saga of the annual elk migrations in Washington State's Olympic Peninsula was later recycled as part of "Disneyland 61", an episode of the Walt Disney's Presentsanthology. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

The African Lion is a high-water mark in Walt Disney's "True Life Adventures" series. Filmed by Alfred and Elma Malotte, the team responsible for Disney's earlier Beaver Valley, this 75-minute documentary focuses not only on lions, lionesses and their cubs, but also such African wildlife as the jackal, the hyena, the rhino, and the vulture. Narrated by Winston Hibler, the story is unfolded in cyclical fashion: the birth of the lion cub, the efforts of the mother lioness to provide food for her children, and the young lion's eventual maturity and independence. One of the film's pluses is the absence of the "cuteness" and gimmickry that often dumbed down these Disney efforts. Nominated for two Academy Awards, The African Lion lost out to a documentary on the life of Helen Keller. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

James Algar, the producer-director of Disney's "True-Life Adventure" short subject series, explains the techniques used by cameraman to capture images of nature in this early Disneyland episode. These techniques are then shown in application in scenes of animals from the North American prairie. The episode concludes with a presentation of the first True-Life Adventure entry, 1948's Oscar-winning Seal Island. Photographed by Alfred and Elma Milotte, the film is a detailed account of the annual migration of fur seals from Alaska to the Pribilof Islands where they were born. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

The Living Desert was the first feature-length entry in Disney's "True Life Adventure" series. Co-written and narrated by Winston Hibler, the film opens with a close-up glance of percolating desert geysers, with appropriate musical accompaniment. Among the wildlife specimens depicted herein are the roadrunner, the chuckwalla, the skunk, the scorpion and the kangaroo-rat. Much of the narration is undercut by lame attempts at humor; however, a battle between a rattlesnake and a tarantula, followed by a contretemps between the rattler and a hawk, are played "straight," and most effectively. Much of the footage in The Living Desert was photographed by N. Paul Kenworthy Jr., as part of his UCLA doctoral thesis. The film was originally released to theatres in a "Disney package," including the live-action short Stormy and the animated featurette Ben and Me. ~ 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

Beaver Valley was the second entry in Walt Disney's popular "True Live Adventures" series. Narrated by Winston Hibler, this 32-minute Technicolor documentary takes the viewer into the wilderness regions of Montana and Minnesota. Cinematographer Alfred Milotte, evidently an extremely patient man, manages to obtain fascinating close-ups of a group of beavers at work and play. Also featured are such "supporting characters" as a coyote, a bear and a family of otters. Kids will love the film's "Frog Symphony," wherein the nocturnal croaking of a bunch of puffed-up frogs and toads is set to music. Like its predecessor Seal Island, Beaver Valley was honored with an Academy Award. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

Like Disney's earlier Song of the South, So Dear to My Heart peppers its live action with animated sequences. In this film, however, it is the "live" story that lingers longest in the memory. Set in 1903, the film takes place on the small Kincaid farm. Twin sheep are born in the barn: one white, one black. When the mother sheep rejects the black lamb, young Jeremiah Kincaid (Bobby Driscoll) adopts the animal, naming it Danny, after the great trotting horse Dan Patch. Danny grows up to be quite troublesome, and Jeremiah's grandmother (Beulah Bondi) wishes that the boy would get rid of his pet. Jeremiah's only ally is kindly blacksmith Uncle Hiram (Burl Ives), who encourages the boy to enter Danny in blue-ribbon competition at the county fair. Granny is against this notion, so Jeremiah sets about to pay his own way. On a stormy night, Danny runs away; Jeremiah is kept from searching for the lost sheep by Granny, who now believes that the boy wants to enter the state fair contest for selfish reasons rather than out of love for his pet. She further warns that the Lord may not let Danny survive the night. The next day, however, Danny returns. Remembering Granny's remonstrations, Jeremiah now states that he won't attend the county fair, having promised the Lord that he'd forget about the competition if Danny was spared. Moved by this unselfishness, Granny softens her own stance, claiming that she'd promised the Lord that Jeremiah could go to the fair if the lamb returned alive. The story reaches a warm-hearted climax at the fair; Danny doesn't win, but his ultimate prize is far more meaningful than any blue ribbon. The isolated animated sequences spring from Jeremiah's scrapbook, illustrating such homespun philosophies as "stick-to-it-tivity" and "it's whatcha do with whatcha got." So Dear to My Heart yielded a hit song, "Lavender Blue," which co-star Burl Ives retained in his repertoire until his dying day. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi