Make Mine Music (1946) Online

1946 Nelson Eddy Dinah Shore Benny Goodman Robert Cormack Clyde Geronimi

Original Title :: Make Mine Music
Genre :: Movie / Animation / Family / Music
Year :: 1946
Directror :: Robert Cormack,Clyde Geronimi
Cast :: Nelson Eddy,Dinah Shore,Benny Goodman
Writer :: Homer Brightman,Dick Huemer
Type :: Movie
Time :: 1h 15min
Rating :: 6.4/10

Make Mine Music (1946) Online

Segments: "A Rustic Ballad," a story of feuding hillbillys; "A Tone Poem," a mood piece set on a blue bayou; "A Jazz Interlude," a bobby-soxer goes jitterbugging with her date at the malt shop; "A Ballad in Blue," dark room, rain and somber landscapes illustrate the loss of a lover; "A Musical Recitation," the story of Casey at the Bat; "Ballade Ballet," ballet dancers perform in silhouette; "A Fairy Tale with Music," Peter and the Wolf; "After You've Gone," four musical instruments chase through a surreal landscape; "A Love Story," about the romance between a fedora and a bonnet; "Opera Pathetique," the story of Willie, the Whale Who Wanted to Sing at the Met.

Complete credited cast:
	Nelson Eddy	-	Narrator / Willie / Whitey / Tetti-Tatti / Sailors / Newsman / Men / Workman / Cabbie / Cop / Scientists / Woman / Cat / Opera Singers / Chorus (segment "The Whale Who Wanted to Sing at the Met") (voice)
	Dinah Shore	-	Dinah Shore (voice)
	Benny Goodman	-	Benny Goodman
	The Andrews Sisters	-	Andrews Sisters (voice) (as Andrews Sisters)
	Jerry Colonna	-	Narrator (segment "Casey at the Bat") (voice)
	Andy Russell	-	Andy Russell (voice)
	Sterling Holloway	-	Narrator (segment "Peter and the Wolf") (voice)
	Tatiana Riabouchinska	-	Tatiana Riabouchinska (as Riabouchinska)
	David Lichine	-	David Lichine (as Lichine)
	The Pied Pipers	-	The Pied Pipers (voice) (as Pied Pipers)
	The King's Men	-	The King's Men (voice) (as King's Men)
	Ken Darby Chorus	-	Ken Darby Chorus (voice)

One of Disney's four "Package Films". During the Second World War, the studio lost a lot of manpower and resources which left them with countless unfinished ideas too long for shorts, too short for features. So, inventive as they are, they stuck short ideas together into feature length movies. The other three were The Adventures of Ichabod and Mr. Toad (1949), Melody Time (1948) and Fun & Fancy Free (1947).

Animation in the tone poem "Blue Bayou" was originally created for the deleted "Clair de lune" sequence of Fantazija (1940).

The animated short "Martins and The Coys" was cut from the VHS and DVD release (mainly because of comic gunplay). However, a few years before its release it was shown in its entirety on TV.

The term "cats" in "All the Cats Join In" does not refer to "cat" the animal. It is short for "hepcat" and its plural form "hepcats", a term for those associated with the jazz subculture of the 1940s and 1950s. It is a synonym to "hipster" which was associated with the same subculture.

The segment "Casey at the Bat" is based on the baseball-themed poem "Casey at the Bat: A Ballad of the Republic Sung in the Year 1888" (1888) by Ernest Thayer (1863-1940). It concerns an overconfident baseball player who ends up loosing the game for his team.

This was the first Disney animated feature film released following the end of World War II.

Various scenes from the segment "All the Cats Join In" have been censored in recent releases, mostly for brief moments of nudity and focus on the feminine parts of the female teens. Attention has been drawn to a scene featuring a naked girl jumping out of a shower into her clothes.

The shower scene from "All the Cats Join In" and the featured silhouette of a naked teenage girl were considered controversial in the 1940s. The Production Code Administration thought it violated the Hays Code and wanted the scene cut. The Disney studio was admonished, but the scene was retained.

Animation historian Sean Griffin believes that the images of sexy and sexualized female teens in the "All the Cats Join In" was indicative of changes in 1940s culture. The World War II years had seen the emergence of cheese-cake posters and photos as an industry, and the release of popular animated shorts with sexy images and characters pioneered by Tex Avery. Disney was being influenced by a popular trend. It would not last for long after the War.

The segment "Two Silhouettes" features rotoscoped animation. Rotoscoping is an animation technique in which animators trace over footage, frame by frame, for use in live-action and animated films. The dancing silhouettes are from images of ballet dancers (and husband and wife) David Lichine (1910-1972) and Tatiana Riabouchinska (1917-2000).

This was the second time ballet dancers David Lichine (1910-1972) and Tatiana Riabouchinska (1917-2000) worked in a Disney film. They previously served as dance models for a male alligator and a female hippopotamus in the "Dance of the Hours" ballet sequence of Fantazija (1940).

The "Peter and the Wolf" has an explicitly Russian setting and Russian characters who are portrayed sympathetically. It is an example of the period it was produced. For much of World War II, the United States and the Soviet Union were allies. Pro-Russian and and Pro-Soviet works such as the film "The North Star" (1943) were regularly produced by American creators. By 1946, when "Make Mine Music" (1946), the War had recently ended and the two countries were still nominally allied. The tensions that would lead to the Cold War were already present, but major actions of hostility did not take place until 1947. It was only then than Anti-Soviet sentiment became the norm in the United States.

In "The Whale Who Wanted to Sing at the Met", all of the operatic vocals - from the bass up through soprano, and even the chorus - were sung by Nelson Eddy. By tinkering with his home recording equipment (his father was a machinist), Eddy was able to sing and record sextets with himself for the soundtrack.

The reception of the "Blue Bayou" segment is rather mixed. Since it contains no dialogue and has no plot, it is often described as boring. However it has also received favorable reviews for its stunning visuals.

The animation of the "Blue Bayou" segment was created for the film "Fantasia" (1940) and set to the music of "Clair de Lune", a part of the "Suite bergamasque" (1905) by Claude Debussy (1862-1918). While not used as originally intended, it was decided to use it in a package film. Since a piano suite would be out of place in a film featuring popular music, the new song "Blue Bayou" was created for use in the new film. Both versions of the segment survive and are available.

The segment "Without You" consists of a series of impressionistic images set to the tune of a ballad, called "A Ballad in Blue". Its theme is lost love.

Ernest Lawrence Thayer (1863-1940), creator of "Casey at the Bat" (1888) and its title character, was not a professional writer. He was the humor columnist of the newspaper San Francisco Examiner, and on occasion contributed articles on sports. The poem is one of his few written works to survive and the only one to become popular.

The poem "Casey at the Bat" (1888) never elaborates on the origin of Casey and does not give him a full name. However "Casey" is an Irish name, meaning "vigilant", "watchful". Casey's creator Ernest Lawrence Thayer (1863-1940) confirmed that he borrowed the name Casey from an Irish acquaintance of his.

The Disney version of "Casey at the Bat" (1888) was the only segment to receive its own sequel: the animated short Casey Bats Again (1954). It features Casey as the father of 9 female baseball players.

The segment "Peter and the Wolf" is based on the 1936 music composition and accompanying story by Sergei Prokofiev (1891-1953). It is the only work by a Soviet citizen included in this film.

In the original "Peter and the Wolf" (1936) story, Peter is a Young Pioneer. The Pioneers were a Soviet children's organization founded as a communist version of the Scouts in 1922. They were a government and party-funded organization. They combined typical scouting teachings with lessons on communist ideology. Recruitment drives increased membership. In 1923, there were only about 75,000 members. By 1926 there were 2 million members. The organization disbanded in 1991, though there are successor organizations.

In the original "Peter and the Wolf" (1936) story, Peter captures the wolf alive and transports him to a zoo.

While "Peter and the Wolf" (1936) is one of the more popular creations of Sergei Prokofiev, its creator feared it would be a flop. Its initial performance was coldly received. It was only the second performance that saw the audience warm to it. Soon it became an international hit.

Despite the relative popularity of "Make Mine Music" (1946), it is one of the few classic Disney animated films that were never adapted to other media and did not produce many spin-offs.

The birds featured in the "Blue Bayou" segment are egrets. They are a type of heron. Several egret species were endangered for much of the 20th century.

The Peter and the Wolf (1946) music and narration (performed by Sterling Holloway) are featured as a bonus track on the 2015 Legacy Collection soundtrack of Fantazija (1940).

The romance between film characters Henry Coy and Grace Martin, who belong to enemy families, has been seen as as a hillbilly version of "Romeo and Juliet" (1597).

The segment "All the Cats Join In" is a depiction of 1940s teen culture and its association with popular music and dancing. It is a rare subject for a Disney film of this era.

In the "Casey at the Bat" segment, a sign on the stadium wall announces that the Mudville 9 are playing Burbank in the fateful game, a reference to the location of the Walt Disney studio.

"The Martins and the Coys" and its featured family feud are loosely based on the famous Hatfield-McCoy feud (1863-1891). The feud has inspired much folklore and popular culture adaptations, though its details are often ignored.

"The Martins and the Coys" is one of several popular culture depictions of hillbilly culture and stereotypes. "Hillbilly" is a somewhat derogatory term for dwellers of the rural, mountainous areas of the Appalachia and the Ozarks.

The Hatfield-McCoy feud (1863-1891), inspiration for "The Martins and the Coys" segment of the film, is often misremembered as typical hillbilly violence and having no real reason behind it. Actually the background for the conflict was the American Civil War. Members of the Hatfield family of West Virginia were all Confederate supporters, while the McCoy family of Kentucky had members fighting for both sides for the War. When a returning Union soldier who belonged to the McCoy family was murdered by a local Confederate militia unit, the Hatfield family was implicated. It was the first episode of a long feud.

The romance between characters Henry Coy and Grace Martin, who belong to enemy families, is loosely based on an episode of the Hatfield-McCoy feud (1863-1891). There was an affair between Johnson "Johnse" Hatfield and Roseanna McCoy, members of the enemy families of the feud.

The term "bayou" in the title of the "Blue Bayou" is a Franco-English term for a body of water typically found in a flat, low-lying area. It has been applied to various wetlands, areas of slow-moving streams and rivers, and to marshy lakes. The term derives from the Cajun French language, where it is a loan word from Choctaw "bayouk" ("creek", "small stream").

The area depicted in the "Blue Bayou" segment is never specified. However, several commentaries on the film suggest that the setting are the Everglades, a natural region of tropical wetlands in southern Florida. It is one of the most celebrated geographic areas of the United States.

Despite its name, the song "Blue Bayou" from this film should not be confused with the 1960s hit song of the same name. They share a title but nothing else, and the later song is mostly associated with singers Roy Orbison and Linda Ronstadt.

The reception of the "Without You" you segment has been mixed in recent years. Its supporters find the segment's visuals interesting, the song meaningful, and praise the romantic theme. Its detractors point to its lack of a plot, find the subject of lost love to be rather common place in songs, and find the music dated.

There has been speculation since the late 19th century whether the character Casey is based on any particular baseball player. The creator of the poem never confirmed any theory. The most popular candidate for the prototype of the character is Michael Joseph "King" Kelly (1857-1894), a star player at the time the poem was written.

Mudville, the home city of Casey's team, is most likely fictional. However the name is not a creation of Ernest Lawrence Thayer (1863-1940). Thayer grew up in Worcester, Massachusetts. The neighboring town of Holliston, Massachusetts had an area called Mudville. In later life, Thayer worked in California. The local city of Stockton, had various informal names. One of them was also Mudville.

Cast members David Lichine (1910-1972) and Tatiana Riabouchinska (1917-2000) were both Russian expatriates. They were both born in the Russian Empire, but their families left the country following the October Revolution (1917).

The reception of the "Two Silhouettes" segment tends to vary, depending on whether each particular viewer and critic is interested in ballet dancing or not. It variously ranks among both the best and the worst segments of the film.

In the original "Peter and the Wolf" (1936) story, the wolf swallows the duck alive. It never escapes, but ends the story quacking from the belly. In both the Disney version and the 1995 hybrid special of the same name (That gives the animated similarity to Disney's), the Duck is only presumed swallowed. It turns up alive and free by the finale.

Other than Peter, the rest of the characters in the original "Peter and the Wolf" are unnamed. The Disney version provides names for most of them. The bird is called "Sasha", the duck "Sonia" the duck, the cat "Ivan", and the hunters are called "Misha", "Vladimir", and "Yasha". Only the Grandfather and the Wolf remained unnamed.

The Disney version of "Peter and the Wolf" was edited into the film Belle's Tales of Friendship (1999). Sterling Holloway's narration was replaced by a new version.

There are various theories that Sergei Prokofiev created the original "Peter and the Wolf" (1936) as a political allegory. According to one of them, Peter is named after Peter the Great and represents Russia. The Wolf represents the enemy on the horizon, Nazi Germany and/or its Führer Adolf Hitler. The name "Adolf" means "noble wolf".

The characters Johnnie Fedora and Alice Bluebonnet are named after types of hats. A fedora is a felt hat with a wide brim and indented crown. It was introduced in 1882 by actress Sarah Bernhardt (1844-1923) and the hat type is named after one of the characters she played on stage. It was popular with both women (particularly suffragettes) and men. A bluebonnet, or blue bonnet, is a traditional flat Scottish hat made of blue wool. The term bonnet is also the name of a type of hat for girls and women, though designs changed greatly over the centuries.

The character Willie the Whale made minor appearances in the television series "House of Mouse", including once paired with the similarly named Willie the Giant.

Willie the Whale seems to specifically be a sperm whale, a species that is the largest of the toothed whales and the largest toothed predator. The sperm whale's clicking vocalization, a form of echolocation and communication, may be as loud as 230 decibels underwater, making it the loudest sound produced by any animal.

Casey from this film is not the only Disney character by that name. There is also Casey Coot, a comic book character who is a member of Donald Duck's extended family. Specifically Casey Coot is Grandma Duck's brother, Gus Goose's maternal grandfather, and Donald Duck's paternal great-uncle.

The segment "After You've Gone" features anthropomorphic instruments.

The segment "Johnnie Fedora and Alice Bluebonnet" is a romance story featuring two anthropomorphic hats.

"The Whale Who Wanted to Sing at the Met" is an early example of a Disney film with no happy ending. Willie the Whale is killed and enters the afterlife.

At the beginning of "The Whale who Wanted to Sing at the Met", Nelson Eddy sings a long sustained opera note. As he is singing it, animation is seen of newspapers blowing in the wind, lightning bolts flashing, and storm clouds forming. Also included in this brief animation sequence are a curtain blowing from the "Dance of the Hours" sequence in "Fantasia" and a witch or demon flying by on a broomstick that seems to have been taken from the "Night on Bald Mountain" sequence that was also in "Fantasia".

User reviews

Cha

"Make Mine Music" is a beautifully crafted binding of Disney shorts, and I think it is an improvement over "Melody Time". "Melody Time" did have some memorable parts especially "Once Upon a Wintertime", "Bumble Boogie" and "Johnny Appleseed", but what made "Make Mine Music" better was that it had a somewhat better variety of music and that it contains some of my all time favourite Disney moments. But like it is with "Melody Time" the success of the shorts is variable.

"The Martins and the Coys"(10/10)-Man I loved this! Probably the most underrated of all the shorts featured in this film. It mayn't be to everyone's tastes now, and it does stereotype the Appalachians, but what makes it so enormously entertaining is the fluid and colourful quality of the animation, the rollicking soundtrack and the vocals.

"Blue Bayou"(10/10)- I don't know where to begin praising "Blue Bayou". Whether it was the stunning animation, with the pristine and perfect blue backgrounds, the poetic lyrics and the lyrical, sensual melody of the song. And the music is sublimely sung.

"All the Cats Join In"(10/10)-One cool and jazzy cartoon. I am not always that fond of jazz admittedly, but the music courtesy of Benny Goodman and his orchestra is wonderful. Topped with clever and sophisticated animation and the story, even for a combination cartoon, works effectively.

"Without You"(9/10)- I liked this, the animation is gorgeous in this sequence and the song itself is sweet and memorable. Andy Russell does a good job with the singing. I will say though it doesn't rank as a favourite, and I can't put my finger on why, maybe it was to do with where it was placed in the film.

"Casey at the Bat"(8/10)-The pace is rushed here, but this cartoon is entertaining. I for one liked Jerry Colonna's mini-commentary-like vocals here, and I liked the animation too. "Casey at the Bat" is also very funny, certainly makes a game of baseball entertaining.

"Two Silhouettes"(8/10)-Don't get me wrong, I really liked this sequence. It is sentimental and sappy of course, but it looked beautiful, with graceful dancing, and the song was lovely, sensitively sung by Dinah Shore.

"Peter and the Wolf"(9.5/10)-Easily one of the better shorts of the film. Not my personal favourite by all means, but definitely memorable. The animation is beautiful here, the music is outstanding and the story is effective. Not to mention the characters are very well done, in fact the Wolf when my sister and I were little was so scary for us, my sister still refuses to see this cartoon, as she got nightmares from the Wolf and the French horn motif played to signify his entrance.

"After You've Gone"(8/10)- I do prefer "All the Cats Join In" but this is full of jazz and pizazz. It's running time though is disappointingly scant, and it is a tad rushed. The artwork is beautifully done though, and the music is wonderful. Another example of a combination cartoon, and works well at it.

"Johnnie Fedora and Alice Bluebonnet"(10/10)- I love how beautiful, simple and poignant this is. Coupled with nice animation, lovely music and beautifully blended vocals from the Andrews Sisters, this is a definite must.

"Willie the Operatic Whale"(or "The Whale Who Wanted to Sing At the Met")(10/10)-Save the best until last I'd say. Along with "Peter and the Wolf" this is the only other cartoon from the film I was familiar with before watching. This one is unforgettable, truly unforgettable with a truly special whale. The animation is gorgeous and charming, and the singing from undervalued Nelson Eddy is outstanding. What made this though was the opera music, it was wonderful to hear "Largo Al Factotum" from "Barber of Seville" and "Sextet" from "Lucia Di Lammermoor" to name a few. This was the cartoon that introduced me to the wonderful world of opera, that's why it is so special to be.

Overall, while there are one or two sequences that aren't as good as others, "Make Mine Music" is beautifully crafted, and I would recommend it. 8/10 Bethany Cox

Beabandis

Make Mine Music finds Walt Disney in the midst of the transitional period between his first five animated features (Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, Pinocchio, Fantasia, Dumbo, Bambi) and the post-war revival begun with Cinderella (1950).

The idea of a casual variant of Fantasia featuring popular music was a good one. Even though the segments which comprise the film vary in quality, the film as a whole is a bright, colorful and amusing light entertainment which fit wartime needs ideally.

Highlights include two spirited Benny Goodman swing numbers ("All The Cats Join In" and "After You've Gone") and the unforgettable finale, "Willie the Operatic Whale", narrated and sung by Nelson Eddy. The animation is generally first-rate and the Technicolor film will dazzle any viewer not expecting a genuine masterwork.

Make Mine Music was successful enough to warrant a considerably better follow-up, Melody Time (1948).

The undistinguished but harmless "Martins and the Coys" segment, concerning the gun-feuding backwoods families of American folklore, has idiotically been removed from current editions, evidently for PC reasons. It's scary that Disney may start altering their classics to meet artificial modern standards. (If they had cut anything from Make Mine Music, it should have been the tasteless "Two Silhouettes" ballet, all doilies and valentines and icky fake sentiment.)

Winail

Chocolate-box potpourri of Disney-animated shorts became Walt Disney's eighth animated theatrical feature, one that plays like a middling excuse to allow the studio's animators to blow off some creative steam. Divvied up into separate musical suites (utilizing pop, jazz, Big Band, and the Russian classical piece "Peter and the Wolf"), "Make Mine Music" is musically of its time, featuring the talents of Benny Goodman, Dinah Shore, Nelson Eddy, etc. In that regard, it dates far worse than "Fantasia", and comes to a virtual halt in the middle of an overstretched slapstick baseball satire, but there are incidental pleasures. The popular "Peter and the Wolf" segment, which was later serialized on Disney's TV program and found a large following, is the only segment that feels fully thought-out (and has involving animation), while "The Whale Who Wanted To Sing At The Met" is an interesting idea (with beautiful flourishes) in search of a narrative (the hero actually ends up in Heaven...complete with angel's wings!). Followed by "Melody Time", which featured more storytelling and less abstract whimsy. ** from ****

Prinna

An episodic musical tapestry a' la Fantasia, only this one utilizes the pop music of circa 1946. Some are worth viewing, and others are worth fast-forwarding through. My own personal favorites are the two Benny Goodman numbers, "All the Cats Join In" and "After You've Gone". I haven't seen the now-deleted "The Martins and the Coys" sequence, but I do oppose the tampering of classic films in the name of "PC". If I had known this was the case with "Make Mine Music", I would have never bought the VHS tape.

Mr.Bean

Make Mine Music:

What a great collection of stories! I watched it fairly recently with my Dad and some other family at his house in Pinon Hills. I still cry at the "Johnny Fedora" and "Willie The Whale" stories. I grew up watching these and so many Disney cartoons and movies on our old 16 millimeter projector. We still have it, but it needs a bulb. My nephew Kurt brought this cartoon up on DVD. It was great to see my Dad's "name up in lights," so to speak, at least for animation credits. He loved seeing it again, altho' his eyes aren't so good now at age 92. But he is still hanging in there.

LeXXXuS

I'm a UK viewer and I saw "Make Mine Music" in the late 1940's,when it was newly released . I had seen and been excited by "Fantasia" and the "MMM" numbers, as a late teenager, I found hugely enjoyable. I'm sad to learn that the "Martins and the Coys" number has been deleted - it was fun and the hill billy feuding' was something we'd found amusing and harmless. I disagree with some of the comments on the individual numbers, particularly "Without You" by Andy Russell and "Two Silhouettes" by Dinah Shore, both of which made an impression on me and I've been trying to obtain a record of the former for years, without success. I have fond memories of "Johnny Fedora and Alic Blue Bonnet" (absurdly sentimental though it was)and can sing the first lines to this day. The Benny Goodman numbers are superb - musically and animation-wise - but then I'm a B.G.fan and ever will be. "Peter and the Wolf" persuaded me to listen to the real classical version and, subsequently, to buy the sound track record. Perhaps I do agree with the viewer who found Jerry Colonna's rendering of "Casey" a lemon but then you either take Jerry's versions of things or you don't. Nelson ("The singing capon")Eddy's version of "Willie" was a delight, though in later years it may have made one more conscious of the bloody aspects of whale hunting. Anyway, it was good to hear Nelson without "Heart of Steel" Jeanette MacDonald. You see, without seeing the film again the memories come tumbling out and I've given it a 9 for more reasons than one. Please will somebody tell me where I can obtain a VHS copy ? David Miles

Vobei

This is one of my Disney favorities, a collection of ten musical cartoons including such classics as "Peter and the wolf", "Willie the operatic whale" and "Blue Bayou"(this was at first planned for the music of Debussy's "Clair de lune" in Fantasia). And there also WAS the cartoon I prefer: "The Martin and The Coys", comical history of a war between two families in the old America. Now I've buyed the new video of this film and I've discovered that this beautiful episode has been completely cut out. Shame on you Disney! Classics must not be touched! It's very sad that,when we are under the continue pressure of Pokemons and other violence and sex from TV, Disney cuts his comic fairy tales because children could believe that the shooting fight between the Martins and the Coys is real (and repeat it,perhaps in schools?)SHAME ON YOU!!!!!!!!!!!

Mopimicr

Get your dancing shoes on and have fun with this 1946 Disney cartoon classic, "Make Mine Music."

This movie contains ten animated segments for the original version, and nine for the DVD version (due to the first short being a little bit too...). Like all of the other Disney classics, these shorts are exceptionally outstanding!

One short in particular: The Whale Who Wanted To Sing At The Met. I'm mentioning this short the most because this was seen on the old Disney Channel (before it got all "Raven-ed" up LOL) nine years ago from writing. Sure, it was long, but it made for a very interesting short. It may also not have Mickey and Minnie, but it's still worth watching!

"Make Mine Music" is a good movie to watch if you are a little bit down and need to be all pepped up! Enjoy!

10/10

Iphonedivorced

Unable to initially return to making true animated features like "Pinocchio" and "Bambi" after the Second World War, Disney turned to making "package features". Like "Fantasia", these films strung together various shorts and featurettes into a feature-length anthology. Between their release in the 1940s and the DVD age, these films were rarely, if ever, shown in their entirety. Instead, the individual segments were re-released as stand-alone pieces, some of which became quite popular. It's understandable why this was done. Whereas the individual elements of "Fantasia" have a similar enough artistic vision to be kept intact as a single experience, the package features do seem like a line of random, individual shorts that have been strung together. As such, the films can seem quite uneven and somewhat unsatisfying collectively.

In particular, "Make Mine Music" stands out as being one of the most inconsistent package features. It consists of ten shorts, all relying heavily on music. Some of the shorts are fairly conventional, story-driven, while others are quite experimental. The real stand-out pieces are "Peter and the Wolf" (initially considered for a sequel/continuation of "Fantasia") and "The Whale Who Wanted to Sing at the Met". The stories are engaging, and they are absolutely charming, although "Peter and the Wolf" relies a bit too much on narration. It comes as no surprise that these two shorts became the film's most famous segments. Special mention should also be given to "Blue Bayou", which uses footage from a deleted segment of "Fantasia" that was to be set to Debussy's "Clair de Lune" (here, though, it's set to a love ballad).

Other segments, however, vary. "The Martins and the Coys", which was rather stupidly removed from the American DVD, is not bad but hardly memorable. "After You've Gone", an interlude featuring anthropomorphised musical instruments, means well but falls quite flat, ultimately appearing as not much more than filler. "All the Cats Join In" and "Without You" equally seem like experimental filler, yet both are more successful. "Casey at the Bat", on the other hand, contains too many self-indulgent gags and overly caricatured animation to be of any real artistic or entertainment merit, a fact not helped by Jerry Colona's obnoxious narration. The two other segments, "Johnny Fedora and Alice Bluebonnet" and "Two Silhouettes", are so cutesy that they become nothing but pieces of unadulterated kitsch.

Ultimately, the only people I would recommend "Make Mine Music" to would be the people who would only be interested in it - Disney fans and animation buffs. To everyone else, as with a good number of package films, it would probably be best seeing individual segments, which is how these films work best.

Daigrel

One of Walt's early package films and not bad at that! Some segments are cloyingly hokey, of course, but most shorts are surprisingly playful and charming. The highlights: "The Martins and the Coys" is full of stereotyping and comic gunplay and simply fun to watch; "Casey at the Bat" is a whirlwind of poem recitation; the two Benny Goodman segments feature nice tunes and "Peter and the Wolf" and, particularly, "The Whale Who Wanted To Sing At the Met" are two of Disney's best cartoons.

Just skip the padding and enjoy this compilation!

7 out of 10 triple-voiced Nelson Eddys

Halloween

Most Disney fans are not too familiar with some of the Disney Animated Classics such as this one. I am not one of those. "Make Mine Music" just shows us more of what the master himself, Walt Disney, has created. I have heard from a few people that the "Martins and the Coys" segment has been removed from the newly released DVD version. Why that segment was removed, I don't know (probably because of the amount of violence). Other than that, the other segments are very memorable. Segments like "Peter and the Wolf", "Casey at the Bat" and "The Whale Who Wanted to Sing at the Met" are amusing, catchy, and fun to watch. My favorite segment of the movie would have to be "Johnny Fedora and Alice Blue Bonnet", which I had completely forgotten was part of this movie. All segments of "Make Mine Music" have been shown on various Disney videos and Disney TV specials. This is just a great movie; it's just as good as all the other Disney Animated Classics. I'm sure that kids of all ages will enjoy it.

Quamar

"Make Mine Music" is another short story combination of short stories based around music numbers like "The Three Caballeros" and "Melody Time" but this whirly and witty collection is cool to bits and I actually fond it more fun and watchable than the big cheese before "Fantasia"! This programme gives open a fun and interesting taste of swing and popular music of the late 1940's and with good, amusing short stories that should everybody watching. The best ones in my opinion is "Willie the Operatic Whale" which is kinda sad but hilarious to find a whale singing in concert and "All the Cats Join In" which isn't actually about cats, it's about teenagers dancing to swing music. It made me surprised to find out that Americans in 1946 worn basic baseballs tops and polo shirts which proves that sixty years around, it wasn't that old fashioned! This is so much cooler inspiration of Walt's music festival which you shouldn't miss!

9/10

Mezilabar

The segments included in this anthology film are very good. I just think it's ridiculous that Disney would release a movie with the first chunk missing. The way it was done made it seem like they thought people wouldn't notice. I have to admit, I'm glad they released it even in part on DVD so we could enjoy the rest, but on the Walt Disney Treasures collection they have released several short subject cartoons on DVD with a disclaimer from Leonard Maltin beforehand. I think they could re-release 'Make Mine Music' in it's entirety with such a disclaimer because the segment is actually very entertaining. I remember seeing it as a kid and it left no impression whatsoever that I should grab a gun and start shooting. Maybe because I had smart parents that had a greater influence on me than what I saw on TV.

fire dancer

"Make Mine Music" is another post-war feature film that is actually a compilation of shorts all packaged together--like "Fun and Fancy Free", "The Adventures of Ichabod and Mr. Toad", "Saludos, Amigos" and the like. And, for the most part, these films marked a low-point in Disney history--as the great quality and artistry of their earlier full-length films (such as "Snow White", "Bambi" and "Pinocchio") and before the studio's rejuvenated late 40s and 1950s (with films such as "Cinderella" and "Peter Pan"). Much of this is probably due to the studio staff experiencing HUGE changes after WWII and a protracted union strike--and a very sizable number of animators and other artists were lost. Unlike the other features released just after the war, the shorts in "Make Mine Music" were very, very short.

"Blue Bayou"--Thankfully this was a very short film, as I was contemplating suicide it was so boring and dreadful. The music was somewhat like Jeanette/Nelson Eddy music and seemed very dated...and dull. 1

"All Cats Come Join In"--Benny Goodman and his orchestra provide the music and the style is a jazzy big-band sort of tune. The animation VERY simple--with characters with very non-detailed faces and backgrounds. While the music integrated well with the music and it was enjoyable, it would NEVER be confused with "Fantasia" as the look of this short was rather cheap. 3

"A Ballade in Blue"--A dull affair as a whiny guy sings about how life sucks without his beloved. Sure to make kids angry and restless. 1

"Casey At The Bat"--Probably the best and most famous of the shorts in this film. Jerry Colonna narrated the famous poem and it really came to life due to the silliness of the animation--which was reminiscent of a Goofy short. Too bad this short was so unlike the rest of the film and didn't seem to really fit the theme--which was really dull music and animation! There was only incidental music and this short forgot to be boring. 8

"Two Silhouettes"--Dinah Shore sings as silhouettes of a man and woman dance together. Frankly, if the earlier shorts didn't drive kids crazy with boredom, this one is sure to do it. Dull. 1

"Peter and the Wolf"--Oddly, this one began with a narration (Sterling Holloway--who later played Winnie the Pooh) as he explains how various instruments represent various characters in the story--then he continues to explain the story as the music plays. While I am not a huge fan of this short, it is head and shoulders better than most of them--and certainly is entertaining. Not a great film for most kids (unless they are a Frasier or Niles Crane sort of kid who adores classical or neo-classical music). But, it might also serve as a nice way to introduce kids to this sort of music. The animation of this one is noticeably better than the rest of the film and most adults should enjoy this film. 8

"After You've Gone"--The Goodman Quartet (including Benny Goodman) provide some bouncy music during which musical instruments, keyboards, fingers, etc. come to life. While kids will also surely hate this one, adults will probably find the music and animation zippy good fun. I didn't hate it. 6

"Johnny Fedora and Alice Bluebonnet"--Sung by the Andrews Sisters, this is the story about two hats that fall in love---something you DON'T see everyday! This is a pretty weird cartoon. Again, kids probably won't love this one but it was amazingly cute seeing these anthropomorphic hats. And the Andrews Sisters' music is pretty enjoyable and cute. 7

"Opera Pathetique"--This is sung by Nelson Eddy whose style of music is not to my liking although it was popular back in grand-pappy's day. The animation is much more enjoyable than most of the rest of the film but the singing is very operatic. If that's your thing, then are you in for a treat. However, if you think this sort of music is LESS enjoyable than hearing a cat being tortured, then it will be a chore to watch even with the cute animation of a gigantic singing whale. Cute but probably not everyone's cup 'o tea. 5

Overall, the film was hard to watch because it was so wildly uneven---it just frustrates the viewer to no end. Some of the shorts are very nice but many are just plain awful. Kids will most likely hate most of it and it's best you only show them a few selections. Adults will be, on the whole, more patient and willing to stick with it--particularly if they loved "Fantasia"--though the quality of "Fantasia" was almost always much higher--especially in regard to the artwork. For huge Disney-philes it's worth seeing--others might want to try renting this one instead of investing in the DVD.

Moogura

Of all Walt Disney's animated films, there are 5 features that a huge amount of people have never heard of. Saludos Amigos (1943) is one, but it's not fully feature-length (it's only 45 minutes, so it shouldn't even count when you always hear those Disney video & DVD announcements that say "Our 20-whatever-TH full-length animated classic...," but they actually do count it). The excellent Fun and Fancy Free (1947) is another. The Adventures of Ichabod & Mr. Toad (1949). And then, there are the 2 sequels to Fantasia (1940): Melody Time (1948) and this film, Make Mine Music (1946). The reason you probably haven't heard much about them is that, first- they were "Package Films" which were never really that popular AS package films, and second- they didn't make a lot of money for the studio when they were released in theaters in the 1940's. In fact, Disney would have gone extinct forever in 1950 (many say) if Cinderella had not have been a huge hit (which it was).

I say, they are sequels to Fantasia because they are made almost the exact same way. They lack a Composer / Orchestrator character to link them together, but when one segment ends, another simply begins. So basically, if you liked Fantasia, all you need to like this movie is some appreciation for the music you hear here. And this really is in the same sort of style as the music we hear in several Disney films. There's jazz (which you hear in The Aristocats, 1970), classical (every Disney film, animated or non), and interpretive stuff. I may not be a huge fan of any of these styles of music, personally, but that's what's great about Disney. They can put animation to it and make you like it or appreciate it more.

The first thing that should probably be said is that the wonderful people at Walt Disney Home Video, have taken it upon themselves to edit one of the musical segments entirely out of all prints of the film available on VHS and DVD. Isn't that nice of them? Without any proper explanation why - if you haven't seen it already, you're not going to see it ever (and I checked, it's not on You Tube). I've never seen it, so I can't comment on it.

The segments in the film can be put into 3 categories. 1- Storyline, 2- Interpretive, and 3- Combination. "Peter and the Wolf" and "The Whale Who Wanted to Sing at the Met" are Storyline. So they are longer than the others and take more time to tell. Both are good stories, if you like opera and folk / fairy tales. Though, "Peter" is probably the best (certainly it's been said it's Walt Disney's favorite), some of the animation / color choices here seem a little too wacky for Americans. "Whale" is underwhelming but has a memorable ending (it was a mistake, I think, to have the 1 opera singer doing all the speaking voices too).

"Blue Bayou," "Without You," "Two Silhouettes," and "After You've Gone," (big surprise) are Interpretive. No characters, no story. Just a song with some lyrics, and pure art. "Bayou" and "Without" are very beautiful and a little haunting. "Silhouettes" is truly classic and lovely, if also the most boring part of the movie. "After" has no lyrics but is very fun and upbeat.

Then finally, "All the Cats Join In," "Casey at the Bat," and "Johnnie Fedora and Alice Bluebonnet" are Combination. Which means, they have stories, but they are entirely told through one long, continuous song or don't take any breaks. "Casey" is funny, without a doubt (even though it's quite offensive, in one moment, to overweight people). "Johnnie" is definitely a fan favorite, and is kind of sad too. And "Cats" is fast-paced, so it's entertaining. But it doesn't speak too kindly of the youth of the 1940's. They are portrayed as quite elitist and discriminating.

So, unlike most Disney films (and even their package films), this film rests entirely on the strength of each individual segment / short. And some of these aren't memorable, while most are slightly below average quality. No Disney movie to buy on DVD is cheap, but with these Disney titles, you usually get a bonus cartoon. So I recommend purchase for true Disney fans. If you're looking for something to rent - I recommend only for you alone, if you're a Disney completest. But for your family, there are more appropriate and sensitive Disney films. Most films act as art, and as that, Make Mine Music does provide some average stuff worth seeing. I recommend it for that reason alone. If you're looking for something else, I say, find something else.

Atineda

They clearly tried to capture lightning in a bottle twice here. "Fantasia" was great, it was revolutionary for it's time and it still stands up to this day. This on the other hand is just forgettable. Some of the shorts are OK, but the majority of them just exist. The same goes for the music as well. I don't think comparing this to "Fantasia" is out of order either, they both follow the same structure. While "Fantasia" had well known/engaging music, this has music that just drags on because a lot of the shorts don't have stories. It feels like they took a bunch of random songs and added animation to them, compared to "Fantasia" where the animation actually matched the music. The animation's the best part of this, just stick to "Fantasia".

Ieslyaenn

This is Walt Disney's eighth full length animated feature film. This film is another one of six package films (string of short stories bundled in one movie), which contains 10 featurettes from the semi-adventurous Peter and the Wolf to the sad Whale Who Wanted to Sing at the Met - all set through contemporary Golden Era oldies music.

This film's animation wasn't bad for its time and the music, well, you have to be true enthusiasts of jazz, blues, and big band in order to appreciate the music. Otherwise, you might find the soundtrack quite boring. Much of the segments weren't very appealing as it didn't stand out as far as personality, fun, or charm, which is something another segmented film, Fantasia, had. The Peter and the Wolf, fedora and bonnet love story, and the singing whale segments were the only ones that grabbed any of my attention.

While unique, the overall film is not an attention grabber and children certainly wouldn't be able to sit through it. It falls short of entertainment and it won't hurt to skip over this one. If you're looking to watch a Disney "package" film with a little more excitement, I would go with Fun and Fancy Free and The Adventures of Ichabod and Mr. Toad.

Grade D

SING

Animated anthology movie from Disney. They made several of these during and after World War II. It's a fun movie with cartoons of varying quality but none are bad. Many of these cartoons were released later as theatrical shorts. There are ten segments. The most popular of them is probably "Casey at the Bat," a recitation by Jerry Colonna of the famous poem. It's a funny, wacky baseball cartoon that was one of my favorites as a kid (seen on a compilation video). Other well-known parts include the Disney version of "Peter and the Wolf," "The Martins and the Coys," which is now considered politically incorrect by those who make such determinations, and "The Whale Who Wanted to Sing at the Met," featuring Nelson Eddy. These are all fine cartoons, though the last one has a surprisingly downbeat ending. The 'worst' shorts are the ones that have no real story, just offer a few minutes of animation to some song, almost like a music video of sorts. "Blue Bayou," "Without You," and "Two Silhouettes," for example. They aren't bad shorts, just slight. They feel like time filler. My two favorite shorts in the whole movie are "All the Cats Join In" and "Johnnie Fedora and Alice Bluebonnet." 'Cats' is an energetic big band number with Benny Goodman music playing while a pencil draws the action as it happens. It's creative and cute with a surprisingly sexy part. You'll have to watch it to see what I mean. 'Fedora' is a sweet story about two hats (yes, hats) falling in love and becoming separated. This is narrated through song by the great Andrews Sisters. Overall, some nice little shorts that should please old-school Disney fans. Good animation and music. A very pleasant movie that will leave you with a smile on your face.

Anayanis

OK, so "Make Mine Music" follows the "Fantasia" model of setting action to music. The Looney Tunes cartoon "A Corny Concerto" was probably the coolest incarnation. I understand that a sequence from "Make Mine Music" showing feuding hick families shooting at each other got cut out of concern that it made gun violence look funny. Isn't the problem easy access to guns? I noticed that the jitterbug sequence featured some scenes that probably irritated the prudes (a girl showers and then shows her naked upper back). It's always neat what animators managed to slip into their cartoons.

Overall, a lot of the content was too flowery for my tastes, but I did like the vignette about the singing whale. And of course, sarcastic person that I am, while watching the movie I made a few remarks similar to those that Mike, Servo and Crow make at the crummy movies sent them by Dr. Forrester and TV's Frank on "Mystery Science Theater 3000". Specifically, during "Peter and the Wolf" whenever it played Peter's theme, I referenced Otter in "Animal House" (you may recall that he whistles the theme).

Anyway, we can accept the movie for what it is.

Dogrel

These "potpourri" musicals Disney made in the late 40's are usually variable, but this feature's my favorite among that whole batch. The Disney guys are always at their best in animation emphasizing characterization, and those musical sketches stressing this are the ones that work best. But one of the centerpieces here always struck me as Disney at his all-time worst: his attempts to duplicate the artistic success of "Fantasia" with a jumbled treatment of "Peter and the Wolf." I have yet to see a successful visualization of this piece....better to hear it on records, since this is largely a "theater-of-the-mind" piece, geared to help youngsters learn about some of the instruments of the orchestra. The Disney guys turn it into pure sap. But "Casey at the Bat," "Johnny Fedora & Alice Bluebonnet," "The Martins & the Coys," and especially "All the Cats Join In" and "Willie the Singing Whale" more than make up for what surrounds them.

roternow

MAKE MINE MUSIC is too jumbled. It's supposed to be a "mix" of the language of emotions, which is music, but it's an awkward attempt as we are treated to either boring ballet ballads or obnoxious jazz be-bop segments. I enjoyed "Blue Bayou" for its visual splendor, "Johnny Fedora & Alice Bluebonnet" for its cuteness, "Peter & The Wolf" because Sterling Holloway is the best! and "Casey At The Bat" because I also love Jerry Colonna's (sp?) voice, though "Casey" feels sad and incomplete when it ends with the ball player striking out and nothing more is said. The other segments, including the annoying singing whale, could have been axed in favor of part 2 of "Casey", which I've seen on TV years ago, about Casey having 9 daughters and coaching them as a baseball team. Walt Disney was trying to help audiences find an appreciation of different genres of music, but this mostly is a disappointment.

MisterQweene

The DVD version I've just seen included 9 of the original 10 segments. The loss of The Martins & the Coys is lamentable. This DVD did not include two titles listed as inclusions by IMDb...Two for the Record and The Misadventures of Chip & Dale...neither of which I've seen. I'd rated Martins/Coys (seen elsewhere) at 8 and usually rate a C&D 'toon at 8, so not much change there. This DVD did include 3 other titles, but not as part of the featured program...I rate Music Land, The Band Concert, and Farmyard Symphony at 9 each. Other 9s from the original line-up are All the Cats Join In (great art-work _and_ great memories), Casey at the Bat (comedian Colona was a fine choice as the narrator), Johnny Fedora and Alice Bluebonnet (good art & super love story), and Peter and The Wolf (excellent match between the action & the music). After You've Gone is an 8...Jazz isn't my thing, but the visuals are nothing short of fantastic. Blue Bayou and Without You are nicely drawn but monochromatic and the music is unmemorable...both are rated 7. So are Two Silhouettes (I expected 2S-on-the-Shade & was disappointed) (& I _know_ I've seen -Shade done by Disney somewhere, somewhen) and Willie's story (I just don't like the way the tale turned out). So, based on the 4 9s, an 8, & 4 7s, Make Mine Music is an 8.

Bolanim

Just like fantasia, this offers a range of fanous scores animatrd wonderfully. I thought it was ok.

Hystana

Presented by Disney Studios - This 1946 production consists of 9 animated shorts, each having a running time of approximately 6 minutes.

Containing almost no dialogue at all - "Make Mine Music" tells each of its individual stories mainly through the medium of music and song.

Featuring the musical talents of such notable "recording-artists-of-the-day", as - Benny Goodman, Nelson Eddy, and Dinah Shore - This presentation was very enjoyable, especially for someone, like myself, who is always impressed by Hollywood's golden age of animation (pre-CGI).

JUST DO IT

An omnibus of short song segments, climaxed by an extended fantasy with Nelson Eddy in which the singer voices for a whale. This is indeed the highlight of the movie, with Eddy running through "Shortnin' Bread", "Largo al Factotum" from Rossini's Barber of Seville, the sextette (yes, the sextette, with Eddy singing all the voices) from Donizetti's Lucia di Lammermoor, "Vesti la giubba" from Leoncavallo's Pagliacci, and arias from Boito's Mephistoles, Wagner's Tristan and Isolde, von Flotow's Martha.

Jazz fans will revel in a couple of numbers performed by Benny Goodman, the first, "All the Cats Join In", with his orchestra and The Pied Pipers; the second, "After You've Gone", with a quartet comprising himself, Cozy Cole, Teddy Wilson and Sid Weiss. The King's Men sing "The Martins and the Coys"; the Ken Darby Chorus, "Blue Bayou" (the accompanying animation was originally executed for Fantasia where it was set to the music of Debussy's "Clair de Lune" which of course it suits much more happily); Andy Russell, "Without You"; Jerry Colonna narrates and sings "Casey at the Bat"; Dinah Shore sings "Two Silhouettes"; the Andrews Sisters, "Johnny Fedora and Alice Blue Bonnet"; Sterling Holloway narrates "Peter and the Wolf" by Serge Prokofiev.

COMMENT: A very mixed bag indeed. And not only musically. The drawings also vary wildly, from the imaginatively surrealistic "After You've Gone" to the pretty-pretty picture postcard "Blue Bayou", from the frantically cartoon-like "Casey at the Bat" to the inventively view-pointed "Johnny Fedora".

Naturally some sequences come across with greater impact than others, but even the more innocuous valleys serve an overall purpose. In all, I thought the movie well up to Disney's usual superlative standards of artistry and entertainment — and so did MMA's very enthusiastic audience of university students and the like, who had previously seen little (if any) animation of such craftsmanship.

Unlike most other Disney cartoon features, "Make Mine Music" has, to my knowledge, never been theatrically re-released in its original form. All ten segments were re-issued as shorts, and this is the format in which they are usually aired on television. Fortunately, the good news is that the Disney DVD has restored the film to its original brilliance.

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