Friday, July 6, 2012

D52–Make Mine Music

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The third of the omnibus films, Make Mine Music was originally released in 1946. It featured ten animated shorts, each set to a different musical piece, with styles ranging from classic to pop. Unfortunately, the complete film has never been released on home video in North America. Each release has removed the opening “The Martins and The Coys” sequence due to its “graphic gunplay”. Thanks to its inclusion on overseas releases, though, it is easy to track the segment down online.

The Martins and the Coy, the short censored from American releases

The shorts included in the film are genuinely entertaining. As in Saludos Amigos, the variety of animation styles, as well as music styles, keeps it constantly fresh and interesting. These varying styles also contribute helping the film feel far more modern than many of its contemporaries.

Make Mine Music will appeal most strongly to fans of Disney’s shorts, and includes several that are regarded as classics, such as “Peter and the Wolf”, “Casey at the Bat”, and “The Whale Who Wanted to Sing at the Met”. The highlight of the feature for animation buffs, though will be “All the Cats Join In”, marking Disney’s first foray into abstract style that would eventually become a defining feature of the Warner Bros. shorts. Even those without a specific interest in shorts will find plenty to enjoy in this feature and should definitely seek it out.

An undated, post release trailer for Make Mine Music

Next: Fun and Fancy Free (1947)

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