Tag Archives: Animated Feature Film

July 16, 1954 – The Special Short Film Casey at the Bat is Released to Theaters

“Casey’s the guy with his eye on the ball, but mostly the ladies. Casey’s the guy who’s the idol of all – but mostly the ladies.”

On July 16, 1954, the segment turned short film Casey at the Bat was released to theaters. Originally based on the poem by Ernest Thayer, the short was a segment in the animated package feature film Make Mine Music. It was narrated by Jerry Colona.

The time is 102, and everyone is heading to the ball game to see the game between Mudville and Burbank, particularly Casey, “the pride of them all.” The game doesn’t look good for Mudville, as they are losing by two. Each batter before Casey is bumbling, but they somehow manage to load the bases just as Casey gets up to bat to bring them home. Although distracted by the ladies, Casey leaves the crowd to once again be the hero, full of swagger and bravado. The pitcher is afraid to throw the ball, sweating profusely. When the ball arrives, Casey refuses to swing, and the crowd argues with the umpire’s call of a strike. Casey is able to calm the crowd down, and waits for his new pitch, though he ignores it again, resulting in another strike. Finally, the ball comes for a third time. Unfortunately, there is no joy in Mudville, as Casey struck out, and is left crying in the rain, trying once again to hit the ball, but has seemingly lost his ability.

July 15, 1955 – The Special Short Film The Flying Gauchito is Released to Theaters

“It’s a tale told by an old gaucho from Uruguay.”

On July 15, 1955, the segment turned short film The Flying Gauchito was released to theaters. It was originally a segment of the animated feature film The Three Caballeros.

The short begins in Uruguay, where a little bird came out of his nest early in the morning to see a little gauchito sneak out to go hunting. The gauchito heads up the mountain range to hunt a condor, and spots a large bird in a nest, only to find that it was actually a flying donkey. The donkey spots the gauchito and steals his hat, and the gauchito works quickly to capture him. The gauchito sets to work training the donkey before setting off to the race at the fiesta the next day. With a grand prize of 1,000 pesos, the two plan on winning the race, although they are laughed at by the crowd. The race doesn’t begin very well, with the crowd laughing at the donkey’s slow pace. Finally, gauchito reveals the donkey’s wings, and the two fly down the track as fast as can be, winning the pesos. Unfortunately, the ruse is up when the donkey flies up into the air, taking the gauchito far away with him.

June 18, 1954 – The Special Short Film The Martins and the Coys is Released to Theaters

“Gather round me children and I’ll tell a story of the mountains in the days when guns was law, when two families got disputin’, it was bound to end in shootin’, so just listen and I’ll tell you what I saw.”

On June 18, 1954, the special short film The Martins and the Coys was released to theaters. The short is a segment from the animated feature package film Make Mine Music, and features music by the King’s Men. The segment has not been featured with the film on home release since its initial theatrical run, as it was panned by critics for its overuse of gun violence.

Back in the old days in the mountains, two families were feuding: the Martins, and the Coys. These families tended to solve their disputes through gunfights, being much too trigger happy. One day, a massive fight occurred with many members of both families dying, leaving one member on either side left. The sole Martin, Grace, and the sole Coy, Henry, meet face to face one day, and fall madly in love. The souls of their relatives are furious at this development, especially when Grace and Henry marry, effectively destroying the feud – so they think. However, Henry and Grace still have their feuding ways ingrained in them, and fight day after day, carrying on the feud just like before.

May 13, 1955 – The Special Short Film Pedro is Released to Theaters

“Once upon a time in a little airport near Santiago, Chile, there lived three airplanes…”

On May 13, 1955, the segment Pedro from the animated feature film Saludos Amigos was released as a special short film in theaters. The segment was narrated by Fred Shields.

The segment begins in a small airport in Chile, home to three airplanes: a Papa, a Mama, and a Baby. As the planes are introduced, the baby plane Pedro seems to have gone missing. Pedro wants to be a big mail plane like his father, and goes to ground school to learn important lessons, including the mail route between Santiago and Mendoza. One day, Papa comes down with a horrible cold, and Mama has high oil pressure, so it’s up to Pedro to deliver the mail. His father warns him to avoid the mountains, and Pedro sets off on his journey with a less than masterly take-off. He gets hit with a down draft and goes down, but manages to get his bearings and head back up. Soon, he comes across the menacing mountain Aconcagua, and he nervously makes his way past. Pedro is able to grab the mail from Mendoza, and starts flying through the clouds in a show-off manner until he comes across a vulture. Unfortunately, as he chases it, he comes across Aconcagua, and gets caught in a sudden storm. Pedro nearly loses the mail, but manages to retrieve it, though at his own peril. He works to climb against the storm, and is finally able to make it past the storm, but runs out of gas, falling back into the mountain. Pedro’s parents watch late at night, thinking that their son has perished. Fortunately, Pedro appears, a little worse for wear, and managed to bring home the mail.