The Reluctant Dragon
Also known as: Behind the Scenes at Walt Disney Studios, A Day at Disneys (Television)
- Studio
- Walt Disney Studios
- Distributor
- RKO Radio Pictures, Inc.
Synopsis
Robert Benchley is at the new Walt Disney Studios, there to pitch a story idea for an animated version of The Reluctant Dragon by Kenneth Grahame. As he is searching for Walt Disney, he goes into various departments, and sees a variety of the work that goes into making an animated film.
Characters
Casey, Jr. ("Casey, Jr.")
Donald Duck, Clementine Cow ("Old MacDonald Duck")
Baby Weems, John, Mrs. Weems, Albert Einstein, Franklin D. Roosevelt, George Bernard Shaw, Salvador Dali ("Baby Weems")
Goofy ("How to Ride a Horse")
Percy, The Reluctant Dragon, Sir Giles ("The Reluctant Dragon").
Characters, Live Action: Robert Benchley, Mrs. Benchley, Humphrey, Doris, Ward Kimball, Fred Moore, Norman Ferguson, Clarence Nash, Florence Gill, Walt Disney
Donald Duck, Clementine Cow ("Old MacDonald Duck")
Baby Weems, John, Mrs. Weems, Albert Einstein, Franklin D. Roosevelt, George Bernard Shaw, Salvador Dali ("Baby Weems")
Goofy ("How to Ride a Horse")
Percy, The Reluctant Dragon, Sir Giles ("The Reluctant Dragon").
Characters, Live Action: Robert Benchley, Mrs. Benchley, Humphrey, Doris, Ward Kimball, Fred Moore, Norman Ferguson, Clarence Nash, Florence Gill, Walt Disney
Credits
Directing
- Director
- Hamilton Luske (as Hamilton S. Luske)
- Assistant Directors
- Ford Beebe, Jim Handley, Verity Erwin
- Live Action Director
- Alfred L. Werker
- Assistant Director
- Jasper Blystone
Producing
- Producer
- Walt Disney
Writing
- Writer
- Ted Sears, Al Perkins, Larry Clemmons, William Cottrell (as Bill Cottrell), Harry Clork
- Additional Dialogue
- Robert Benchley
- Story, The Reluctant Dragon
- Erdman Penner, T. Hee
- Story, Baby Weems
- Joe Grant, Dick Huemer, John P. Miller
- Novel
- Kenneth Grahame
Animation
- Animator
- Ward Kimball, Fred Moore, Milt Neil, Wolfgang Reitherman, Walt Kelly, Jack Campbell, Claude Smith, Harvey Toombs, Bud Smith
- Effects Animations
- Joshua L. Meador
Voices
- Voice
- Robert Benchley (Himself), Frances Gifford (Doris), Buddy Pepper (Studio Guide), Nana Bryant (Mrs. Benchley), Florence Gill (Herself), Clarence Nash (Himself, Donald Duck), Alan Ladd (Animator), Norm Ferguson (Himself), Ward Kimball (Himself), Fred Moore (Himself), Jimmy Luske (Baby Weems Model), Frank Churchill (Himself), Walt Disney (Himself), Lester Dorr (Slim), Frank Faylen (Orchestra Leader), Henry Hall (Studio Policeman), Verna Hillie (Sculptor, uncredited), Truman Woodworth, Hamilton MacFadden, Maurice Murphy, Jeff Corey, John Dehner (uncredited)
- "The Reluctant Dragon" Segment
- Claud Allister (Sir Giles), Barnett Parker (Dragon), Billy Lee (Boy) Val Stanton (Courier), J. Donald Wilson (Narrator)
- "Baby Weems" Segment
- Leone Le Doux (Baby Weems), Raymond Severn (Baby Weems), Eddie Marr (Walter Winchell), Gerald Mohr (Studio Guard, Narrator), Ernie Alexander (Baby Weems' Father), Linda Marwood (Baby Weems' Mother), Art Gilmore (Franklin D. Roosevelt)
- "How To Ride a Horse" Segment
- Pinto Colvig (Goofy, uncredited), John McLeish (Narrator)
Music
- Music
- Frank Churchill, Larry Morey
- Song Sequence, "The Reluctant Dragon"
- Charles Wolcott, Larry Morey
Editing
- Editor
- Paul Weatherwax
Crew
- Art Direction
- Gordon Wiles
- Cartoon Art Direction
- Ken Anderson, Hugh Hennesy, Chas Philippi
- Backgrounds
- Ray Huffine, Arthur Riley
- Set Decoration
- Earl Woodin
- Production Manager
- Earl Rettig
- Sound Recordist
- Frank Maher
- Special Proocesses
- Ub Iwerks
- Title Sequence Caricatures
- T. Hee
- Cinematography (B&W)
- Bert Glennon
- Cinematography (Technicolor)
- Winton Hoch
- Technicolor Color Consultant
- Natalie Kalmus
- Sound
- Sonovox
Production notes
A combined live-action and animated film. Five short animated stories totaling about 40 minutes wrapped around a tour of the Walt Disney Studios. The first third of the movie is in Black & White, and switches to Technicolor when Benchley goes to the camera department.
Shorts include: "Casey, Jr.", "Old MacDonald Duck", "Baby Weems", "How to Ride a Horse" and "The Reluctant Dragon".
Released in the middle of the Disney animators' strike of 1941. Strikers picketed the film's premiere with signs that attacked Disney for unfair business practices, low pay, lack of recognition, and favoritism.
Shorts include: "Casey, Jr.", "Old MacDonald Duck", "Baby Weems", "How to Ride a Horse" and "The Reluctant Dragon".
Released in the middle of the Disney animators' strike of 1941. Strikers picketed the film's premiere with signs that attacked Disney for unfair business practices, low pay, lack of recognition, and favoritism.
Pictures
Reviews
The Reluctant Dragon
This gem is not yet available on DVD in the UK, so I've had to ship over an American import on the BEHIND THE SCENES DISNEY TREASURES Tin DVD Set. It is well worth your time and money.
Whilst I'm not convinced this was how Walt Disney made his movies (surely the voices are recorded BEFORE the drawings are done), it nevertheless remains an entertaining tour of the studios.
Granted the treatment of women may border on the sexist, but this film is a product of it's time and it is a credit to Disney DVD that the film remains unedited (why the same coutesy couldn't have been extended to the DVD issues of Melody Time and Make Mine Music, I've no idea)!
The highlight of the film is, of course, the Baby Weems section. I wonder who stroyboarded this storyboard style of telling the tale though?
The Reluctant Dragon cartoon is also a delight. Perfectly inoffensive and wonderfully witty - especially the character of the British Knight (ah, if only us Brits really did drink tea and eat cake all day - life would be wonderful).
This DVD is a limited edition, so get it while you can (I'm now holding my breath in anticipation for a release of Victory Through Air Power on the TREASURES range of DVD (although I doubt it'll ever happen)).
The Reluctant Dragon
Good film! I enjoyed it.