Mike Mine Music

Rachel Wagner began her review by admitting, “I’m guessing many of you have not seen one of Walt Disney’s most obscure films, Make Mine Music. While I wouldn’t go so far as to say it is a good film, it is so strange that I find it oddly entertaining.”

What makes “Make Mine Music,” released in 1946, unique is that it is a collection of unfinished projects that were quickly thrown together to make a feature film. In some cases, you can see why some were abandoned because they didn’t fit with Disney’s style. Others are just completely strange. Even in the collection of anthology films, “Make Mine Music” feels especially random.

The pride of “Make Mine Music” is that all 10 shorts have musical themes. Wagner said, “However, some shorts I don’t really get the musical theme, particularly Casey at the Bat, which isn’t about music at all.”

There are 10 shorts and they are oddly grouped and feel abandoned, but they do have their charm.

“Martins and the Coys” was removed from the “Make Mine Music” DVD because it was called too controversial and mean-spirited. However, you can still see it on YouTube if you search for it. It’s a version of the famous Hatfields’ and McCoys’ feud with the King’s Men singing the story of the two feuding families and their children Grace Martin and Henry Coy. They fall in love, but we find out that Grace is a bully and beats up poor Henry, so there isn’t a happy ending which makes it strange.

“Blue Bayou” was originally intended for “Fantasia.” This short is about a bayou habitat that was changed from Clair de Lune to the more modern Blue Bayou, sung by the Ken Darby Singers. Wagner mentioned, “You can watch it with Clair de Lune, and I think it is much better, but both are fine, and the animation is nice.”

In “All the Cats Join In,” we get Benny Goodman and his orchestra following a pencil drawing of a group of teenagers getting ready for a party and dancing. This feels like a strange short for Disney where we see some skin and a girl getting out of a shower, but it is harmless.

Singer Andy Russell joins a Dali-inspired short, “Without You,” with images of trees melting together and changing like a waterfall.

“Casey at the Bat” is an odd short to the film because it’s not about or includes music at all. It’s a poem by Ernest Thayer about the big star of the baseball team, Casey, striking out. What’s strange about this short is Casey is an arrogant jerk. Wagner said, “I guess he gets his just desserts, but it is kind of a strange lead character for Disney to use.”

In “Two Silhouettes,” they rotoscoped two ballet dancers, David Lichine and Tania Riabouchinska, and used their images like a cameo or silhouette on the screen. Wagner mentioned, “Dinah Shore sings the title song, and I guess it is interesting if you like ballet dancing.”

Narrated by Disney singer Sterling Holloway, “Peter and the Wolf” adapts Sergei Prokofiev’s classical music into a story where each character is a different instrument. We have Peter as a string quartet, Sonia the Duck as an oboe, and Ivan the Cat as a clarinet. This short has the best animation of the film.

“After You’ve Gone” is another strange short of the film. It has Benny Goodman and The Goodman Octet as eight instruments box, fight, and participate in other things.

If you love Pixar’s “Blue Umbrella” short, you might love “Johnnie Fedora and Alice Bluebonnet.” Like “Blue Umbrella” gives us umbrellas in love, this one gives us hats. Wagner admitted, “I can’t really get into umbrellas or hats in love, but it is cute enough.” The Andrews Sisters singing the title song gives a vintage feel to it.

Wagner admitted about “The Whale Who Wanted to Sing at the Met,” “This is without a doubt the weirdest short in Make Mine Music, which is probably why I like it the best.” Wille the Whale has always wanted to sing opera at the Met. The head of the Met, Tetti-Tatti finds Willie, thinking he has eaten an opera singer. We then see visions of Willie singing opera at the Met. This looks so peculiar to have a whale standing upright and singing in an opera costume. The ending for Willie and the messaging in the short are both weird. Wagner admitted, “I’m no expert on opera but the music by Nelson Eddy throughout the short is outstanding.”

Wagner continued, “So that is your 10 shorts in Make Mine Music. As you can probably tell, it is an eclectic group, and I think an entertaining watch. It takes some effort to track down the movie, but I encourage you to give Make Mine Music a watch.” This is one of the more unique Disney films and better than you might think.

I know this is not the first Disney film I have seen that is an anthology of shorts, but it still has some good shorts that I think people will love. Check it out on Disney+ and see for yourself, if you have never seen it. I never watched some of the older Disney films when I was a kid, but now with Disney+, I have been exploring the older stuff. This one is nice to see and I don’t think there is anything in here that will make people regret seeing it.

Check in tomorrow when I look at another older Disney film in “Disney Month 2023.”