Walt Disney Animated Short Films Collection
Let’s look at some of the most famous animated short films that have been inspired by or are completely influenced by Disney features!
Many people know about The Power Of Puppetry, but what many don’t realize is that it was actually nominated for an Academy Award in 1981!
That film was titled A Mouse Story and it focused on the life of Mice (as opposed to other types of stories such as canines).
In this movie, you will see that Mickey has retired from his career as a performer and now he just wants to live out his days relaxing with his friends.
However, when something needs doing, then he’ll get back into performing again! This includes helping a friend who finds himself surrounded by more mice than money.
The mouse community quickly rallies around him and they perform a show for all to enjoy before announcing their new leader!
It’s clearly not Mickey because he refused, so the audience picks someone else instead… which happens to be Donald!
He accepts the position and immediately gets things going by organizing a charity event for needy mice.
After making sure everything is arranged properly, he announces that he will donate every drop of milk he has!
This gives away his strong leadership qualities and his dedication to helping others very well.
The Three Little Pigs
Once upon a time there were three little pigs who lived in a very large house with their father, mother, and two sisters. Their parents loved them all equally but it was clear that the biggest pig wanted to go out more than the others.
One day his sister called him for lunch while he was outside playing and she asked if he would like some cheese with his bread. He said yes and then ran off without waiting for her to get back into the house or asking what kind of cheese she had!
He spent the rest of the afternoon eating grass and looking at the sky until finally he just decided to build himself a nice cozy den and sleep there. When his family didn’t come home that night, he realized something was wrong so he went up to the house and found they left everything behind except for the milk.
He drank every last drop thinking about how much he deserved it because he was such a selfish pig. In fact, he thought to himself, I’m going to keep drinking this milk until everyone comes back here to take me away!
The next morning he woke up alone with no sign of anyone else in the world. Angry and hungry, he started walking down the road when he came across a wolf feeding its young by swallowing a small rabbit whole.
Thinking he could do the same thing, the wolf allowed the pig to try first.
The Jungle Book
As with many children, my childhood was filled with stories about animals. I would listen to tales of Ursula the sea serpent or Mowgli’s adventures in the jungle as if they were novels.
I always loved hearing about different species and how they interacted with each other. While some stories focused more on telling, others used situation-and-character storytelling to illustrate concepts.
The latter are often referred to as “situation-based stories,” or SBSs. These narratives structure their events around a theme or concept that changes over time.
Something like “the story of two friends who realize you can’t really know someone until you have seen them fight,” then reevaluating that statement as the narrative shifts from friendship to love.
A recent trend in animated feature films uses this technique to focus on social issues. A few examples include:
2008’s Courage the Cowardly Dog, which deals with racism
, which deals with Racism 2012’s Feast, which looks at greed by exploring capitalist ideals vs. community living
, which explores capitalist ideals vs. community living 2011’s Happy Time Stories, an anthology of short cartoons starring various characters (like Bambi) dealing with diverse themes
In all three cases, the underlying issue is exposed through setting, characterization, and/or event, but none directly address it.
The Silly Symphonies
Originally titled “The Reluctant Dragon,” this short was re-edited in 1940 to feature Mickey Mouse as the main character. He is tasked with saving his town from an oversized dragon that has taken over the city!
This movie features some of the most famous songs in the history of animation such as "Mickey Mousing" and "Be Careful Now." It also featured one of the first appearances of Daisy Duck!
Her appearance here is very brief but she does show off her beautiful white plumage which sets up her future role as Donald's love interest.
Mickey Mouse
In many ways, Mickey Mouse is an archetype of successful animation. He has been entertaining audiences since he was first created in 1928 by cartoonist Burt Grapes.
He is characterized as a fun-loving mouse who loves food and drink, enjoys chasing after toys, and does not like to be bothered with work or responsibilities. These qualities make him a very likable character.
His appeal comes from his charm and personality - something that filmmakers have tapped into over time. Even though he may seem simple at times, he always manages to get into amusing situations due to his wit and ditzy nature.
Mickey also shows courage, bravery, and leadership when faced with adversity. This makes him a valuable role model for young people. His ability to motivate others around him and teach them life lessons makes him worthy of your admiration.
Many children are drawn to him because he teaches good morals such as honesty, hardwork, kindness, and respect. He encourages individuals to believe in themselves and strive to achieve their dreams.
Overall, his legacy will live on forever through his contributions to entertainment culture.
Donald Duck
In 1989, Disney released its twenty-ninth animated short film featuring our favorite cartoon duck. Titled The Mockery of Nature, it features Uncle Scrooge who has gathered some fruits for his vault when he is surprised by an intruder in his home.
The intruder turns out to be none other than Donald Duck himself! While exploring around the house, he comes across some plants that seem suspiciously similar to ones he just stole from Scrooge.
He then takes these plants and puts them into his bag where you can see his logo stamped on them. He leaves, but not before making sure no one else is awake outside or up in the apartment.
After all, what would someone like him be doing with such strange vegetation? You may recognize this as the classic theme song we have come to know and love!
Now let’s talk about how famous this movie became.
It was first shown during the 1988 Oscars ceremony at the Hyperion Theater. It received nine nominations total, including Best Writing (Story), Original Music and Lyrics, and Voice Acting.
But it didn’t win anything.