Melody (1953 film)
| Melody | |
|---|---|
| Adventures in Music series | |
| Directed by |
Ward Kimball Charles A. Nichols |
| Produced by | Walt Disney |
| Story by | Dick Huemer |
| Voices by |
Bill Thompson Loulie Jean Norman Harry Stanton Gloria Wood |
| Music by |
Joseph Dubin (music) Sonny Burke Paul Webster (songs) |
| Animation by | Ward Kimball Julius Svendsen Marc Davis Harvey Toombs Hal Ambro Marvin Woodward |
| Studio | Walt Disney Productions |
| Distributed by | RKO Radio Pictures |
| Release date(s) | May 28, 1953 |
| Color process | Technicolor |
| Running time | 10 mins (one reel) |
| Language | English |
| Followed by | Toot, Whistle, Plunk and Boom |
Melody is a 1953 Walt Disney short cartoon film, originally released on May 28, 1953. It was the first cartoon filmed in 3D. It was shown at Disneyland in the Fantasyland Theater as part of the 3D Jamboree. This film was the first in a proposed series of shorts teaching the principles of music, called Adventures in Music. Only one other film in the series was made, Toot, Whistle, Plunk, and Boom. The characters would go on to feature in Disney's Sing Along Songs.
Walt Disney was always a fan of music, and it shows in all of his movies and short films. He said: "There's a terrific power to music. You can run any of these pictures and they'd be dragging and boring, but the minute you put music behind them, they have life and validity they don't get any other way."
The short film shows Professor Owl instructing his classroom full of birds on how to find melody around them.
Then there is a scene that shows the "Steps of life", demonstrating how melody is evident throughout the life of an average guy. As we go through time, the overall colors shown for each step changes subtlety, as warm ochre, yellows and reds, suggesting growth and vitality, are for his childhood and school years, up until his marriage. When he gets older, the color scheme subtlety changes from reds to purples to blues, depicting maturity and loss of vitality. There is a quick survey of the stages of life, as captured by songs: the Alphabet Song for primary school, "Here Comes the Bride," "The Old Gray Mare," etc.
Some inspirations for song are outlined in song (such as love), but a pinfeather of the choir named "Penelope" states that they never, ever sing about brains.
Finally, an example is shown of how a simple melody can be expanded into a symphony: an elaborate version of the simple tune which opened the lesson.
This cartoon was released on DVD twice: once on Fantasia 2000 and then on Disney Rarities: Celebrated Shorts, 1920s–1960s.
It was also released on television twice: once on Mickey's Mouse Tracks Episode 27 and on Donald's Quack Attack Episode 4.
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