Interesteg What makes it different from others?

Comwayon A Disappointing Continuation

InformationRap This is one of the few movies I've ever seen where the whole audience broke into spontaneous, loud applause a third of the way in.

Ezmae Chang This is a small, humorous movie in some ways, but it has a huge heart. What a nice experience.

Vimacone In the early 40s, the Disney Studio had a number of features in planning stages, but these would not see the light of day until the post-war years. Two of these were Bongo and The Legend Of Happy Valley. Work began as early as early as 1940, but were shelved due to several setbacks.Like every feature that the studio produced in the immediate post-war years, this was a compilation of unrelated stories or visuals. Both stories were cut down in length to accommodate a feature length, much like The Wind And The Willows was. I've wanted to see what the studio's vision was for these stories as feature films.Disney had largely moved away from frightening sequences by this point. They still had occasional dark moments but it was toned down to a dramatic atmosphere. What you'll see here is a very lighthearted feel good film. Bongo doesn't really offer much story wise, but Dinah Shore's narration and singing interludes make it a very enjoyable segment. Mickey And The Beanstalk as narrated by Edgar Bergan makes for an interesting period piece. This is the best Mickey, Donald, and Goofy outting. This time they function as a team working through many perilous obstacles and comical situations. The Singing Harp almost anticipates Cinderella (different voice actress though).While Disney's package films are not well remembered and were panned by the studio staff, they do present a lot of light hearted and enjoyable moments. This film is a prelude to the studio's Silver Age of the 1950's.

jonconnormustlive-46298 Fun & Fancy Free starts with the beloved character Jiminy Cricket, he tells the story of Bongo. Bongo is about a circus bear who falls off his train and gets lost in the woods, he finds some wild bears and must learn to fit in. Jiminy then meets his ventriloquist neighbor who tells him the story of Mickey and the Beanstalk. Mickey, Donald & Goofy star together in the short take on Jack and the Beanstalk, in which they are stressed from lack of money and food, they get their hands on magic beans and use to reach the land of giants.As a whole the film fits tonally well. There's a feeling of fun and humor throughout. Bongo adds a great catchy song and dance and it's all around a blast to watch. Mickey and the Beanstalk adds some thrills but keeps iself fittingly funny. The wrap-around bits feature some memorable and funny characters all centered around Jiminy Cricket's lovable character.Anthologies often struggle to feel consistent, but Fun & Fancy Free is an all around fun blast of storytelling. Thumbs up!

rice-henry This package film from the Disney studio is simple but just irresistible as it features two colorful and cute cartoons interwoven with Edger Bergen and his famous dummies Charlie McCarthy and Mortimer Snerd.The first segment is "Bongo" based on a short story by Sinclair Lewis. With the exception of narrator Dinah Shore, the whole thing is dialog free and although it moves along at a leisurely pace, it is good enough for the kids but adults will most certainly squirm.The next segment is "Mickey and the Beanstalk" which has Bergan doing the narration of the classic fairy tale starring Mickey, Donald and Goofy as they face Willie the Giant (voiced amusingly by Billy Gilbert). Although the cartoon is cute and amusing, Bergen and his dummies along with the adorable Luana Patten provide the bulk of the laughs. I can't help but compare the approach in this segment to "Mystery Science Theater 3000" because of the good-natured riffing done by Charlie and Mortimer. It makes you wish that Walt Disney had used this formula for other films like "Alice in Wonderland" or "Cinderella." It goes without saying that Charlie's riffing on Bergen's storytelling is a particular highlight.I say see this film. It'll warm your heart and keep you amused. Plus, it doesn't have the blatant pop culture jokes you get in contemporary animated films.

Rindiana Another watchable Disney package film, consisting of only two segments this time.While the Bongo episode is quite cuddly in its own right, its thin narrative feels rather overstretched and Dinah Shore's syrupy narration and singing add too much schmaltz to the mix.So it's up to Mickey, Donald and Goofy to save the day in the beanstalk segment, which is narrated by Edgar Bergen and his ventriloquist's puppets in a wonderfully ironic tone. The episode itself is effectively paced, with funny, somber and thrilling moments in perfect balance and some catchy tunes thrown in for good measure. It's one of the three cartoon stars' best teamings. (And the final joke is nice.) 7 out of 10 harp loving giants