Disney Animated Marathon: Melody Time (1948)

Film #10 in the Disney Animated Marathon!

Story By: Ken Anderson, Homer Brightman, William Cottrell, Hardie Gramatky, Winston Hibler, Jesse Marsh, Bob Moore, Erdman Penner, Harry Reeves, Joe Rinaldi, Art Scott, Ted Sears & John Walbridge
Directed By: Clyde Geronimi, Wilfred Jackson, Jack Kinney & Hamilton Luske

It’s a sad day when a Disney animated film doesn’t give me anything to talk about. I have never been able to say that about any Disney animated film I have witnessed until I came across Melody Time. There isn’t a single positive or negative aspect of Melody Time that is worth talking about. This isn’t the best way to start a review, I realize this, but I feel the need to be honest. Melody Time isn’t a case of hit or miss, of bad and good, or terrible and awesome, it’s just sort of there.

I honestly don’t know what to say beyond what I have already said. Melody Time gets interesting for about a minute total. First is when the animation takes an upturn during Trees, providing images with detailed shadows, light and reflection. It perks up again when Donald and Jose make an appearance, but sadly they don’t talk and their segment left me wanting something more. Maybe Melody Time appeals to some people, but it did next to nothing for me. It’s the worst type of art, it doesn’t feel the need to reach for anything and thus it falls into mediocre retread territory. That’s possibly the only impact of Melody Time, I felt like I had seen the entire presentation already, and I had, in Fun & Fancy Free, Make Mine Music, Fantasia, and more. I said it a few times already, but I’ll say it again, Melody Time is a movie that just exists, it doesn’t strive to be anything and therefore it feels like a waste of time.

Rating:

**

Cheers,
Bill