This heartwarming film from 1941 is not your average
Disney film yet it contains the same beloved qualities of one. There is not a lot of action or plot, but
Walt Disney surely knew what he was doing when he made this one.
We open with the Benchley couple, relaxing at their
pool. Mrs. Benchley has just completed
reading a book called The Reluctant
Dragon to her husband. She comes up
with the idea that Walt Disney might want to turn this book into a film. After a back and forth conversation of the
wife wanting to go and the husband not wanting to go, Mr. Benchley basically
says they are “not going and that’s final.”
In the next scene, we see the Benchleys in the car which
is a humorous follow-up scene to his protest.
Mrs. Benchley decides she is going to leave the premises (which is
honestly beyond confusing and frustrating after she pressured him to go).
The curious Mr. Benchley arrives at Walt
Disney Studios and we soon see the famous Dopey Drive and Mickey Avenue signs
lining the street (see Fact #2 below). A
young lad by the name of Humphrey begins to lead him around the property,
explaining everything they are seeing.
Benchley quickly becomes bored of Humphrey and begins to wander
around. He quite literally crashes into
an art class and witnesses the drawing of a model elephant.
He also stumbles into a room where an orchestra is
practicing. He is overwhelmed when he
sees Florence Gill. He assumed she would
be singing an operatic piece…instead, she steps up to the microphone and some
unusual bird noises come out. We also
meet Clarence Nash (!!!) the voice of Donald Duck. Their interaction is heartwarming and, for
lack of a better term, absolutely magical.
Next he walks into a sound room where work is going on
for the recording of the Casey Junior Circus Train Song. (At this point, we have assumed that they are
in the middle of preparing for their film Dumbo
which was also released in 1941.) We see
an unbelievably awesome scene of how the train’s sounds are created as well as
the background noises such as the storm.
We see a couple of miscellaneous, cool scenes following
this. One happens to star the amazing
Donald Duck who appears to be yelling at Mr. Benchley, instructing him as to
how he walks. There is a fantastic
mixing of colors to show how part of a scene from Bambi was colorized. At one
point, an animator creates a bust of Mr. Benchley for him, which he carries
around with him throughout the rest of the film. (This reminds me much of the 1966 musical A Funny Thing Happened On The Way To The
Forum where the character Senex carries around a bust with him through much
of the film – parental guidance required for that one.)
Animators then discuss a frightening short called Baby Weems – this was most likely my
least favorite part of the film. It is
just disturbing, in my opinion. However,
we do witness the short through choppy images instead of a moving animated picture
which is neat. Mind you, during this
time, Humphrey is searching all across the Walt Disney Studios buildings for
the wandering Mr. Benchley.
Next we see an incredible Goofy short called How to Ride a Horse. Words cannot describe how enjoyable this
is. The Goofy shorts are some of my
personal favorite Walt Disney productions.
They are hilarious and good to watch when you are in any kind of
mood. They always contain the classic
qualities we know and love about Disney.
An unhappy Humphrey runs into Goofy and brings him to
Walt Disney. My heart literally jumped
for joy seeing our beloved Uncle Walt sitting among his treasured
animators. Much to Mr. Benchley’s
surprise, Walt invites him to sit with them and watch a new short which he just
made…The Reluctant Dragon. The short which follows is adorable and a ton
of fun to watch. He is not your typical
dragon. To summarize, this kid meets a
dragon who has a passion for poetry, and he wants to save him from
killers. He introduces the dragon to a
man named Giles who is a poet. They get
along famously and everyone lives happily ever after. This is one short which is worth watching
rather than my explaining each detail.
The last scene of the film shows the Benchley couple in
the car, driving home. He has explained
to her that Mr. Disney already had the idea to make a short out of the book, to
which Mrs. Benchley replies that he was too busy “shilly shallying” and he
should have taken action beforehand.
Mr. Benchley is played by the actor Robert Benchley who appeared
in a bunch of films from the 1940s. Nana
Bryant plays Mrs. Benchley. Bryant appeared
in a ton of films including 1938’s The
Adventures of Tom Sawyer and 1950’s Harvey. We also see a plethora of voice actors and some
of Disney’s most valued animators. The
film was directed by Alfred L. Werker and Hamilton Luske. Werker directed a ton of films from the 1930s
and 1940s while Luske directed a bunch of Disney films including Cinderella and Lady and the Tramp.
Five Facts:
1.) How to Ride a Horse was
the first of several of these Goofy shorts where he does not actually speak.
2.) The
Mickey Avenue and Dopey Drive signs were made for this film and were supposed
to be removed after the making of it.
They still stand.
3.) Sadly,
most of the “animators” in the film were actors hired to portray said
animators. This was filmed during a
strike by half of the actual animators, so although they look like a happy family,
it was quite the opposite.
4.) This
is the first full length Disney film where voices are credited.
5.) The
bust of Robert Benchley was made in advance despite appearing like it was just
made. It gradually destroyed as the film
was made.
From beginning to end, The Reluctant Dragon is an enjoyable film. I love that they intertwine animation with
live action to make the characters, both human and animated, blend together. Despite seeing some voice actors, Disney
surely kept the magic alive through its production. Unsurprisingly, I teared up at times such as
the scene where Walt Disney appeared on screen.
Even seeing Clarence Nash brought a tear to my eye as this brought up a
ton of wonderful memories I’ve had through the years. I would highly recommend seeing this for
individuals of all ages. There is a
little something for everyone from your passionate Disney fan to your child who
loves dragons.
My
Rating: 4/5
You’ve
got to be mad to breathe fire, but I’m not mad at anybody.
