Written by Jennifer
May 14, 2009
The common vein in these shorts seems to be giving someone a taste of their own medicine.
Volume 5 of the Disney Animation Collection brings together a motley bunch of animated shorts. "The Wind in the Willows" serves as the cornerstone of the collection, but I'm always struck by what a strange story it is for children...Something about the sale of a lemon car, a bunch of weasels, some legal proceedings, and a wild ride? Even watching as an adult, I struggled a bit to keep up with the messy goings-on, but I was happily reminded of "Mr. Toad's Wild Ride" in Disneyland, so I can't say it was a total loss.
The rest of the shorts are somewhat more straightforward, although many of them are just as peculiar. "The Ugly Duckling" is a retelling of the classic fairy tale, and the poor little swan is rejected so resoundingly that you just about want to wring the ducks' necks. His saga definitely pulls on the heart-strings, and it's thoroughly satisfying when he finally finds his real family and has the chance to turn his back on those crappy ducks.
"The Grasshopper and the Ants" is a goofy cartoon about a fiddle-playing grasshopper who spits right and left (just like a real grasshopper) and then seeks refuge from the cold inside an ant hill. King Midas discovers that "The Golden Touch" isn't always what you want, and "The Robber Kitten" realizes that being a pirate isn't quite what it's cracked up to be. The poor little guy runs away in order to avoid his afternoon bath, but after tangling with some hardcore villains, that tub looks awfully good. Scarily, his mother (also a cat, obviously) rolls up her sleeves to reveal human hands. Geez, if that kitten had any sense, he would have run away from home to get away from that.
Finally, "The Wise Little Hen" struggles to find someone to help her sow and harvest a crop of corn, only to have her neighbors play sick and laugh behind her back. She and her chicks get the work done themselves, but her lazy neighbors seem to feel just fine when it's time to eat. Happily, "The Wise Little Hen" turns the tables, and the joke is on them.
I keep looking for themes in each volume of the Disney Animation Collection, and the common vein in these shorts seems to be giving someone a taste of their own medicine. I have no idea if they were grouped together for a reason, but I kind of enjoy overanalyzing these wonky gems from the past. A collectible "Wind in the Willows" lithograph rounds out the fun.
