teleconman
MELODY TIME is one of those movies that I could put on any time and forget about my worries. I remember watching it when I was a kid and sure I didn't pay it much attention to it. It's a cartoon film, so the only thing that mattered to me was that it's cartoons. Year's later I found a copy of it on DVD. And everyday when I'd get home I would do my homework while it played in the background. I am willing to say that this is probably my favorite Disney movie. Nothing against THE LION KING or ALADDIN, but it's just that there's a sense of emotion in this movie that's hard for me to explain. Every segment is so beautiful to look at. The music that accompanies each one is beautiful. The great thing about it is that there are like eight segments. so you get to experience eight magnificent pieces of work from animation history. My favorite segments are "Johnny Appleseed", The entire "Pecos Bill" segment, and "Trees". In that sense it sounds kind of like a nature theme that stood out to me. Which makes sense because the artwork of nature is amazing. I applaud the animators that worked on the film, there wasn't a lot of them, but they still managed to make a great Disney animated film. This is one of the best of them if not the best for me.
Sherrill777
The Bad:This is a compilation of shorts, not a cohesive story. Some of the shorts are fun, but some are pretty bad. The short "Blame it on the Samba" - in which Donald dances around while a live-action woman sings and plays instruments – made me try to fast-forward through the never-ending scene. I strongly disliked that one. Although someone who is a fan of that style of music might find it more palatable. "Pecos Bill" contains Indian stereotypes which are outdated and potentially offensive, along with a depiction of the hero smoking. The Good:I really loved the "Johnny Appleseed" segment. It's loosely based on a true story (hey, history education!), plus had an unexpectedly positive view of Christianity (in something like two lines). The "Little Toot" segment was also pretty cute. The handful of other segments were fairly forgettable in my opinion, but not unwatchable. The Mom view:Created after Fantasia, it feels like it is a much lesser cousin – or even simply a grouping of completely unrelated shorts rather than a harmonious concert experience. Since the music can be so varied (and not contemporary), I find this could be educational for a child. Exposure to music style that a parent doesn't regularly listen to can be a very good thing. Also, the American folk hero aspect of this compilation was nice. If I could snip out the segments I liked and discard the irritating ones, this would make for an okay movie for my kids, but the "Samba" segment simply kills this for me. I'll get Fantasia instead.
Lee Eisenberg
...but no one in the 21st century is going to recognize any of the people who did the music for "Melody Time". Dennis Day? Fred Waring? Frances Langford? And besides, the movie has some of the hokiest sketches. As for Roy Rogers, maybe he and John Wayne were seen as role models in the '40s and '50s, but can we in the 2010s truly see them as such?* So, it's not just that I'm the sort of person who prefers to watch all sorts of different movies from around the world. I prefer it if family movies have a more complex purpose than being happy-go-lucky. For example, I wouldn't call "Frozen" a masterpiece but I thought that it made a good point about accepting oneself as one is and others as they are. But more than anything I always preferred the Looney Tunes cartoons; their irreverence and grittiness starkly contrasted with Disney's cuteness.The point is that I don't recommend "Melody Time".*Read John Wayne's comment about relations between white settlers and American Indians if you want to know what I mean.
v_haritha_in
In the years following Fantasia, Disney came up with some animated films which are a collection of shorts. Melody Time is one them. It contains seven unrelated musical vignettes.1. Once Upon a Winter Time: A lovey-dovey young couple go ice-skating and there they have a cutesy misunderstanding but make up cutesy-ly in the end. As though this doesn't ooze enough icky cuteness, there is a rabbit couple imitating the human couple. A poor beginning.2. Bumble Boogie: The movie starts getting good. This is Disney's take on Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov's "Flight of the Bumblebee" and a very interesting one too. If anything it ends too soon.3. Johnny Appleseed: A romanticized story of Johnny Appleseed, a real- life, pioneer apple-cultivator, this short has some of the best animation in any Disney movie. 4. Little Toot: The good run continues with the story of a naughty little tugboat who eventually learns to be responsible.5. Trees: A short, totally forgettable song on how trees shelter animals and birds.6. Blame it on the Samba: Donald Duck and Jose Carioca dance to some Samba music played on piano by Ethel. It has some interesting animation but nothing special.7. Pecos Bill: This is the longest feature and has a live-action sequence. It tells the tale of the folklore hero, Pecos Bill and it is really enjoyable.Watch the better shorts separately rather than the entire movie.
AD
