Once Upon a Mouse

Last updated
Once Upon a Mouse
Once Upon a Mouse.jpg
Title card for Once Upon a Mouse
Directed by
  • Jerry Kramer
  • Gary Rocklen
Written by
  • Jack Weinstein
  • Robert Resnikoff
Produced by
  • Jerry Kramer
  • Gary Rocklen
  • Howard E. Green (Disney)
  • Cardon Walker (Disney)
Starring
CinematographyRichard Cohen
Dion Hatch
Edited byJack Weinstein
Production
companies
Distributed by Buena Vista Distribution
Release date
  • July 10, 1981 (1981-07-10)
Running time
27 minutes
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish

Once Upon a Mouse is a 1981 American theatrical featurette directed by Jerry Kramer and Gary Rocklen of Kramer/Rocklen Studios, produced in association with Walt Disney Productions. It was released on July 10, 1981 on a double bill with The Fox and the Hound . [1]

Contents

Dedication

In celebration of our twentieth animated feature, we invite you to relive with us the story telling magic, the wit, the wisdom, the humor, the understanding of a very special person who gave the world a timeless and universal art form. This is the legacy of Walt Disney...

Opening titles of Once Upon a Mouse

Plot

A documentary featurette produced in celebration of the studio's 20th (soon to be 24th) feature-length animated film The Fox and the Hound which highlights sixty years of Walt Disney's legacy beginning with Steamboat Willie in 1928 followed by a kaleidoscopic magic carpet ride through the world of Disney animation, including segments from hundreds of films shown through the use of montages, collages, computerized optical effects, behind-the-scenes footage, and special tributes to Disney and Mickey Mouse. [2]

The featured clips include Mickey Mouse shorts, The Jungle Book , Bambi , Fantasia , The Rescuers , Song of the South , One Hundred and One Dalmatians , Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs , The Adventures of Ichabod and Mr. Toad , Alice in Wonderland , Lady and the Tramp , Pinocchio , Dumbo , Peter Pan , Sleeping Beauty , The Aristocats , The Sword in the Stone and Robin Hood . [3]

Once Upon a Mouse began airing on The Disney Channel in the mid-1980s and would be shown again in reruns, the last time being in 2002 as part of the Vault Disney block of programming. [4]

Cast

The following appeared on archival footage:

Home media

The short was released in Japan on August 25, 1986 on VHS and LaserDisc as part of a compilation of Disney shorts called Once Upon a Mouse and Other Mousetime Stories. This compilation also features The Flying Mouse (1934), Three Blind Mouseketeers (1936), Brave Little Tailor (1938) and Ben and Me (1953). [5]

See also

Related Research Articles

<i>Pinocchio</i> (1940 film) American animated musical fantasy film

Pinocchio is a 1940 American animated musical fantasy film produced by Walt Disney Productions and released by RKO Radio Pictures. Based on Carlo Collodi's 1883 Italian children's novel The Adventures of Pinocchio, it is the studio's second animated feature film, as well as the third animated film overall produced by an American film studio, after Disney's Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs (1937) and Fleischer Studios' Gulliver's Travels (1939). With the voices of Cliff Edwards, Dickie Jones, Christian Rub, Walter Catlett, Charles Judels, Evelyn Venable, and Frankie Darro, the film follows a wooden puppet, Pinocchio, who is created by an old woodcarver, Geppetto, and brought to life by a blue fairy. Wishing to become a real boy, Pinocchio must prove himself to be "brave, truthful, and unselfish." Along his journey, Pinocchio encounters several characters representing the temptations and consequences of wrongdoing, as a cricket named Jiminy, who takes the role of Pinocchio's conscience, attempts to guide him in matters of right and wrong.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jiminy Cricket</span> Fictional character from Disneys Pinocchio

Jiminy Cricket is the Disney version of the "Talking Cricket", a fictional character created by Italian writer Carlo Collodi for his 1883 children's book The Adventures of Pinocchio, which Walt Disney adapted into the animated film Pinocchio in 1940. Originally an unnamed, minor character in Collodi's novel who is killed by Pinocchio before returning as a ghost, he was transformed for the Disney adaptation into a comical and wisecracking partner who accompanies Pinocchio on his adventures, having been appointed by the Blue Fairy to serve as Pinocchio's official conscience. In the film, he sings "When You Wish Upon a Star", the Walt Disney Company's signature song, and "Give a Little Whistle".

<i>Fun and Fancy Free</i> 1947 film produced by Walt Disney and Ben Sharpsteen

Fun and Fancy Free is a 1947 American animated musical fantasy anthology film produced by Walt Disney and Ben Sharpsteen and released on September 27, 1947 by RKO Radio Pictures. The film is a compilation of two stories: Bongo, narrated by Dinah Shore and loosely based on the short story "Little Bear Bongo" by Sinclair Lewis; and Mickey and the Beanstalk, narrated by Edgar Bergen and based on the "Jack and the Beanstalk" fairy tale. Though the film is primarily animated, it also uses live-action segments starring Edgar Bergen to join its two stories.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Fantasyland</span> Themed land at Disney theme parks

Fantasyland is one of the "themed lands" at all of the Magic Kingdom-style parks run by The Walt Disney Company around the world. It is themed after Disney's animated fairy tale feature films. Each Fantasyland has a castle, as well as several gentle rides themed after those Disney animated feature films.

Disney Time is a television series that ran in the UK on the BBC, and also ITV at one point between 1961 and 1998. It was a regular holiday schedule filler. Clips of Disney films were introduced by celebrity hosts, which over the years included Paul and Linda McCartney, Noel Edmonds, Sarah Greene, Doctor Who's Tom Baker, The Goodies and Phillip Schofield.

<i>Mickeys House of Villains</i> 2002 film

Mickey's House of Villains is a 2002 American direct-to-video animated comedy-horror film produced by Walt Disney Television Animation. It is based on the animated television series House of Mouse and serves as a stand-alone sequel to the direct-to-video animated film Mickey's Magical Christmas: Snowed in at the House of Mouse, starring Mickey Mouse, Donald Duck, Minnie Mouse, Goofy, Daisy Duck, and Disney Villains that appeared in past Disney productions. It was released on both VHS and DVD by Walt Disney Home Entertainment on September 3, 2002.

<i>Disney Sing-Along Songs</i> Series of compilations of Disney songs with on-screen lyrics

Disney Sing-Along Songs is a series of videos on VHS, betamax, laserdisc, and DVD with musical moments from various Disney films, TV shows, and attractions. Lyrics for the songs are sometimes displayed on-screen with the Mickey Mouse icon as a "bouncing ball". Early releases open with a theme song introduction containing footage featuring Professor Owl and his class, seen originally in 1953 in two Disney shorts, Melody and Toot, Whistle, Plunk, and Boom. Professor Owl hosts some of the videos, while either Jiminy Cricket or Ludwig Von Drake host others. Later volumes, as well as the two Christmas videos, do not feature a host at all. Scenes with Jiminy Cricket and Ludwig Von Drake were taken from television programs, including the Walt Disney anthology television series and The Mickey Mouse Club, which featured the characters in the 1950s and 1960s.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Disney on Parade</span> Former parade

Disney on Parade was a daytime parade of the Hong Kong Disneyland theme park in Penny's Bay, Lantau Island, Hong Kong. It debuted on rehearsal days throughout June 2005, before the grand opening of Hong Kong Disneyland on September 12. The parade takes a few floats and themes from Tokyo Disneyland's former daytime parade named Disney on Parade: 100 Years of Magic.

<i>Classic Disney: 60 Years of Musical Magic</i> 1995 box set by Various Artists

Classic Disney: 60 Years of Musical Magic is a five-volume compilation series, each containing 25 songs compiled from Disneyland and Walt Disney World, various Disney films in animation and live-action, and the Walt Disney anthology television series. Each volume was released individually on CD and cassette between 1995 and 1998. Volume I was released on March 28, 1995, Volume II on September 12, 1995, Volume III on July 2, 1996, Volume IV on July 15, 1997 and Volume V on September 22, 1998. In 2000, a box set was released containing volumes 1 - 3, followed by a box set containing volumes 1 - 4 in 2001, Finally, a box set containing all five volumes packaged in a slipcase was released by Walt Disney Records in Australia, Japan, North America and Europe in 2003.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Walt Disney Classics</span> Series of VHS releases of Disney movies

Walt Disney Classics is a discontinued video line launched by WDTNT to release Disney animated features on home video. The first title in the "Classics" line was Robin Hood which was released towards the end of 1984. This was followed by 19 other titles until early 1994, with The Fox and the Hound. Disney followed up on the "Classics" series by porting over the released titles to the "Masterpiece Collection" line. Starting in the 2010s these videocassettes also dubbed "Black Diamond" became highly sought-after due to a public misconception about their rarity and actual value.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Burny Mattinson</span> American animator (1935–2023)

Burnett Mattinson was an American animator, director, producer, and story artist for Walt Disney Animation Studios, where he was employed from 1953 until his death in 2023.

"A Disney Christmas Gift" is an animated Christmas television special produced by Walt Disney Productions. It was originally broadcast on CBS on December 4, 1982, as part of the Walt Disney anthology series.

"From All of Us to All of You" is an animated television Christmas special, produced by Walt Disney Productions and first presented on December 19, 1958 on ABC as part of the Walt Disney Presents anthology series. Hosted by Jiminy Cricket along with Mickey Mouse and Tinker Bell, the special combines newly produced animation with clips from vintage animated Disney shorts and feature films, presented to the viewer as "Christmas cards" from the various characters starring in each one.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Disney's Nine Old Men</span> Core group of animators for Walt Disney Productions in the mid-20th century

Disney's Nine Old Men were a group of Walt Disney Productions' core animators, who worked at the studio from the 1920s to the 1980s. Some of the Nine Old Men also worked as directors, creating some of Disney's most popular animated movies from Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs to The Rescuers. The group was named by Walt Disney himself, and they worked in both short and feature films. Disney delegated more and more tasks to them in the animation department in the 1950s when their interests expanded, and diversified their scope. Eric Larson was the last to retire from Disney, after his role as animation consultant on The Great Mouse Detective in 1986. All nine members of the group were acknowledged as Disney Legends in 1989 and all would receive the Winsor McCay Award for their lifetime or career contributions to the art of animation.

The Disney Collection: the Best-Loved Songs from Disney Motion Pictures, Television, and Theme Parks is a series of albums which were released three times. The first was a two-volume set released in 1987 from Disneyland Records. The second time was released in 1991 as a three-volume set from Walt Disney Records. The third time was released in 2006 as a four-volume set also from Walt Disney Records. It doesn't include songs from The Adventures of Ichabod and Mr. Toad, Alice in Wonderland, and The Sword in the Stone.

<i>Celebrate the Magic</i> Nighttime show at Magic Kingdom

Celebrate the Magic was a nighttime show at the Magic Kingdom park of Walt Disney World, that premiered on November 13, 2012. It replaced The Magic, the Memories and You display, a similar show that ran at the Magic Kingdom and Disneyland from January 2011 to September 4, 2012.

<i>Mickey Mouse</i> (TV series) American animated television series

Mickey Mouse is an American animated television series produced by Disney Television Animation. Featuring Disney cartoon characters Mickey Mouse, Minnie Mouse, Donald Duck, Daisy Duck, Goofy and Pluto in contemporary settings such as Paris, Venice, Tokyo and New York, the series has the slapstick feel of the earliest Mickey Mouse shorts while providing a modern update, and "presents Mickey in a broad range of humorous situations that showcase his pluck and rascality, along with his long-beloved charm and good heartedness". The animation is provided by Mercury Filmworks.

Wonderful World of Animation is a nighttime show at Disney's Hollywood Studios. The show is a celebration of all Disney animation, beginning with Mickey Mouse. It premiered on May 1, 2019, as part of the park's 30th anniversary celebration, replacing Disney Movie Magic.

<i>Once Upon a Studio</i> 2023 short film by Dan Abraham and Trent Correy

Once Upon a Studio is a 2023 American live-action/animated crossover fantasy comedy short film produced by Walt Disney Animation Studios in celebration of the Walt Disney Company's centennial. Written and directed by Dan Abraham and Trent Correy, it was released by Walt Disney Pictures on October 16, 2023. In the film, Disney characters come to life from pictures hanging on the walls of the Roy E. Disney Animation Building following the end of a usual work day. The short's art style combines computer graphics, traditional animation and live-action, and features characters from the majority of the studio's works made up to that point, including all 62 feature films at the time of the short's release, numerous short films, and some live-action Disney films featuring animation produced by the studio such as The Reluctant Dragon (1941), Mary Poppins (1964), Bedknobs and Broomsticks (1971), and Pete's Dragon (1977). The film was dedicated in memory of Burny Mattinson, the company's longest-serving employee, who made a cameo in the short and died eight months before its release.

References