The Song of the Birds

Last updated
The Song of the Birds
Directed by Dave Fleischer
Produced by Max Fleischer
Music by Sammy Timberg
Animation by Seymour Kneitel
Roland Crandall
Distributed by Paramount Pictures
Release date
February 27, 1935
Running time
9 minutes
LanguageEnglish

The Song of the Birds is a 1935 Color Classics cartoon. [1] [2] It concerns a destructive little boy with an air rifle who shoots a baby bird and is mortified when the bird's parents, and all the other birds, go into mourning.

Contents

Plot

A flock of birds is teaching their young chicks to fly. The sun is shining, and all the birds are cheerfully singing. Meanwhile, a boy is having fun with an air rifle, shooting at everything in the house and destroying many of the items in the house. Then he goes out into the garden and shoots at the nest that the birds have barely saved. Then he shoots at a chick out of the sky, only to realize the gravity of what he has done. The chick's parents try to revive it, but to no avail.

The sky turns dark and stormy as the birds assemble and wail in mourning for the chick's funeral, completing it with pallbearers and a grave digger. The boy is tormented by the birds' wailing. Watching from outside the window, he is brought to tears, and he gets on his knees to pray. As the birds prepare to lower the chick into its grave, it begins raining. The young chick miraculously comes back to life, the birds resume to their cheerful singing, the sky clears, and the boy, having learned this lesson, breaks his air rifle into pieces and pulls out a box of bird seeds for all the birds to enjoy. The chick and the boy share a seed as the cartoon ends.

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The Ugly Duckling</span> Fairy tale by Hans Christian Andersen

"The Ugly Duckling" is a Danish literary fairy tale by Danish poet and author Hans Christian Andersen (1805–1875). It was first published on 11 November 1843 in New Fairy Tales. First Volume. First Collection, with three other tales by Andersen in Copenhagen, Denmark to great critical acclaim. The tale has been adapted to various media including opera, musical, and animated film. The tale is an original story by Andersen.

<i>The Adventures of Jimmy Neutron, Boy Genius</i> American computer-animated series

The Adventures of Jimmy Neutron, Boy Genius is an American CGI-animated television series. Based on the 2001 film Jimmy Neutron: Boy Genius created by John A. Davis, the series serves as a direct sequel to the film. It originally aired on Nickelodeon for three seasons from July 20, 2002, to November 25, 2006. The show follows an 11-year-old genius from the fictitious town of Retroville, Texas, the eponymous character, as he goes on adventures with his best friends Carl Wheezer and Sheen Estevez. Throughout the show, various mishaps and conflicts occur on these adventures, as Jimmy's various inventions go awry. The series features voices of Debi Derryberry (Jimmy), Jeffrey Garcia (Sheen), and Rob Paulsen (Carl) for the three main characters.

<i>I Love to Singa</i> 1936 film

I Love to Singa is a 1936 Warner Bros. Merrie Melodies animated cartoon directed by Tex Avery. The short was released on July 18, 1936.

<i>The Tex Avery Show</i> American animated showcase series

The Tex Avery Show is an American animated showcase series of Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer and Warner Bros. cartoon shorts prominently by animator Tex Avery. In between the shorts, Don Kennedy gives short facts about the cartoons. The showcase premiered on the Cartoon Network in 1996, and was taken off the air in 2002, while reruns continued to be shown on Cartoon Network until April 11, 2004. It was soon re-broadcast on Boomerang.

Beep Prepared is a 1961 Warner Brothers Merrie Melodies American theatrical cartoon short directed by Chuck Jones and designer Maurice Noble. The short was released on November 11, 1961, and stars Wile E. Coyote and the Road Runner. The title is a play on the Boy Scouts of America motto "Be Prepared".

<i>Gift Wrapped</i> (film) 1952 American film

Gift Wrapped is a 1952 Warner Bros. Looney Tunes animated cartoon directed by Friz Freleng. The short was released on February 16, 1952, and stars Tweety and Sylvester.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Horton the Elephant</span> Fictional character created by Dr. Seuss

Horton the Elephant is a fictional character from the 1940 book Horton Hatches the Egg and 1954 book Horton Hears a Who!, both by Dr. Seuss. In both books and subsequent media, Horton is characterized as a kind, sweet-natured and naïve elephant who manages to overcome hardships.

<i>The Little Drummer Boy</i> (TV special) Christmas animated television special

The Little Drummer Boy is a stop motion television special produced by Rankin/Bass Productions, based on the song of the same name. It was first televised in Canada on December 19, 1968, on the CTV Television Network, followed four days later by its American nationwide release on NBC. A sequel was broadcast in 1976.

Puff the Magic Dragon is a 30-minute animated television special based on the song of the same name made notable by Peter, Paul and Mary. First aired October 30, 1978 on CBS, and produced by Fred Wolf Films, it features Burgess Meredith as the voice the title character.

Little Boy Boo is a 1954 Warner Bros. Looney Tunes animated short directed by Robert McKimson. The cartoon was released on June 5, 1954, and features Foghorn Leghorn, Miss Prissy and Egghead Jr.

The Slick Chick is a 1962 Warner Bros. Looney Tunes animated short directed by Robert McKimson. The cartoon was released on July 21, 1962, and features Foghorn Leghorn. The voices are performed by Mel Blanc and Julie Bennett.

<i>Hare-Breadth Hurry</i> 1963 film

Hare-Breadth Hurry is a 1963 Warner Bros. Looney Tunes cartoon directed by Chuck Jones and Maurice Noble. The cartoon was released on June 8, 1963, and stars Bugs Bunny and Wile E. Coyote. This is the fifth and final pairing of Bugs and the Coyote, and unlike the previous four outings, this cartoon follows the Wile E. Coyote and Road Runner formula. While Wile E. Coyote is silent, Bugs speaks often to the audience. Hare-Breadth Hurry is also one of the few cartoons where Bugs does not eat a carrot, although Wile E. does use carrots as bait.

<i>A Bird in a Guilty Cage</i> 1952 film

A Bird in a Guilty Cage is a 1952 Looney Tunes animated short directed by Friz Freleng. The short was released on August 30, 1952, and stars Tweety and Sylvester. The title is a pun on the song "A Bird in a Gilded Cage".

<i>Backwoods Bunny</i> 1959 film

Backwoods Bunny is a 1959 Warner Bros. Merrie Melodies cartoon, directed by Robert McKimson and written by Tedd Pierce. The short was released on June 13, 1959, and stars Bugs Bunny. Voiced by Mel Blanc, Bugs Bunny takes a vacation in the Ozarks, but he is pursued by two famished buzzards, voiced by Daws Butler (uncredited.)

Plop Goes the Weasel! is a 1953 Warner Bros. Looney Tunes cartoon, directed by Robert McKimson and produced by Edward Selzer. The cartoon was released on August 22, 1953, and features Foghorn Leghorn and the Barnyard Dawg.

World War II changed the possibilities for animation. Prior to the war, animation was mostly seen as a form of family entertainment. The attack on Pearl Harbor was a turning point in its utility. On December 8, 1941, the United States Army began working with Walt Disney at his studio, stationing Military personnel there for the duration of the war. The Army and Disney set about making various types of films for several different audiences. Most films meant for the public included some type of propaganda, while films for the troops included training and education about a given topic.

Gloria Wood was an American singer and voice actress. Her rare voice was in the four-octave range. She was able to imitate other voices.

<i>12 Tiny Christmas Tales</i> American TV series or program

12 Tiny Christmas Tales is an American Christmas animated short film that was broadcast on Cartoon Network on December 7, 2001. This project was animated and directed by Bill Plympton and Inspired by Christmas cards that Plympton began drawing for his parents in 1964.

<i>The Sunshine Makers</i> (1935 film) 1935 film

The Sunshine Makers is a 1935 animated short film directed by Burt Gillett and Ted Eshbaugh, reissued and sponsored by the food and beverage producer Borden in 1940. It was originally released as a part of the Rainbow Parade series, produced by Van Beuren Studios.

<i>September in the Rain</i> (film) 1937 American film

September in the Rain is a 1937 Warner Bros. Merrie Melodies cartoon directed by Friz Freleng. The short was released on December 18, 1937.

References

  1. ↑ McCall, Douglas L. (31 October 2005). Film Cartoons: A Guide to 20th Century American Animated Features and Shorts. McFarland. p. 200. ISBN   9780786424504 . Retrieved 1 March 2017.
  2. ↑ Borowiec, Piotr (1998). Animated Short Films: A Critical Index to Theatrical Cartoons. Scarecrow Press. p. 153. ISBN   9780810835030 . Retrieved 1 March 2017.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.