Melody Time

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Melody Time

1948

1h 15m

Kids & Family

Musical

Animation

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Tomatometer

Popcornmeter

69%

Tomatometer

13 Reviews

47%

Popcornmeter

2,500+ Ratings

Many animated tales are set to a rousing array of music from the 1940s from the likes of Roy Rogers, Ethel Smith and Frances Langford. The stories include wintertime lovers who get a helping hand from forest animals, a bumblebee surrounded by jazzy caterpillars, the oft-told tale of Johnny Appleseed, Donald Duck and his parrot buddy getting pushed around by a bully bird to a Latin-inspired soundtrack, and the legend of Pecos Bill -- a man raised by coyotes and turned into a cowboy.

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Critics Consensus

Melody Time is a charming musical anthology film that's expertly crafted and filled with high-spirited numbers.

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TIME Magazine

11/16/2009

The straight technical expertism is still one of the wonders of the movie world.

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Bosley Crowther

New York Times

03/25/2006

3.5/5

Like healthy, imaginative children, those Disney boys are full of strange caprice. One minute they are doing something charming; the next minute they are slopping in the jam.

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Keith Phipps

AV Club

05/30/2001

A charming, imaginative anthology of cartoon shorts set to music by the likes of such '40s favorites as Roy Rogers and The Andrews Sisters.

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David Nusair

Reel Film Reviews

Aug 4

2/4

Melody Time boasts seven segments centered around songs of a decidedly (and predominantly) lackluster nature...

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Carson Timar

ButteredPopcorn

09/16/2023

While Melody Time still suffers from some of the natural limitations of its formula, the film has to be seen as one of the best Disney films of its era.

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Grant Watson

Fiction Machine

06/27/2021

5/10

This is very far from a perfect film, but in fits and starts it still provides that old-school Walt Disney magic.

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Sarah S.

@Braxton188 Dec 2

~ Your sins are not forgiven, Little Toot. ~

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Stephen C

@bob25009 Aug 4

Success in 1.25 hours!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Dubbed and subtitled in worldwide studios!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

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Luke R.

@LuckyM0vi3Buff Jul 1

That horse was a complete jackass for ruining a wonderful marriage. Although I like the Johnny Appleseed story.

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Juju S

Jun 18

Certes, les studios se sont fait connaître grâce à leurs courts métrages, mais je ne suis personnellement pas fan du format. Je préfère les longs métrages qui racontent une histoire complète. Les illustrations sont cependant réussies.

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Animated R

Mar 21

When watching this Melody Time, it felt like Donald’s version of Fantasia. Basically overseasoned with shorts, and more or less underdone with Donald's main appearance.

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Jacob B

Dec 28

Melody Time is admittedly not as well-constructed a film as the thematically similar Fantasia but, given the lighter tone, I don't think it's trying to be. Some of the segments in this package film are a bit more forgettable than others but overall, I don't regret seeing this collection of cartoons. The animation is vibrant, the songs are fun to listen to and, while not without sadder moments, there's more of a vibe similar to The Emperor's New Groove decades later where the crew decides to just have fun. Even the Disney Animated Canon needs a few breather episodes every once in a while. This might have come out around a time where Disney were finally in a position where they could quietly discontinue package films without too much of a fuss before the studio-saving Cinderella but that doesn't mean they rested on their laurels since now they can make real movies again. They still put in enough effort to make Melody Time an entertaining compilation of cartoons that might not be interested in being an artistic triumph like Fantasia but are still a fun watch. I'd gladly rewatch this film over Saludos Amigos, anyway, which probably makes sense since that was mostly made with the intention of getting in Latin America's good graces during WWII.

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Clyde Geronimi

Director

Wilfred Jackson

Director

Hamilton Luske

Director

Jack Kinney

Director

Roy Rogers

Self

Dennis Day

Johnny Appleseed

The Adventures of Ichabod and Mr. Toad

89%

71%

The Adventures of Ichabod and Mr. Toad

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Saludos Amigos

82%

40%

Saludos Amigos

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Gay Purr-ee

60%

78%

Gay Purr-ee

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Bambi

91%

73%

Bambi

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TRAILER

for Bambi

Hans Christian Andersen

83%

75%

Hans Christian Andersen

Watchlist

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Synopsis

Many animated tales are set to a rousing array of music from the 1940s from the likes of Roy Rogers, Ethel Smith and Frances Langford. The stories include wintertime lovers who get a helping hand from forest animals, a bumblebee surrounded by jazzy caterpillars, the oft-told tale of Johnny Appleseed, Donald Duck and his parrot buddy getting pushed around by a bully bird to a Latin-inspired soundtrack, and the legend of Pecos Bill -- a man raised by coyotes and turned into a cowboy.

Director: Clyde Geronimi, Wilfred Jackson, Hamilton Luske, Jack Kinney
Production Co: Walt Disney Productions, Walt Disney Animation Studios
Genre: Kids & Family, Musical, Animation
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): May 27, 1948, Limited
Release Date (Streaming): Mar 11, 2020
Runtime: 1h 15m

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