Ferdinand the Bull (film)
Ferdinand the Bull | |
---|---|
Directed by | Dick Rickard |
Based on | |
Produced by | Walt Disney |
Starring | Milt Kahl |
Narrated by | Don Wilson |
Music by | Albert Hay Malotte |
Color process | Technicolor |
Production company | |
Distributed by | RKO Radio Pictures |
Release date | November 25, 1938 |
Running time | 7 minutes, 14 seconds |
Country | United States |
Language | English |
Ferdinand the Bull is a 1938 American stand-alone animated short produced by
Plot
The short film starts with many bulls, romping together and butting their heads, but Ferdinand is different; all he wants to do all day is go under a shady cork tree and smell the flowers. One day, his mother notices that he is not playing with the other bulls and asks him why. He responds, "All I want to do is to sit and smell the flowers!" His mother is very understanding.
Ferdinand grows over the years, eventually getting to be the largest and strongest of the group. The other bulls grow up wanting to accomplish one goal in life, to be in the
; but not Ferdinand. One day, five strange-looking men show up to see the bulls. When the bulls notice them, they fight as roughly as possible, hoping to get picked. Ferdinand does not engage and continues to smell the flowers. When he goes to sit, he is unaware there is a bumblebee directly beneath him. The pain of the bee's sting makes him go on a crazed rampage, knock the other bulls out and eventually tear down a tree. The five men, impressed, cheer as they take Ferdinand to Madrid.There is great excitement when the day of the bullfight comes. On posters, they call him Ferdinand the Fierce. The event starts and out into the ring comes
Cast
- Don Wilson as Narrator
- Walt Disney as Ferdinand's Mother
- Milt Kahl as Ferdinand
Animators
- Milt Kahl
- Hamilton Luske
- Bill Stokes
- John Bradbury
- Bernard Garbutt
- Ward Kimball
- Jack Campbell
- Stan Quackenbush
- Don Lusk
Reception
The short film is broadcast in several countries every year on Christmas Eve as a part of the annual Disney Christmas show From All of Us to All of You. The Christmas show is especially popular in Sweden where it has aired since 1959 and has become a Christmas tradition. The replacement of Ferdinand the Bull with The Ugly Duckling in 1982 resulted in public outcry. The next year, in 1983, the change was reverted and Ferdinand the Bull returned to Swedish television.[2]
Ferdinand the Bull won the 1938
Home media
The short was released on December 6, 2005, on Walt Disney Treasures: Disney Rarities - Celebrated Shorts: 1920s–1960s.[3]
Other home video releases include:
- Walt Disney Cartoon Classics Limited Gold Edition II: How the Best Was Won (1933–1960) (VHS/Betamax/Laserdisc), 1985
- Walt Disney Mini-Classics: Willie the Operatic Whale (VHS), 1991
- Walt Disney's Timeless Tales Volume 2: The Ugly Duckling/Wind in the Willows/The Country Cousin (DVD), 2005
- Walt Disney Animation Collection: Classic Short Films Volume 6: The Reluctant Dragon (DVD), 2009
It is also available on Disney+.[4]
References
- ISBN 0-8160-3831-7.
- ^ Stahl, Jeremy (22 December 2011). "Nordic Quack – Sweden's bizarre tradition of watching Donald Duck cartoons on Christmas Eve". Slate.
- ^ "Disney Rarities - Celebrated Shorts: 1920s - 1960s DVD Review". DVD Dizzy. Retrieved 14 February 2021.
- ^ Disney+
External links
- Ferdinand the Bull at IMDb