9.26.2011

the reluctant dragon


the year: 1941

the genre: comedy


The loose plot of the film features Robert Benchley trying to find (or, rather, avoid finding) Walt Disney so that he can, at the insistence of his wife, pitch to him the idea of making an animated version of the book by Kenneth Grahame. Dodging an overly officious studio guide named Humphrey, Benchley stumbles upon a number of the Disney studio operations and learns about the traditional animation process.



don't miss: the poetry slam. I still can't decide which one I like best...Sir Giles' Radish or the dragon's Upside-Down Cake.



did you know: the dragon was originally drawn with a navel which had to removed before the film could be passed, per the Hays Office censors.


Watch the entire piece (including Robert Benchley's tour of the Disney studio) here.


2 comments:

Erika said...

I wouldn't have said I could recite any of this, but immediately after reading your post, my brain fished out "dear little upside-down cake..." It's amazing how much our brain retains that we don't know. ;)

Erika said...

OK, after watching the preview (the total will have to wait until *after* work), may I just say that I like how they did the credits with signatures and charicatures. And I LOVE that someone signs his name: T.Hee. (giggle)