Package films

'Package Films' is the name given to four animated feature films produced by the Walt Disney Studios during World War II. When the army robbed Disney of most of its manpower and facilities, the studio needed an easy source of revenue to keep from going under. As it happens, the studio was littered with several half-finished ideas for shorts and features. So these four films were made by compiling these "featurettes" into feature-length packages.

Related Topics:
Animated - Feature films - Walt Disney Studios - World War II

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Fun and Fancy Free combined the stories of "Bongo the Circus Bear", narrated by Dinah Shore, and the incredibly popular "Mickey and the Beanstalk", narrated by ventriloquist Edgar Bergen and his dummies Charlie McCarthy and Mortimer Snerd. Additional animation featured Jiminy Cricket, previously seen in Disney's Pinocchio.

Related Topics:
Fun and Fancy Free - Dinah Shore - Edgar Bergen - Charlie McCarthy - Jiminy Cricket - Pinocchio

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Make Mine Music was a compilation of ten unrelated musical stories featuring the talents of The Andrews Sisters, Benny Goodman, Jerry Colonna, and Dinah Shore among others.

Related Topics:
Make Mine Music - The Andrews Sisters - Benny Goodman - Jerry Colonna - Dinah Shore

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Melody Time was made up of six shorts, comparable to Make Mine Musics line-up. Dennis Day, Freddie Martin, Roy Rogers and The Andrews Sisters were among the stars.

Related Topics:
Melody Time - Dennis Day - Freddie Martin - Roy Rogers - The Andrews Sisters

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The Adventures of Ichabod and Mr. Toad combined the films The Wind in the Willows based on the book by Kenneth Grahame and The Legend of Sleepy Hollow by Washington Irving. They were narrated by Basil Rathbone and Bing Crosby respectively.

Related Topics:
The Adventures of Ichabod and Mr. Toad - Kenneth Grahame - Washington Irving - Basil Rathbone - Bing Crosby

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Films like Fantasia and the two Latin American films, Saludos Amigos and The Three Caballeros are also occasionally listed in this category. After the success of Cinderella in 1950, Disney stopped releasing package films, but they kept the studio alive during a difficult time in its history.

Related Topics:
Fantasia - Saludos Amigos - The Three Caballeros - Cinderella

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