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I’ll be discussing the nine Disney animated films from the 1940s that are accessible onDisney+ in this post. Recall that you can follow along on Disney+ by choosing “Disney Through the Years” from the collections beneath the search bar under the Search menu.

1940’s Pinocchio
A worthy sequel to Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs from 1937 was Pinocchio. Pinocchio, which was based on Carlo Collodi’s 1883 Italian tale The Adventures of Pinocchio, was a darker and more comprehensive experience than its predecessor, pushing the boundaries of the medium and offering more completely developed characters.

Disney introduced its first cast of animal characters and sidekicks in Pinocchio. Gepetto, an Italian woodcarver, has two companions: a goldfish named Cleo and a cat named Figaro. The humor in the movie mostly originates with Figaro. Aside from the wooden child who serves as the film’s main character, Jiminy Crickett is the first person we meet and serves as a sort of storyteller. Honest John the fox and his feline companion Gideon are also present. The third act of the movie introduces us to Monstro, the sperm whale. The world-building of Pinocchio and its animal creatures is inconsistent, which makes them strange. Monstro, Cleo, and Figaro are mute and only occasionally pantomime. However, Gideon, Jiminy, and Honest John are able to communicate and engage with people. In the Pleasure Island segment, the majority of the human lads morph into donkeys and are sold to salt mines; nevertheless, some boys manage to keep their human voices. But given the world that is being depicted, that makes some sense. To put it mildly, it’s strange that the antagonists of the tale, Stromboli and the Coachman, will transact business with a fox and a cat.

Nevertheless, Pinocchio is noteworthy for what it has brought to the cartoon genre. It’s amazing to think that before Pinocchio, machines, water, and other natural elements, as well as fairy dust, were not animated at all. In addition, the film’s intricate use of animated backgrounds, sets, and other things is unquestionably an improvement over Snow White.

It’s also a more somber movie, both literally and metaphorically. Pinocchio is one of the darker animated films I doubt you’ll see today. In this movie, preteens are shown smoking cigars and drinking beer, and donkeys are called jackasses. You have scary scenes when characters turn into donkeys and call out for their moms, making excellent use of shadow and partial frame. Just for kicks, you have a gigantic whale lunging toward the main characters. The primary character has a man who wants to own and confine him, keeping him apart from his father indefinitely. With Figaro, you get a few funny moments, but nothing at all compared to the seven dwarfs.

However, this is also a tale about navigating the world, learning to be brave, honest, and selfless, and using your conscience to guide you in determining what is right and wrong. A fairy tale about how the world can be cruel, frightening, and dark, and how to survive in it without compromising your morals, is Pinocchio. And it’s one of the most famous movies Disney has ever made. Everyone is familiar with the songs, which are among the best in the company’s repertoire. They also know about the nose that gets bigger the more lies you tell, and there are multiple lines like “I’m a real boy!”Most of the characters are well-known to everyone, and they all know exactly which movie they are from. It’s not among Disney’s most enjoyable or upbeat movies. However, it’s undoubtedly among the most intriguing and audacious.

1940’s Fantasia
Speaking of audacious, we have Fantasia, a movie that both technically advanced the genre and hinted at the dominant form of cinema for the decade: the anthology film. The idea behind Fantasia, a bit of an experiment, was to revive Mickey Mouse’s declining popularity in the 1930s. Although The Sorcerer’s Apprentice was first intended to be a Mickey short, plans to incorporate it into a longer movie began to take shape when the costs of production became too great. Over the course of two years, numerous classical composers, animators, and music critics were consulted, and the outcome was Fantasia. Fantasia ran for about two hours when it was first released as a roadshow with a fifteen-minute interval. 20 minutes. With the removal of the majority of the intermission and the addition of video showing black centaurs serving white centaurs, the version you see now is just over two hours long.

Renowned music critic and composer Deems Taylor provides introductions for each of the eight works that make up the film. Taylor’s name has been completely forgotten in common culture over the years, but it seems like he established himself well enough in the early 1900s to be well-known when the movie came out. All in all, a handful of the pieces are short, while others are longer than twenty minutes. The film’s greatest flaw is its length, which is mostly due to two of its middle sections: Pastoral Symphony, which has centaurs, fauns, and pegusi celebrating Bacchus, the god of wine, and Rite of Spring, which depicts the early history of our planet and the rise and fall of dinosaurs. The pieces’ descriptions make them sound far more intriguing than many of the other pieces, but the 46-minute film becomes a bore because it includes two of the most forgettable musical works ever made and very drab concept execution.

Nevertheless, the majority of Fantasia is captivating and stunning because, like in Pinocchio, the animation staff was obviously pushing the envelope when it came to animating natural materials and layering. True, Fantasia has a ton of iconic scenes as well, such as the dancing flowers and mushrooms in The Nutcracker Suite, Mickey Mouse battling sentient brooms in a sorcerer’s hat, crocodiles in capes in Dance of the Hours, and the demonic Chernabog (also known as Satan) in Night on Bald Mountain.

With good cause, Fantasia is a legend in the animation world. Walt intended to produce a batch of Fantasia movies every year or every few years. I wish he had started with the movie and worked his way up to a series of shorts (The Fantasia Shorts, if you will) that would have carried on the tradition in a much more useful way. It’s possible that a few of the segments from the original movie could have been preserved as standalone shorts. Fantasia is flawed as is, with a challenging runtime and a saggy middle. Fantasia may have maintained its exceptional quality with a shorter cut.

1941’s The Reluctant Dragon
Disney decided to take a different approach and release their first live-action movie after Pinocchio and Fantasia. The scenario revolves around radio comedian Robert Benchley pitching a story idea for The Reluctant Dragon, a children’s book his wife loves, to the Walt Disney Animation Studios in Burbank. That is essentially just a flimsy pretext to hang a studio tour on, since Benchley keeps straying from his escort to show Walt what goes on at the studio. The color, recording, and storyboarding procedures are visible. With a few extra animation strewn in between, we get three animated segments that break up the live action: a storyboarded segment featuring Baby Weems, Goofy’s short film on How to Ride a Horse, and the title sequence, The Reluctant Dragon.

These days, The Reluctant Dragon is among the studio’s less well-known creations. It’s understandable why. It’s a joke and not really anything to think about seriously. The most important lesson to be learned from this is just how difficult and labor-intensive the early stages of animation were. It lends some validity to the idea that CGI pales in comparison or is not as “easy.” It’s also fascinating to view maquettes for projects that would eventually be shelved until the 1950s and to see Dumbo or Bambi before the public was introduced to them. Beyond those viewpoints, The Reluctant Dragon represents a parenthetical digression for the studio. Additionally, it was the only movie of the decade to take in less than $1 million. Fortunately, the movie turned a profit even though its budget was just over $500,000. However, it would be the first Disney movie to fall short of the high standards for which the company would be known.

Dumbo (1941)
Later that year, the studio swiftly resumed its work with this straightforward story about a baby elephant, his mother, and his ears.

Dumbo is an emotionally well-balanced movie with a straightforward aesthetic. A number of newborn animals are delivered to a Florida circus at the start of the movie. The opening twenty minutes of the movie are largely dialogue-free, but a lot is spoken, making it a much more enjoyable movie than Pinocchio. Disney’s most endearing character, Dumbo, instantly springs to mind with his enormous ears and trusting eyes. The film makes a very poignant point about parent-child relationships: Mrs. Jumbo has obviously been desiring a kid for a long time and is upset that everyone else in her immediate vicinity has a child but not her. Moreover, her stork needs a far more involved procedure than everyone else’s when her baby does arrive via stork. It seems to be a metaphor for the difficulties some parents have in becoming pregnant and giving birth to a child. Because of her strong protectiveness toward her child, Mrs. Jumbo has come to be perceived as “mad.”

That alone gives the movie an intriguing new dimension and sets up one of the most tragic musical scenes in Disney history, “Baby Mine,” in which a father and child are separated by a cage and reach out for one another, desperate to be in each other’s “arms.” Furthermore, “Dumbo,” as our main character is dubbed by a bunch of snarky and irritable elephants, has remarkably big ears. Because of this peculiarity, his community shuns him. Seeing all of this, Timothy Q. Mouse finds no use for it and embraces Dumbo for who he is. This makes the movie Dumbo a beautiful parable for those with disabilities and, later on, for self-confidence as Dumbo discovers how his uniqueness can make him an intriguing attraction.

Regarding the last ten minutes of the movie, I feel mixed emotions. Dumbo and Timothy are awakened by a murder of crows who tease him, but eventually give Dumbo a magic feather to hold that “allows” him to fly, leading Dumbo to a greater sense of confidence and a triumphant performance in the end, following an absinthe-fueled trip (‘Pink Elephants on Parade,’ one of Disney’s biggest WTF?! moments). The issue lies in the fact that the crows are portrayed by African American caricatures, with Cliff Edwards, a.k.a. Jiminy Crickett, playing the lead role. The most well-known song from the movie, “When I See an Elephant Fly,” has minstrel roots but advances the plot and character development. You may learn about this sequence’s offenses and defenses elsewhere. However, it raises a question for today: “Is this okay?”, which is normally something one wishes to stay away from in a last act meant to cheer and inspire. Furthermore, the resolution seems hurried, with bullies hardly receiving a fair trial and Mrs. Jumbo’s predicament being completely ignored.

However, thanks primarily to cheap production costs, Dumbo was the studio’s sole original profitable picture. Nevertheless, Dumbo is at least two thirds of a great film, and I’m happy that Disney+ is recognizing this rather than trying to cover up any flaws in the studio’s history with Clearasil.

1942’s Bambi
It’s possible that Bambi was the first Disney movie ever made. That is to say, Bambi seems to be the perfect fusion of all the best parts of Snow White, Pinocchio, and Dumbo. A fantastic songbook is the one thing that Bambi lacks that we have grown accustomed to seeing in Disney animated movies. “Love is a Song” and “Little April Shower” are two of Bambi’s musical sequences. The latter, albeit nominated for a Best Song Oscar, is utterly forgettable. While the former is enjoyable, it falls short of the best recordings the studio had made up to that moment.

Nevertheless, Bambi narrates the tale of a deer that is raised in the forest. That is all. To be honest, Bambi’s plot is really thin. Yes, Bambi falls in love, makes friends in the woods, and discovers the perils of man in the meadow. However, the main goals of this movie are to offer an experience, spend time with amazing characters, and consider how humans affect the natural world rather than narrating a plot. Similar to Dumbo, and perhaps even more so, Bambi is utterly charming and delightful, featuring the cutest animated animals imaginable.

It’s interesting to note that most people consider Bambi to be a “sad” film. That’s mostly because of a famous second-act twist that occurs forty minutes into the movie, when Bambi tragically loses his mother to a man’s gun. It’s a very moving and powerful sequence in which Bambi looks back at his group and exclaims, “We did it!”. Naturally, his mother did not survive, which makes that relieved expression all the more devastating. However, the movie progresses as life does, with the protagonists falling in love, surviving a forest fire brought on by human activity, and eventually having children of their own. This is how the natural cycle is. An understanding of the cycles of nature and how human presence distorts them can be gained from Bambi. Because of the yearly wildfires in North America, Bambi’s events are factual rather than imposing a moral viewpoint on its audience. Some people might find it uncomfortable, but that’s just the way it is.

All in all, this makes for one of the best Disney movies ever made in the 1940s and during Walt Disney’s career.

1945’s The Three Caballeros
Disney was obliged to take a left turn and abandon a number of planned projects because World War II cut off overseas markets from prospective box office grosses, making almost every release a loss for the studio. Additionally, the military occupied part of the studio for propaganda purposes. For the remainder of the decade, these anthology movies would be released yearly, helping to raise enough cash to keep the studio afloat and give it a future.

Disney was forced to comply with the State Department’s Goodwill Neighbor Policy even before the US entered the war. The intention was to improve American perceptions of the people living in its southern neighbors. What came out of it was this, The Three Caballeros, and the short film Saludos Amigos. The latter also commemorated Donald Duck’s tenth anniversary, which is why it begins with Donald accepting birthday presents from his friends in South America. Six portions make up the film, the most of which focus on various nations. The movie doesn’t really come to life until the third scene, Baia. During their journey to the state, Donald and his Brazilian friend Jose Carioca—whom we first met in Saludos Amigos—interact with live action performers. This scene is not only entertaining, but it’s noteworthy because it establishes The Three Caballeros as the first full-length movie to fuse live-action performers with traditional animation. And it functions incredibly well!

But the rest of the movie mostly consists of Donald being a horndog who chases Latina ladies, with a strange musical fantasy involving live-action female actors, Mexican symbols and flora, and Donald lasting ten minutes. It’s really strange. Finally, in a multilingual coda, Donald’s birthday celebration culminates with his friends Jose and Panchito Pistoles, a Mexican rooster, igniting his ass with pyrotechnics.

Tonally, artistically, and qualitatively, The Three Caballeros strays greatly from the trend of animated tales the studio was pursuing. However, it continues to be somewhat of a technological wonder and occasionally dazzles.

Free of Fun and Fancy (1947)
Disney released Song of the South and Make Mine Music after The Three Caballeros. You cannot access either on Disney+. It’s unknown why Make Mine Music is the only Disney Animation Studios movie that isn’t available on streaming services. This is the movie with the portions with Johnnie Fedora and Alice Bluebonnet, Peter and the Wolf, and Casey at the Bat. Thus, we’ll concentrate on this two-part anthology movie as our next movie.

Combining two projects that were once thought of as separate features, Fun and Fancy Free is one. Mickey and the Beanstalk and Bongo are the two segments. In the movie Bongo, a circus bear gets out of the woods, falls in love with a different bear, and engages in combat with a larger bear in order to win her. It was originally thought to be a Dumbo sequel, with cameos from the supporting cast. Over time, the notion was eventually dropped. This scene is a poor moment for the production company because it never gets very intriguing or engaging and instead feels more like an animated short. Anyone can fall asleep while Dina Shore sings and narrates the tale.

Of the two, Mickey and the Beanstalk is arguably the most well-known because it was eventually included on The Wonderful World of Disney in the 1950s and has subsequently aired multiple times on its own. Essentially, Mickey Mouse, Donald Duck, and Goofy play the main roles in this retelling of the Jack and the Beanstalk tale. It’s not as good as Disney’s best, but it’s still rather fun despite the ventriloquist’s narration—which isn’t so fun these days.

Overall, Fun and Fancy Free is a low moment in the decade for Disney Animation Studios, despite doing pretty well at the box office, Song of the South excluded for apparent racist reasons.

1948’s Melody Time
Melody Time, possibly with the exception of the unavailable Make Mine Music, is the greatest anthology (or package) picture from the mid- to late 1940s. It was originally intended to be a popular music-based, spiritual sequel to Fantasia. The movie consists of seven parts, all of which are enjoyable and memorable with the exception of the first two, Once Upon a Wintertime and Trees. Many of the pieces were divided up into cartoon shorts, similar to the other anthology films, which some people may remember from their childhood rather than being a part of the main movie. The longest of them are Pecos Bill and The Legend of Johnny Appleseed, both of which are based on American tradition; but, Little Toot, which is an adaption of a tugboat story, is also factual.

In the section Blame It on the Samba, the Aracuan bird uses samba music to uplift Donald Duck and Jose Carioca before blowing them up, bringing back the essence and personalities of The Three Caballeros. In this portion, live action actors are included into the animation. All in all, it awakens the audience.

Melody Time is not quite as good as the work produced by Disney Animation Studios in the first part of the decade, particularly Fantasia, which is Melody Time’s spiritual cousin. It also still feels like a collection of cartoon shorts put together, just like the other movies that were released at the same time. Having said that, it is among the greatest of its sort.

Ichabod and Mr. Toad’s Adventures (1949)
Disney finally brought the decade to a close with The Wind in the Willows and The Legend of Sleepy Hollow, two animated short anthologies. These were narrative stories, just as Fun and Fancy Free. In contrast to Fun and Fancy Free, these are genuinely captivating.

The first part is a condensed but somewhat accurate rendition of Kenneth Graham’s The Wind in the Willows, narrated by English actor Basil Rathbone, best known for playing Sherlock Holmes. Although Mr. Toad is a little more consistently irresponsible in this adaptation than in the book, he nevertheless rose to fame for a few decades and served as the model for a Disneyland attraction that is still in operation today.

Disney’s animated short with the second segment became one of its most watched ones. The interesting thing about the story now is how flawed Ichabod Crane was, the protagonist. He fantasizes about inheriting wealth from her father, a wealthy farmer, while harboring feelings for the village beauty. Brom Bones, who was presumably the model for Gaston in 1991’s Beauty and the Beast, is Ichabod’s rival and also vying for the town’s beauty. The Legend of Sleepy Hollow is a fairly realistic adaptation of its literature, much like The Wind in the Willows. But because the majority of the story is about two characters battling it out for the love of a female character, it makes me think of Bongo from Fun and Fancy Free. The one that is much more amusing is Sleepy Hollow. It’s noteworthy, nevertheless, because the scene with The Headless Horseman is its most well-known element. However, there is only one scene with the Horseman, and it takes up the last ten minutes of the section. Furthermore, I believe that a lot of people overlook the suggestion that Ichabod passed away after coming dangerously close to fleeing the Horseman (one epilogue suggests he may have run away and found happiness elsewhere).

Eventually, both pieces were cut up and aired on Disney TV shows. For many years, Disney’s Sleepy Hollow served as a Halloween mainstay, terrifying and entertaining young audiences. Though it’s the best anthology movie of the decade overall, The Adventures of Ichabod and Mr. Toad still can’t compare to what Disney Animation Studios was able to do in its early years.

Fortunately, the last several films made the studio money, allowing them to relaunch the full feature storylines and rekindle Disney’s early 1940s creative impetus. In addition, Walt Disney started and completed the construction of Disneyland in the following ten years, diving headfirst into live-action films. In the 1950s, the studio’s future would begin.