"Yes, it's melody time, time to hitch your wagon to a song, as a song is the one and only thing to take you over the rainbow to a land where music is king." -Narrator
Initial thoughts before viewing: I am so tired of these package films. The last 2 were a struggle to watch and I was not looking forward to Melody Time. It also did not bode well that I had never heard of this movie ever.
Melody Time has a run time of about 75 minutes and consists of 7 segments all set to music. If you've never seen this movie or need a refresher, here is a link to the movie's Disney Wiki page where you can read the entire plot summary.
The hands down highlight: Blame it on the Samba segment ✔️
My guys are back! In this colorful segment, Donald Duck and José Carioca meet with the Aracuan Bird (my favorite!) who introduces them to the pleasures of the samba. Clearly a leftover concept from The Three Caballeros, this segment nevertheless adds a much needed energy and flavor to an otherwise blasé Melody Time. Be warned: It's no where near as good (or catchy) as the "Aquarela do Brasil" segment from Saludos Amigos, but it's still a decent watch. Points get taken away for the lack of speaking parts for Donald & José .
The other segments: Are they worth watching?
Once Upon a Wintertime: Charming in its own way but goes on far too long. Skip it. ❌
Bumble Boogie: I can't remember this segment at all, enough said. Skip it. ❌
The Legend of Johnny Appleseed: A surprisingly moving telling of real-life figure Johnny Appleseed. See it. ✔️
Little Toot: The titular Little Toot tugboat is a little annoying. Skip it. ❌
Trees: Artsy segment that tries to replicate the greatness of Fantasia. Skip it. ❌
Pecos Bill: An interesting finale segment featuring a live-action Roy Rogers telling the story of fictional cowboy Pecos Bill. Be forewarned that it Includes problematic depictions of Native Americans and LOTS of smoking. See it. ✔️
Closing Thoughts: It's all kinda meh.
I woke up the day after watching Melody Time and sort of struggled to remember it. Like Make Mine Music, this movie has an array of random, unconnected story lines set to "contemporary" music (for the 1940's, that is). There's nothing particularly exciting here, but it's probably worth a watch if you consider yourself a hardcore Disney fan.
My Rating: 2.5/10
Next up, The Adventures of Ichabod and Mr. Toad.
This is the last of the Wartime Era/Package Films. We're almost there!
My Rating Scale/System:
10 - Masterpiece / Award Worthy 🤩
9 - Almost perfect / Exceptional 🥰
8 - Great / Well-crafted 😁
7 - Good / Noteworthy 😊
6 - Above average / Memorable 🙂
5 - Solidly average 😐
4 - Mixed feelings / Mediocre 😕
3 - Uninteresting / Struggle bus 🥱
2 - Barely watchable 😡
1 - Failure / Why is this a thing? 💩
