Of all Walt Disney's animated films, there are 5 features that a huge amount of people have never heard of. Saludos Amigos (1943) is one, but it's not fully feature-length (it's only 45 minutes, so it shouldn't even count when you always hear those Disney video & DVD announcements that say "Our 20-whatever-TH full-length animated classic...," but they actually do count it). The excellent Fun and Fancy Free (1947) is another. The Adventures of Ichabod & Mr. Toad (1949). And then, there are the 2 sequels to Fantasia (1940): Melody Time (1948) and this film, Make Mine Music (1946). The reason you probably haven't heard much about them is that, first- they were "Package Films" which were never really that popular AS package films, and second- they didn't make a lot of money for the studio when they were released in theaters in the 1940's. In fact, Disney would have gone extinct forever in 1950 (many say) if Cinderella had not have been a huge hit (which it was).
I say, they are sequels to Fantasia because they are made almost the exact same way. They lack a Composer / Orchestrator character to link them together, but when one segment ends, another simply begins. So basically, if you liked Fantasia, all you need to like this movie is some appreciation for the music you hear here. And this really is in the same sort of style as the music we hear in several Disney films. There's jazz (which you hear in The Aristocats, 1970), classical (every Disney film, animated or non), and interpretive stuff. I may not be a huge fan of any of these styles of music, personally, but that's what's great about Disney. They can put animation to it and make you like it or appreciate it more.
The first thing that should probably be said is that the wonderful people at Walt Disney Home Video, have taken it upon themselves to edit one of the musical segments entirely out of all prints of the film available on VHS and DVD. Isn't that nice of them? Without any proper explanation why - if you haven't seen it already, you're not going to see it ever (and I checked, it's not on You Tube). I've never seen it, so I can't comment on it.
The segments in the film can be put into 3 categories. 1- Storyline, 2- Interpretive, and 3- Combination. "Peter and the Wolf" and "The Whale Who Wanted to Sing at the Met" are Storyline. So they are longer than the others and take more time to tell. Both are good stories, if you like opera and folk / fairy tales. Though, "Peter" is probably the best (certainly it's been said it's Walt Disney's favorite), some of the animation / color choices here seem a little too wacky for Americans. "Whale" is underwhelming but has a memorable ending (it was a mistake, I think, to have the 1 opera singer doing all the speaking voices too).
"Blue Bayou," "Without You," "Two Silhouettes," and "After You've Gone," (big surprise) are Interpretive. No characters, no story. Just a song with some lyrics, and pure art. "Bayou" and "Without" are very beautiful and a little haunting. "Silhouettes" is truly classic and lovely, if also the most boring part of the movie. "After" has no lyrics but is very fun and upbeat.
Then finally, "All the Cats Join In," "Casey at the Bat," and "Johnnie Fedora and Alice Bluebonnet" are Combination. Which means, they have stories, but they are entirely told through one long, continuous song or don't take any breaks. "Casey" is funny, without a doubt (even though it's quite offensive, in one moment, to overweight people). "Johnnie" is definitely a fan favorite, and is kind of sad too. And "Cats" is fast-paced, so it's entertaining. But it doesn't speak too kindly of the youth of the 1940's. They are portrayed as quite elitist and discriminating.
So, unlike most Disney films (and even their package films), this film rests entirely on the strength of each individual segment / short. And some of these aren't memorable, while most are slightly below average quality. No Disney movie to buy on DVD is cheap, but with these Disney titles, you usually get a bonus cartoon. So I recommend purchase for true Disney fans. If you're looking for something to rent - I recommend only for you alone, if you're a Disney completest. But for your family, there are more appropriate and sensitive Disney films. Most films act as art, and as that, Make Mine Music does provide some average stuff worth seeing. I recommend it for that reason alone. If you're looking for something else, I say, find something else.
I say, they are sequels to Fantasia because they are made almost the exact same way. They lack a Composer / Orchestrator character to link them together, but when one segment ends, another simply begins. So basically, if you liked Fantasia, all you need to like this movie is some appreciation for the music you hear here. And this really is in the same sort of style as the music we hear in several Disney films. There's jazz (which you hear in The Aristocats, 1970), classical (every Disney film, animated or non), and interpretive stuff. I may not be a huge fan of any of these styles of music, personally, but that's what's great about Disney. They can put animation to it and make you like it or appreciate it more.
The first thing that should probably be said is that the wonderful people at Walt Disney Home Video, have taken it upon themselves to edit one of the musical segments entirely out of all prints of the film available on VHS and DVD. Isn't that nice of them? Without any proper explanation why - if you haven't seen it already, you're not going to see it ever (and I checked, it's not on You Tube). I've never seen it, so I can't comment on it.
The segments in the film can be put into 3 categories. 1- Storyline, 2- Interpretive, and 3- Combination. "Peter and the Wolf" and "The Whale Who Wanted to Sing at the Met" are Storyline. So they are longer than the others and take more time to tell. Both are good stories, if you like opera and folk / fairy tales. Though, "Peter" is probably the best (certainly it's been said it's Walt Disney's favorite), some of the animation / color choices here seem a little too wacky for Americans. "Whale" is underwhelming but has a memorable ending (it was a mistake, I think, to have the 1 opera singer doing all the speaking voices too).
"Blue Bayou," "Without You," "Two Silhouettes," and "After You've Gone," (big surprise) are Interpretive. No characters, no story. Just a song with some lyrics, and pure art. "Bayou" and "Without" are very beautiful and a little haunting. "Silhouettes" is truly classic and lovely, if also the most boring part of the movie. "After" has no lyrics but is very fun and upbeat.
Then finally, "All the Cats Join In," "Casey at the Bat," and "Johnnie Fedora and Alice Bluebonnet" are Combination. Which means, they have stories, but they are entirely told through one long, continuous song or don't take any breaks. "Casey" is funny, without a doubt (even though it's quite offensive, in one moment, to overweight people). "Johnnie" is definitely a fan favorite, and is kind of sad too. And "Cats" is fast-paced, so it's entertaining. But it doesn't speak too kindly of the youth of the 1940's. They are portrayed as quite elitist and discriminating.
So, unlike most Disney films (and even their package films), this film rests entirely on the strength of each individual segment / short. And some of these aren't memorable, while most are slightly below average quality. No Disney movie to buy on DVD is cheap, but with these Disney titles, you usually get a bonus cartoon. So I recommend purchase for true Disney fans. If you're looking for something to rent - I recommend only for you alone, if you're a Disney completest. But for your family, there are more appropriate and sensitive Disney films. Most films act as art, and as that, Make Mine Music does provide some average stuff worth seeing. I recommend it for that reason alone. If you're looking for something else, I say, find something else.