One of the most interesting oddities from the Disney studios was an experimental package feature that acted as more of a tour of the studio's many behind the processes, back when Walt himself was still around, called The Reluctant Dragon. Part of why it's not remembered as much as other Disney classics is because it was released not long after the infamous animators strike of '41, down to the film being picketed at movie theaters by strikers. Even nowadays, the film has fallen into obscurity amongst other Mouse House features both old and new. Nowadays, looking at it, there's just as much to hate about it as there is to love.
The essential "plot line" focuses on humorist Robert Benchley going to the Disney studio to sell the rights of the book The Reluctant Dragon to Walt Disney, and most of what happens afterwards are numerous stumblances on the Disney studio operations. These include a life drawing class, the vocal and sound recording studios, the camera room, the ink & paint room, the storyboard department, etc. Based on that, it's clear that The Reluctant Dragon really isn't a movie as much as a hastily put-together collection of studio work and separate short films, not helped by an endless amount of filler. What's even worse is that the movie was actually rushed into production faster than Dumbo so Walt could regain some of the financial losses of his ambitious flops like Pinocchio and Fantasia, and many of the Disney crew shown in the film were actually actors hired without anyone knowing (again, bad timing knowing the film's release). In many ways, the film feels more like some propagandic facade showing the Disney animation studios as a happy, coherent family (the movie must hold up better than I thought).
However, what does at least save the film from being a complete waste of time are the aforementioned behind the scenes processes. Some Disney and animation fans will find amusement in seeing how Walt's features were made back in the day, especially during the traditional days before digital filmmaking. Also, of the few Disney artists that were actually featured in the film include legends like animators Ward Kimball, Norm Ferguson and Fred Moore, voices Clarence Nash (Donald Duck) and Florence Gill (Clara Cluck), and even some of the miscellaneous staff as well. Lastly, the shorts shown consist of a storyboarded cartoon called Baby Weems, about an intelligent baby who proves to be more of a genius than that of Einstein and FDR, a brief segment featuring the Casey jr. train from Dumbo, and a Goofy cartoon which kickstarted his famous How To series. While coming in out of left field and maybe dragging on a bit, at least these shorts provide the necessary entertainment needed for a rendezvous trip like this, especially compared to Robert Benchley's annoying remarks.
Now as for The Reluctant Dragon property itself, it's not until the picture's last third when it finally shows up as an animated featurette, and for a short flick, it's got its charm. Really, it's more of a vehicle for pure goofiness, as it tells the tale of a boy who discovers this flamboyant dragon who isn't threatening in the least, and even the knight chosen to challenge it, Sir Giles, is quite fluttery and love for reciting poetry. One can tell the crew must have had a lot of fun on this feature, as the character animation is very bold, dynamic and even balletic given the dragon's comical presence and the liveliness of the whole ordeal. It also has the length covered pretty well, for if this was the length of a feature, it most likely would have slogged on even more than the whole feature does. In fact, one may wonder why Walt didn't just release the film as its own separate short to place in a theater before the real presentation begins. Even if this film was done to show the public how the MouseHouse cartoons were made, a single documentary would have been more reasonable.
In the end, The Reluctant Dragon is mainly just an excuse to show how the Disney features were made back in uncle Walt's time, and that may be all you'll get out of it. Even the shorts themselves can just be watched separately from this, not unlike the vast majority of Disney package features. Given that this film brought almost nothing but trouble upon its release and it doesn't even stand the test of time, then you know it's best left as one of the awkward relatives amongst the Disney vault family. Needless to say, either just watch the cartoons separately or just trust the historians for once in your life.
The essential "plot line" focuses on humorist Robert Benchley going to the Disney studio to sell the rights of the book The Reluctant Dragon to Walt Disney, and most of what happens afterwards are numerous stumblances on the Disney studio operations. These include a life drawing class, the vocal and sound recording studios, the camera room, the ink & paint room, the storyboard department, etc. Based on that, it's clear that The Reluctant Dragon really isn't a movie as much as a hastily put-together collection of studio work and separate short films, not helped by an endless amount of filler. What's even worse is that the movie was actually rushed into production faster than Dumbo so Walt could regain some of the financial losses of his ambitious flops like Pinocchio and Fantasia, and many of the Disney crew shown in the film were actually actors hired without anyone knowing (again, bad timing knowing the film's release). In many ways, the film feels more like some propagandic facade showing the Disney animation studios as a happy, coherent family (the movie must hold up better than I thought).
However, what does at least save the film from being a complete waste of time are the aforementioned behind the scenes processes. Some Disney and animation fans will find amusement in seeing how Walt's features were made back in the day, especially during the traditional days before digital filmmaking. Also, of the few Disney artists that were actually featured in the film include legends like animators Ward Kimball, Norm Ferguson and Fred Moore, voices Clarence Nash (Donald Duck) and Florence Gill (Clara Cluck), and even some of the miscellaneous staff as well. Lastly, the shorts shown consist of a storyboarded cartoon called Baby Weems, about an intelligent baby who proves to be more of a genius than that of Einstein and FDR, a brief segment featuring the Casey jr. train from Dumbo, and a Goofy cartoon which kickstarted his famous How To series. While coming in out of left field and maybe dragging on a bit, at least these shorts provide the necessary entertainment needed for a rendezvous trip like this, especially compared to Robert Benchley's annoying remarks.
Now as for The Reluctant Dragon property itself, it's not until the picture's last third when it finally shows up as an animated featurette, and for a short flick, it's got its charm. Really, it's more of a vehicle for pure goofiness, as it tells the tale of a boy who discovers this flamboyant dragon who isn't threatening in the least, and even the knight chosen to challenge it, Sir Giles, is quite fluttery and love for reciting poetry. One can tell the crew must have had a lot of fun on this feature, as the character animation is very bold, dynamic and even balletic given the dragon's comical presence and the liveliness of the whole ordeal. It also has the length covered pretty well, for if this was the length of a feature, it most likely would have slogged on even more than the whole feature does. In fact, one may wonder why Walt didn't just release the film as its own separate short to place in a theater before the real presentation begins. Even if this film was done to show the public how the MouseHouse cartoons were made, a single documentary would have been more reasonable.
In the end, The Reluctant Dragon is mainly just an excuse to show how the Disney features were made back in uncle Walt's time, and that may be all you'll get out of it. Even the shorts themselves can just be watched separately from this, not unlike the vast majority of Disney package features. Given that this film brought almost nothing but trouble upon its release and it doesn't even stand the test of time, then you know it's best left as one of the awkward relatives amongst the Disney vault family. Needless to say, either just watch the cartoons separately or just trust the historians for once in your life.