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Edgar Bergen, Dinah Shore, Luana Patten, Cliff Edwards, Billy Gilbert ... see more see more... , Anita Gordon , The King's Men , Walt Disney , Clarence Nash , The Dinning Sisters , The Starlighters

A blend of live-action and animation, Fun and Fancy Free is comprised of two distinct tales linked by additional footage featuring Jiminy Cricket. Disney had been planning to use each story for separa... read more read more...te feature films but the involvement of the United States in WWII disrupted his plans and the stories were shelved until after the war. The first is a musical story based on a children's story by Sinclair Lewis and is narrated by Dinah Shore, who also sings. It is the tale of a sad little circus bear named Bongo who is adored when performing but ignored after the show. Tired of travelling and being mistreated, he escapes into the forest where he discovers that life in the wilderness is not as free and easy as he thought. Despite the obstacles awaiting him, Bongo manages to find the thing he most longed for -- true love. By contemporary standards, the story is almost 'unbearably' sweet, but it should be remembered that such candy-coated fluff as "Bongo" was the remedy war-weary audiences needed to lift their spirits. The second tale is more zesty thanks to the peppery repartee between ventriloquist Edgar Bergen and his two dummies Charlie McCarthy and Mortimer Snerd. Together the three tell would-be Disney child star Luana Patton, a story based on "Jack and the Beanstalk" featuring Mickey Mouse, Donald Duck and Goofy, who climb a magic beanstalk and try to retrieve a stolen singing harp to restore wealth to their impoverished kingdom. In 1997, to commemorate the film's 50th anniversary, it was released on video tape in a restored version (the executive producers in charge of restoration were Phil Savenkic and Harry Arends) that has brought the colorful animated sequences back to their original depth and vibrance. This video version also contains a brief but informative documentary hosted by noted film historian Leonard Maltin and narrated by Corey Burton at the end that gives the fascinating history of the films. It also contains rare footage of the making of the films and a priceless segment in which Walt Disney performs as Mickey Mouse. "Mickey and the Beanstalk" was the last time Disney provided his voice. ~ Sandra Brennan, Rovi

Flixster Users

61% liked it

8,610 ratings

Critics

67% liked it

6 critics

G, 1 hr. 36 min.

Directed by: Bill Roberts, Hamilton Luske, Jack Kinney, William Morgan

Release Date: September 27, 1947

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DVD Release Date: June 20, 2000

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Flixster Reviews (250)

  • purplemegan
    May 13, 2011
    purplemegan
    This was one of my favorites as a child, Bongo is just one of those things that has stuck in my head all these years.
  • skeletonking101
    January 28, 2011
    skeletonking101
    edgar bergen did one of his best roles and he is the one who interested me in becoming a ventriloquist, im not anymore, but its still fun to watch him narrate the ending parts of the movie
  • coollala0910
    August 8, 2010
    coollala0910
    A decent and enjoyable Disney film. All three segments are the BOMB!!!

    "They tossed him around like an old shoe."
  • fb733768972
    January 15, 2010
    fb733768972
    One of the only films that I've seen from the 40's and I believe it's incredible!
  • sanjurosamurai
    September 18, 2009
    sanjurosamurai
    disneys ninth animated classic is one of five strait disney classics that bring together animated shorts rather than one feature length story. although the bongo story is worthwhile it is obviously the mickey and the beanstalk story that makes this a repeatable film. a classic ... read moretale.
  • maciasoctaviano
    June 29, 2011
    maciasoctaviano
    Number 4 of the Compilation Era

    The animation is nice.

    Bongo is an ok short but nothing memorable.


    Mickey and the Beanstalk on the other hand is a great classic.

    Next up:Make Mine Music... again?

    Interesting note here

    originally some of the shorts in these era... read more,(These two being prime examples) were meant to be full length films but because of the war the budget was just not there.
  • staindslaved
    February 27, 2012
    staindslaved
    Two shorts combined to make one movie their individual quality differ drastically. The first short about Bongo the circus Bear wanting to be free in the wild only to discover life in the woods isn't all it's cracked up to be, is easily the inferior short. The better and more fa... read moremous bit is of Mickey, Donald and Goofy in a retelling of the famous Jack and the Beanstalk tale. Averaged out Fun & Fancy Free is a decent film worth watching if you're an animation of Disney fanatic.
  • SunilJawahir
    July 28, 2009
    SunilJawahir
    I really enjoyed the Mickey version of Jack and the Beanstalk!
  • Doctor0Quinzel
    July 3, 2008
    Doctor0Quinzel
    Mickey and the Beanstalk is so funny. One of my favorite animations, ever. it's a fun ride with your old friends, Mickey, Donald and Goofy.
  • kenscheck
    December 6, 2011
    kenscheck
    Of the troubled economy wartime package films, this is one of the better Disney features. The Bongo segment is kind of hit or miss, but the hits are good enough to sustain it. The Mickey and the Beanstalk segment is great. I used to have half of it on VHS on the same tape as Dumb... read moreo, and saw it many times as a kid. This is more like Three Caballeros, and just fun.

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Critic Reviews

November 16, 2009
TIME Magazine

The whole picture peters out and becomes as oddly off-balance and inconsequential as its title. Full Review

Bosley Crowther
March 25, 2006
Bosley Crowther, New York Times

While the emphasis is more on the first part than on the second part of that compound, it's okay. Full Review

November 16, 2009
TV Guide's Movie Guide

A slight, but enjoyable, Disney animated feature comprised of two cartoons linked together by host Jiminy Cricket. Full Review

Tim Brayton
November 6, 2009
Tim Brayton, Antagony & Ecstasy

If it wasn't already obvious from glancing at the studio's other work from around the same period, this would be proof enough that the steam was starting to go out of Disney's art. Full Review

James Plath
October 14, 2005
James Plath, Movie Metropolis

Mickey and the Beanstalk is the classic here, and worth the price of the DVD.

Keith Phipps
October 9, 2001
Keith Phipps, AV Club

Fun And Fancy Free is a mixed bag with more than enough interesting material to make it worth seeing, even if it falls short of Disney's shameless self-praise. Full Review

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