At one theater, sympathizers paraded down the street wearing a "dragon costume bearing the legend 'The Reluctant Disney'". Shortly afterward, this DVD was also made available in the Disney Movie Rewards program along with some of the other Movie Club exclusives. Inside they dance, and Sir Giles reveals that it is time for the Dragon to be slain, but only for pretend, to which the Dragon gets excited. 12 of 13 people found this review helpful. The Reluctant Dragon. Orchestration: 2 perc (vib, glock, fireman's bell, dr kit), 2 kbd (elec org ; hpch or pn), str (min: 4.3.2.2.1) Dodging an overly officious studio guide named Humphrey (played by Buddy Pepper), Benchley stumbles upon a number of the Disney studio operations and learns about the traditional animation process, some o… As he wanders around the studio, Benchley stumbles upon a number of the Disney operations and learns about the traditional animation process, some of the facets of which are explained by a staff employee named Doris (Frances Gifford). Though surprised at seeing what a nice creature the Dragon is, the Boy befriends him. On December 3, 2002, the original full-length feature was released on DVD in its original theatrical form (with the live-action studio tours) as Walt Disney Treasures: Behind the Scenes at the Disney Studio. This heartwarming classic tells the tale of a country boy who adopts a mischevious black lamb and learns valuable lessons about love and dedication. Sir Giles places his lance under the Dragon's arm, then the Dragon jumps out of the cloud and performs a dramatic death scene. (1941). Monstro 4. Megan: Even though there’s not a single female character in the entire cartoon, I still love “The Reluctant Dragon”! Out in the open, they charge at each other, creating an enormous cloud. There, she leaves him at the studio gate while she goes shopping. Both asexual and sexualized, normative and queer, this dragon erodes rigid binaries of desire in pursuit of poetry and interspecies fellowship that the film endorses in its quiet call to appreciate differences."[8]. The Reluctant Dragon. 93 likes. Although the story is great as well as the illustrator, the book quality is underwhelming. The Reluctant Dragon I'm not the author of all of those comics. Based upon Kenneth Grahame's book of the same name, a dragon who would much rather recite poetry and play is taught how to be ferocious by a young boy and a knight. The Reluctant Dragon, by Kenneth Grahame, is another classic I chose to read for my 50-classics-in-5-years challenge for The Classics Club.I downloaded the audiobook version from Audible, narrated by Anton Lesser, and absolutely loved listening to it! An anthology of animated vignettes set to contemporary music. 1941 Disney film directed by Alfred L. Werker and Hamilton Luske, Please expand the article to include this information. Forces or Category: Chamber orchestra. Stromboli. Reluctant Dragon tells the tale of a young man, Joey Bisfick, whose love of dragons and inquisitive nature forces him to venture off in search of a dragon that has reportedly been terrorizing the countryside, much to the chagrin of his worrying parents. Humorist Robert Benchley attempts to find Walt Disney to ask him to adapt a short story about a gentle dragon who would rather recite poetry than be ferocious. Pan to Robert Benchley lying on a raft in the pool, with the toy rifle, Shoots a dart at a duck decoy in the pool, The 7 Most Powerful Dragons In Fantasy Movies (& 8 Most Powerful Wyverns), 5 Reasons '90s Disney Princesses Are The Best (& 5 Why The 21st Century Princesses Are), Revisiting ‘The Reluctant Dragon’, Disney’s Often-Forgotten and Uniquely Controversial Blend of Animation and Live-Action, Sir Giles (segment "The Reluctant Dragon"), The Dragon (segment "The Reluctant Dragon"). It can be seen as a prototype to most modern stories in which the dragon is a sympathetic character rather than a threat. It turns out that Sir Giles also loves to make up poetry, so the Dragon and Sir Giles serenade each other. Benchley's wife finally convinces him to approach Disney so they drive to the Walt Disney Studios. Ernest Howard Shepard (December 10, 1879 – March 24, 1976) was an English artist and book illustrator. The cartoon starts with an introduction by the narrator of the story. After his arrival, Benchley dodges an overly officious studio guide named Humphrey (played by Buddy Pepper). One evening, long ago, a shepherd ran home, terrified. Animation done to contemporary popular music. Want to share IMDb's rating on your own site? Use the HTML below. The Boy visits Sir Giles (not St. George as in the original story), and it is revealed that Sir Giles is an old man. What he finds instead is a sweet old dragon You must be a registered user to use the IMDb rating plugin. The film closes on Benchley and his wife driving home; she harangues him for failing to sell the movie and that by dilly-dallying, Benchley missed his chance to sell the rights, with Disney having already produced a film. Ridiculed because of his enormous ears, a young circus elephant is assisted by a mouse to achieve his full potential. John Rutter The Reluctant Dragon. He's a nice old dragon who likes to write poetry Robert Benchley gives a colorful "performance" as a guest of Walt's (who makes a cameo), meeting animators and storyboard-editors while pitching the movie idea of a shy dragon. The Reluctant Dragon. "[6], The Reluctant Dragon cost $600,000 to make and returned $960,000 with $460,000 being generated in the U.S. and Canada. This picture, more a playful stunt than a memorable entry in the Disney canon, features some gorgeous animation and a lovely switch from black-and-white to color early on. OH NOES!!! "[7], Similarly, Tison Pugh writes, "The Reluctant Dragon casts adult heterosexuality as undesirable and celebrates children's sexuality as the innocence of unfulfilled expectations — with the Dragon mediating between these two viewpoints in a gender performance of baffling complexity. One of the main characters, The Boy, who is reading a book about knights and bloodthirsty dragons, is introduced. Chernabog 2. The fight ensues, with Sir Giles chasing the Dragon around with his sword and into the cave, where they drink tea and make noises to make it seem they are fighting. The narration was so much fun, and the story truly is a wonderful old classic. The Dragon and Sir Giles eventually decide to fight, but as Sir Giles and the Boy leave, the Dragon realizes in shock that he has accidentally agreed to a fight and tries to tell Sir Giles and the boy that he changed his mind, but they ignore him and the Dragon mutters to himself why he cannot just keep his big mouth shut. The full feature was released on VHS in an edition sold only at Disney Stores. It is Grahame's most famous short story, arguably better known than Dream Days itself or the related 1895 collection The Golden Age. The Reluctant Dragon. He answers "phooey", in the style of Donald Duck. Edition Description. 1. John Rutter The Reluctant Dragon An Entertainment. Keep track of everything you watch; tell your friends. Kenneth Grahame's classic story about the knight St. George and a not-so-fearsome dragon is here delightfully retold in stop-motion animation. He flies over the chasm and makes a last ditch effort to land on the other side. On August 12, 2014, the full-length feature version of The Reluctant Dragon was released in HD as a bonus feature on The Adventures of Ichabod and Mr. Toad/Fun and Fancy Free Blu-ray set. This is The Reluctant Dragon Story for kids. The Dragon jumps for joy as he is now ferocious. Along the way, he is given a tour of Walt Disney Studios, and learns about the animation process. The Boy then goes to the Dragon's lair, where he is confronted not by a ferocious beast, but a shy, poetry-loving creature. The Boy then asks if he could recite a poem of his own. Check out our editors' picks for the movies and shows we're excited about this month, like Mortal Kombat, "Them," and Stowaway. The next day, the villagers gather to watch the fight. Lead Characters. In 2007, it was again released in its original theatrical version on DVD, this time as a Disney Movie Club exclusive DVD, available only to club members for mail or online ordering. The Reluctant Dragon and Sir Giles make various cameos in the 1988 Disney (through the Touchstone Pictures label)/Amblin Entertainment film Who Framed Roger Rabbit. This review is for The Reluctant Dragon (Gift Edition) Hardcover – October 13, 2020. by Kenneth Grahame (Author), Ernest H. Shepard (Illustrator), Sophie Blackall. I promise not to rant or roar, and scourge the countryside anymore! As he stumbles through the maze of the Disney Studio, he discovers how animation is created through art, sound, color and technology. Humorist Robert Benchley learns about the animation process at Walt Disney Studios while trying to find the great man himself to pitch him the idea of making a cartoon about a shy dragon. This children’s classic is made even more collectable thanks to the beautiful illustrations by E.H. Shepard, the artist behind the original illustrations for The Wind in the Willows and the man who drew Winnie-the-Pooh. **1/2 from ****. Pinocchio 3. reluctant_dragon_librivox Ocr ABBYY FineReader 9.0 Ppi 600 Run time 56:42 Source Librivox recording of a public-domain text Taped by LibriVox Year 2006 . "I saw something terrible," he cried to his wife and son. While on his way to present a movie idea to Walt Disney, our tour guide discovers how a cartoon is created through art, sound, and color. The boy who finds the dragon in the cave knows it is a kindly, harmless one, but how can he convince the fightened villagers and, especially, St. George the dragon killer that there is no cause for concern? The Reluctant Dragon The loose plot of the film features Robert Benchley trying to find (or, rather, avoid finding) Walt Disney so that he can, at the insistence of his wife, pitch to him the idea of making an animated version of the book by Kenneth Grahame. I love how the dragon sings his own little theme song and plays his flute with the birds. His father comes rushing by, claiming to have seen a monster. Strikers picketed the film's premiere with signs that attacked Disney for unfair business practices, low pay, lack of recognition, and favoritism. The Reluctant Dragon is a funny story of bravery, friendship and derring-do. The first twenty minutes of the film are in black-and-white, and the remainder is in Technicolor. An icon used to represent a menu that can be toggled by interacting with this icon. The dragon is an effeminate stereotype of a fop, who doesn't want to fight, yet pretends to with a knight so the knight can seem powerful, and all the villagers will think the dragon is tamed. Vocal and instrumental scores and parts on hire. Walt Disney Studios, 500 South Buena Vista Street, Burbank, California, USA. comment. Certificate: Passed The Reluctant Dragon is an 1898 children's story by Kenneth Grahame (originally published as a chapter in his book Dream Days), which served as the key element to the 1941 feature film with the same name from Walt Disney Productions. View production, box office, & company info. The Reluctant Dragon also makes brief cameos in Disney's House of Mouse, most notably in the start of the intro. The Reluctant Dragon. 3 VIDEOS | 161 IMAGES. Sir Giles and the Boy visit the Dragon while he is having a picnic. When King Richard the Lionheart leaves England to lead a crusade to the Holy Land, his treacherous brother conspires to bring himself to power. Humorist Robert Benchley learns about the animation process at Walt Disney Studios while trying to find the great man himself to pitch him the idea of making a cartoon about a shy dragon. The Reluctant Dragon Synopsis: Humorist Robert Benchley attempts to find Walt Disney to ask him to adapt a short story about a gentle dragon who would rather recite poetry than be ferocious. The film was released in the middle of the Disney animators' strike of 1941. Title: The reluctant dragon. Essentially a tour of the then-new Walt Disney Studios facility in Burbank, California, the film stars radio comedian Robert Benchley and many Disney staffers such as Ward Kimball, Fred Moore, Norman Ferguson, Clarence Nash, and Walt Disney, all as themselves. Vocal score. In the UK, the "Reluctant Dragon" segment was paired with Mickey and the Beanstalk and released during 2004 on DVD as Disney Fables Volume 6. Written by The Reluctant Dragon is one of our Favorite Fairy Tales, published in Grahame's collection, Dream Days in 1902, illustrated by Maxfield Parrish. 1. The Boy reassures his father that it was only a dragon, to which the father panics and runs to the village in fear. Inside his cave, the Dragon is too scared to fight and cannot breathe fire. The Reluctant Dragon is a 1941 American film produced by Walt Disney, directed by Alfred Werker, and released by RKO Radio Pictures on June 20, 1941. Disney The Reluctant Dragon 1987 Tape. Humorist Robert Benchley attempts to find Walt Disney to ask him to adapt a short story about a gentle dragon who would rather recite poetry than be ferocious. When he arrives back at the village, the Boy discovers that Sir Giles the Dragon slayer has arrived. About The Reluctant Dragon by Kenneth Grahame When a dragon is discovered up on the Downs, the Boy is not in the least surprised. The story ends with the Dragon being accepted into society, to which the Dragon recites a poem: Sir Giles is drawn by the animators to somewhat resemble Don Quixote. Look for appearances by Goofy, Donald Duck, Bambi, and...Alan Ladd?! Approved | 1h 14min | Animation, Comedy, Family | 20 June 1941 (USA) 1:30 | Clip. He's always known that there was a dragon cave, so it seems only right for a dragon to be living in it.The Boy decides to pay a visit to the cave, and he thinks he knows just what to … The Reluctant Dragon ( 1987) The Reluctant Dragon. Snow White 2. The Boy calling the Dragon a "Punk Poet" leads to the Dragon getting angry and eventually spitting flames. The other films bundled with it were Ferdinand the Bull, Goliath II and Johnny Appleseed. Here's the Final Part to the Reluctant Dragon Casey Jr drawings!! In that era, moviegoing included feature films, … "The Reluctant Dragon" is an 1898 children's story by Kenneth Grahame, originally published as a chapter in his book Dream Days. It was here that he wrote The Reluctant Dragon, which was first published in Dream Days in 1898, ten years before the publication of his most famous work, The Wind in the Willows. The film starts at Robert Benchley's home as he plays in his swimming pool, shooting darts at toy ducks. The total length of all animated parts is 40 minutes. This edition was published in 1966 by Holiday House in . The Boy tells Sir Giles that the Dragon will never fight and they decide to visit him. The Dragon leaves but is persuaded back out of his cave when he is flattered by Sir Giles. Anonymous, Disney film incorporating several animated shorts with live-action tour of Walt Disney's studio in Burbank, California. I get no money from the website. Get a sneak peek of the new version of this page. plus-circle Add Review. The Reluctant Dragon is a very odd film released by Disney in 1941, a documentary of sorts about a celebrity named Robert Benchley (whom some of you may know) who gets an in-depth look at the Disney studio, intending to sell Walt the idea of turning a children's book into a cartoon, and along the way, we see some interesting looks at how Disney makes the animation, does the voice work, the … The Reluctant Dragon. It's more likely to appeal to nostalgia-crazy grown-ups however, instead of restless kids. Along the way, he is given a tour of Walt Disney Studios, and learns about the animation process. Villains. The Reluctant Dragon is a 1941 American film produced by Walt Disney, directed by Alfred Werker, and released by RKO Radio Pictures on June 27, 1941. On the other hand, Photoplay said it was "one of the cleverest ideas to pop into that fertile mind of Walt Disney and results in this rare combination of a Cook's tour of the Disney studio, a behind-the-scenes glimpse of Mickey Mousedom and two of Disney's latest cartoon features... Cleverly thought out and executed. Free download of The Reluctant Dragon by Kenneth Grahame. The lightning takes out the bridge and Casey Jr doesn't recognize it until the LAST MINUTE!!!! The most interesting thing to me about The Reluctant Dragon is its weirdness. The film stars the grandfather of the author of Jaws. Donald receives his birthday gifts, which include traditional gifts and information about Brazil (hosted by Zé Carioca) and Mexico (by Panchito, a Mexican Charro Rooster). Jiminy Cricket hosts two Disney animated shorts: "Bongo," about a circus bear escaping to the wild, and "Mickey and the Beanstalk," a take on the famous fairy tale. Add the first question. The "Reluctant Dragon" segment is the main attraction, along with three other cartoon shorts, on the Disney Animation Collection Volume 6 DVD, which was released in America on May 19, 2009. Further details may exist on the, Walt Disney Treasures: Behind the Scenes at the Disney Studio, List of animated feature films of the 1940s, List of films with live action and animation, DuckTales the Movie: Treasure of the Lost Lamp, Tinker Bell and the Legend of the NeverBeast, Phineas and Ferb the Movie: Across the 2nd Dimension, Walt Disney Animation Studios short films, List of Walt Disney Animation Studios short films, List of Disney theatrical animated features, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=The_Reluctant_Dragon_(1941_film)&oldid=1015811061, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License, The ink-and-paint department, including a Technicolor-showcasing, Humphrey, who has been one step behind Benchley the entire film, finally apprehends him and delivers him in person to, This page was last edited on 3 April 2021, at 18:07. The Reluctant Dragon is a mild-mannered specimen of his breed who, unlike the "active and earnest" fellows who used to charge around battling knights, has survived long enough to … Favorites: The Reluctant Dragon. Was this review helpful to you? He tries to slam the brakes, but to no avail!! The story has also been set to music as a children's operetta by John Rutter, with words by David Grant. It turns out that he is delaying in trying to sell the rights of The Reluctant Dragon to studio head Walt Disney. G | 30min | Animation, Short, Family | TV Short 31 December 1987. This FAQ is empty. Disney animators tour South America and present four animated shorts inspired by their trip. The Queen 3. G. June 20, 1941. It has long, sharp claws, a long pointy tail, and shiny blue scales all over its body." “The Reluctant Dragon” is the best! Check out our gallery of the 2021 Oscar nominees in the leading and supporting acting categories, as the characters they so brilliantly played and in real life. Available in PDF, ePub and Kindle. Honest John 5. He runs to tell the Dragon that he should fight him, only to be left disappointed when the Dragon announces that he never fights. [1][4] Essentially a tour of the then-new Walt Disney Studios facility in Burbank, California, the film stars radio comedian Robert Benchley and many Disney staffers such as Ward Kimball, Fred Moore, Norman Ferguson, Clarence Nash, and Walt Disney, all as themselves. Yet, the film also makes it quite clear that the dragon does not believe in fighting, and the film doesn't specifically make fun of him for that... Just as in Ferdinand the Bull, The Reluctant Dragon presents an easily read gay character under the guise of fantasy and shows characters accepting him as he is. In Who Framed Roger Rabbit, the Dragon appears along with many othe… From this, he uses his chance to get a word in edgewise to shout at them to arrange the fight. [5], Some critics and audiences were put off by the fact that the film was not a new Disney animated feature in the vein of Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs or Pinocchio, but essentially a collection of four short cartoons and various live-action vignettes. Sir Giles arrives waiting for the Dragon. Kenneth Grahame 's classic story about the knight St. George and a not-so-fearsome dragon is here delightfully retold in stop-motion animation. Animation. Disney released the animated "Reluctant Dragon" segment on VHS in 1987, along with the short Morris the Midget Moose and again in 1988 as part of the Walt Disney Mini-Classics series. The boy discovers he and the dragon are both struggling poets, and tries to convince Saint George that there's no sense in slaying a good dragon. "It's as big as four horses. There is no mistaking how the film makes fun of the dragon's mincing manner and prissy pretentions. Hollywood funnyman Robert Benchley is on his way to see Walt Disney to present a movie idea called The Reluctant Dragon. A collection of animated interpretations of great works of Western classical music. Forces or Category: Soloists, narrator, SATB chorus, piano/2 keyboards, 2 perc, strings Most of the film is live-action, with four short animated segments inserted into the running time: a black-and-white segment featuring Casey Junior from Dumbo; and three Technicolor cartoons: Baby Weems (presented as a storyboard), Goofy's How to Ride a Horse, and the extended-length short The Reluctant Dragon, based upon Kenneth Grahame's book of the same name. Sir Giles and the dragon sell the idea of a tough battle. Along the way, he meets Donald, Pluto, Goofy, and other Disney favorites.