The Grasshopper and the Ants, a Silly Symphony from 1934, dates from the golden era when Walt Disney struck a deal granting his company exclusive rights to Technicolor's new three-strip process, which allowed a range of vivid hues unlike those previously seen in either animated or live-action film. This picture is also a fine specimen of the musical cartooning that flourished in the early years of animation, producing such prominent series as the Silly Symphonies from Disney and the Looney Tunes and Merrie Melodies from Warner Bros., his greatest rival.
Based on one of Aesop's best-known fables, The Grasshopper and the Ants teaches a moralistic lesson in a typically enchanting way. It begins with the grasshopper, looking a little like an ancestor of Jiminy Cricket, playing a sprightly tune on his fiddle while dancing down a flower-lined pathway. Pausing to spit what appears to be a glob of tobacco juice (something you wouldn't see in today's kiddie cartoons) and snack on a succulent leaf, he sees a colony of ants toiling happily away at their warm-weather task of gathering and storing fruits and vegetables for use when winter comes. Spotting an ant whose cherry-cart has gotten stuck in the mud, the big insect advises the little one to chill out and relax. The grasshopper quotes scripture to support his point: "The good book says the Lord provides, there's food on every tree." But he immediately twists this into an argument for laziness. "I see no reason to worry and work," he says, launching into his theme song, "The World Owes Us a Living!"
The worker ant is momentarily seduced, but he leaves off dancing when the queen ant arrives with her royal entourage, admonishing the grasshopper to prepare for the harsh winter that will inevitably come. He pays no attention, and sure enough, when the season changes he collapses in hunger and misery at the doorway of the ant colony, where folks inside are having a swell party. They take him in, feed him, and let him soak his freezing feet in hot water. His face falls when the queen says he can't stay if he doesn't work, but when she adds that his work can be playing his fiddle for the colony, he literally sings a different song: "I Owe the World a Living!"
The moral of the tale is clear but not always consistent. Watching the ant queen arrive in her portable throne carried by underlings, it appears that the world does owe her a living, and she collects it every day. In another irony, the emblem on her banner - a crossed pick and shovel - looks a bit like the Soviet Union's old hammer-and-sickle logo. The animation has excellent moments, though, as when the film cuts from the lone grasshopper to the ant community teeming with energy and activity, and when the transition to winter is conveyed through a succession of darkening images and blustery sounds. Also pay attention to the grasshopper's voice, which was provided by Pinto Colvig and resembles that of another Colvig character, Goofy, who had made his debut two years earlier and also sang about the world owing him a living.
Nowadays a rescue dog is a canine that's been saved from neglect or abuse by a kindly human, but the 1947 cartoon called Rescue Dog takes its cue from the old-fashioned image of an intrepid St. Bernard saving a frostbitten traveler with the cask of brandy tied around its neck. Here the St. Bernard is replaced by trusty Pluto, and he's the one who needs rescuing after his run-in with Salty the Seal, a minor Disney character whose career apparently started and ended with this picture. You can tell that Pluto isn't cut out for this kind of work when he immediately sinks into the snow and drops his brandy through a hole in the ice over a lake, which is where Salty finds it. Salty isn't interested in the contents of the keg, but he's very interested in causing trouble for Pluto, making him chase after the keg over frozen hills and into a frosty cave. The action gets scary when Pluto plunges into the ice-covered lake, nearly drowning until Salty saves him by pulling him to the surface and using the brandy to melt the block of ice he's trapped in. Pluto revives, seeming a bit tipsy from the brandy, and the two embrace each other. It's a happy ending for a cartoon that dares to be a little scarier than average.
Corn Chips presents one of the many showdowns between Donald Duck and Chip and Dale, his chipmunk frenemies. Released in 1951, it bears a strong resemblance to the 1947 cartoon Chip an' Dale, which introduced the chipmunks as distinct characters with their own names and personalities. Both pictures take place in wintertime and show the chipmunks foiling Donald's efforts to take a relaxing break; in the 1947 film they stop him from stocking his fireplace with the log they live in, and in the 1951 tale they take revenge on him - because he's tricked them into clearing the snow off his front walk - by stealing the bowl of Yum Yum Popcorn he's just cooked. The chipmunks win, and after an explosive climax Donald winds up shoveling popcorn from his walk instead of snow.
This was one of Donald Duck's last starring appearances in a theatrical cartoon, although his career continued to thrive in other vehicles. Chip and Dale retired from the Disney stable after Chips Ahoy in 1956, having faced off with Donald in a great many audience-pleasing adventures. Corn Chips was directed by Jack Hannah, who helmed all but four of the chipmunks' 23 cartoons; the little guys are voiced by regulars James MacDonald (Chip) and Dessie Flynn (Dale), and Donald is voiced by Clarence Nash, who produced Donald's duckspeak for half a century. He also created Tom's voice in Hanna-Barbera's long-lasting Tom and Jerry series, and doubled as Jiminy Cricket for a while in the 1970s. Corn Chips isn't a masterpiece, but you'll find it fun to watch while you sit by the fire with a bowl of Yum Yum Popcorn.
The Grasshopper and the Ants Director: Wilfred Jackson
Producer: Walt Disney
Screenplay: William Cottrell; based on Aesop's fable
Animation: Art Babbitt, Dick Huemer, Albert Hurter
Music: Leigh Harline
With: Pinto Colvig (Grasshopper)
Color-8m.
Rescue Dog Director: Charles Nichols
Producer: Walt Disney
Story: Eric Gurney. Bill de la Torre
Animation: George Nicholas, Jerry Hathcock, George Kreisl, Jack Boyd
Music: Oliver Wallace
With: Pinto Colvig (Pluto)
Color-7m.
Corn Chips Director: Jack Hannah
Producer: Walt Disney
Story: Bill Berg, Nick George
Animation: Volus Jones, Bill Justice, Bob Carlson, Judge Whitaker
Music: Oliver Wallace
With: James MacDonald (Chip), Dessie Flynn (Dale), Clarence Nash (Donald Duck)
Color-7m.
by David Sterritt
