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Make Mine Music
Theatrical release poster
Directed by
Story by
Based on"Casey at the Bat"
by Ernest Thayer
Peter and the Wolf
by Sergei Prokofiev
Produced byWalt Disney
Joe Grant
Starring
Music by
Production
company
Distributed byRKO Radio Pictures
Release dates
  • April 20, 1946 (1946-04-20) (New York City)[1]
  • August 15, 1946 (1946-08-15) (United States)[1]
Running time
75 minutes
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish
Budget$1.35 million[2]
Box office$3.275 million (worldwide rentals)[3]

Make Mine Music is a 1946 American animated musical anthology film produced by Walt Disney and released by RKO Radio Pictures on April 20, 1946.

During World War II, much of Walt Disney's staff was drafted into the army, and those that remained were called upon by the U.S. government to make training and propaganda films. As a result, the studio was littered with unfinished story ideas. In order to keep the feature film division alive during this difficult time, the studio released six package films including this one, made up of various unrelated segments set to music. This is the third package film, following Saludos Amigos and The Three Caballeros. The film was entered into the 1946 Cannes Film Festival.[4]

Film segments

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This particular film has ten such segments.

The Martins and the Coys

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The popular radio vocal group The King's Men sings the story of a Hatfields and McCoys-style feud in the mountains. The feud is broken up when Grace Martin and Henry Coy, two young people from each side, inadvertently fall in love. This segment was later censored from the film's US video release due to objections to the film's depiction of gun violence.

Blue Bayou

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This segment featured animation originally intended for Fantasia using the Claude Debussy musical composition Clair de Lune from Suite bergamasque (conducted by Leopold Stokowski).[citation needed] It featured two egrets flying through the Everglades on a moonlit night. However, by the time Make Mine Music was released Clair de Lune was replaced by the new song Blue Bayou, performed by the Ken Darby Singers. However, the original version of the segment still survives.

All the Cats Join In

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This segment was one of two sections in which Benny Goodman and his Orchestra contributed.[5] Their music played over visuals drawn by an animator's pencil as the action occurred. The scene portrayed hepcat teens of the 1940s, being swept away by popular music. This segment features some mild female nudity that was edited out in both the US and UK DVD releases, although the film's Japanese home video releases features it intact and uncensored.[6]

Without You

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This segment is a ballad of lost love, sung by Andy Russell.

Casey at the Bat

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This segment featured Jerry Colonna, reciting the poem also titled "Casey at the Bat" by Ernest Thayer, about the arrogant ballplayer whose cockiness was his undoing. The setting is 1902, in the town of Mudville. A few moments are exaggerated or altered and music is added. A sequel to this segment called Casey Bats Again was released on June 18, 1954 as theatrical short.

Two Silhouettes

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This segment featured two rotoscoped live-action ballet dancers, David Lichine and Tania Riabouchinskaya, moving in silhouette with animated backgrounds and characters. The dancers are accompanied by two putti, also in silhouette. Dinah Shore sang the title song.

Peter and the Wolf

[edit]
See also: Peter and the Wolf (1946 film)

The segment "Peter and the Wolf" is an animated dramatization of the 1936 musical composition by Sergei Prokofiev, with narration by actor Sterling Holloway. A Russian boy named Peter sets off into the forest to hunt the wolf with his animal friends: a bird named Sascha, a duck named Sonia, and a cat named Ivan. Just like in Prokofiev's piece, each character is represented with a specific musical accompaniment: Peter by the String Quartet, Sascha by the Flute, Sonia by the Oboe, Ivan by the Clarinet, Grandpapa by the Bassoon, the Hunters through their gunfire by the Kettledrums, and the evil Wolf primarily by horns and cymbals.

After You've Gone

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This segment again featured Benny Goodman and The Goodman Quartet (Teddy Wilson, Cozy Cole and Sid Weiss) as six anthropomorphized instruments (Piano, Bass, Snare and bass Drums, Cymbal and Clarinet) who paraded through a musical playground.

Johnnie Fedora and Alice Bluebonnet

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This segment told the romantic story of two hats who fell in love in a department store window in New York City. When Alice Bluebonnet was sold, Johnnie Fedora devoted himself to finding her again. They eventually, by pure chance, meet up again and live happily ever after together, side by side. The Andrews Sisters provided the vocals. Like the other segments, it was later released theatrically. It was released as such on May 21, 1954.[7]

Finale: The Whale Who Wanted to Sing at the Met

[edit]

The final segment, the finale of the film, is a bittersweet story about a sperm whale (named Willie) with incredible musical talent and his dreams of singing grand opera. A rumor is spread throughout the city about an operatic whale, but is seemingly disproven, therefore the short-sighted impresario Tetti-Tatti believes that the whale has swallowed an opera singer. He concludes this after studying the story of Jonah.

Tetti-Tatti sets out to "rescue" his non-existent quarry, the newspapers announcing that he was going to sea. Whitey, Willie's seagull friend, excitedly brings Willie the newspaper, all of his friends believing that this is his big chance, so he goes out to meet the boat and sing for Tetti-Tatti. He finds them, and upon hearing Willie sing, Tetti-Tatti comes to believe that Willie has swallowed not one, but three singers (due to his having three uvulas, each with a different voice range; tenor, baritone and bass), and chases him with a harpoon on a boat with three crewmen. Upon hearing the whale sing, the crewmen try to stop the stubborn and deluded Tetti-Tatti from killing the whale, as they want to continue listening to him sing, even to the point of pinning Tetti-Tatti down by sitting on him. A montage then follows of what would be Willie's future career in performing opera on the stage of the Met, with Tetti-Tatti shown to have finally been convinced. In the end, reality strikes when Tetti-Tatti succeeds in harpooning and killing Willie which causes the three sailors to beat him up afterwards, but the narrator then explains that Willie's voice (now in a thousand, each more golden than before) will sing on in heaven, ironically still achieving his dream after all; the final shot is of the Pearly gates with a "sold out" sign. Nelson Eddy narrated and performed all the voices in this segment. As Willie the Whale, Eddy sang, among others, Shortnin' Bread, "Largo al factotum" from The Barber of Seville, all three male voices in the first part of the Sextet from Donizetti's opera, Lucia di Lammermoor, and Mag der Himmel Euch Verbegen from Friedrich Wilhelm Riese's opera Martha.

As the curtains close, the film ends.

Cast

[edit]
Actor Role(s)
Nelson Eddy Narrator; characters (The Whale Who Wanted to Sing at the Met)
Dinah Shore Singer (Two Silhouettes)
Benny Goodman Musician (All the Cats Join In/After You've Gone)
The Andrews Sisters Singers (Johnnie Fedora and Alice Bluebonnet)
Jerry Colonna Narrator (Casey at the Bat)
Sterling Holloway Narrator (Peter and the Wolf)
Andy Russell Singer (Without You)
David Lichine Dancer (Two Silhouettes)
Tania Riabouchinskaya Dancer (Two Silhouettes)
The Pied Pipers Singers (All the Cats Join In)
The King's Men Singers (The Martins and the Coys)
The Ken Darby Singers Singers (Blue Bayou)

Music

[edit]
Make Mine Music
Studio album by
Eliot Daniel, Ken Darby, Charles Wolcott, Oliver Wallace and Edward Plumb
Released1946
LabelDisneyland Records
Walt Disney Animation Studios soundtrack chronology
The Three Caballeros
(1945) 		Make Mine Music
(1946) 		Fun and Fancy Free
(1947)
No.TitleWriter(s)Performer(s)Length
1."Make Mine Music"Ken Darby & Eliot DanielDisney Studio Chorus 
2."The Martins and the Coys"Al Cameron & Ted WeemsThe King's Men 
3."Blue Bayou"Bobby Worth & Ray GilbertThe Ken Darby Singers 
4."All the Cats Join In"Alec Wilder & Ray GilbertBenny Goodman and His Orchestra 
5."Without You"Ray GilbertAndy Russell 
6."Casey at the Bat"Ray Gilbert, Ken Darby & Eliot DanielJerry Colonna 
7."Two Silhouettes"Charles Wolcott & Ray GilbertDinah Shore 
8."Peter and the Wolf"Sergei ProkofievSterling Holloway 
9."After You've Gone"Turner Layton & Henry CreamerBenny Goodman & The Goodman Quartet 
10."Johnnie Fedora and Alice Bluebonnet"Allie Wrubel & Ray GilbertThe Andrews Sisters 

Release

[edit]

Make Mine Music was initially released in theaters in 1946. Like many other package features of the 1940s, it was never given a wide theatrical reissue. Instead, its distinct segments were separated and released as separate short films or used as segments in Disney television programmes.

Home media

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Make Mine Music was originally released on home video in Japan on October 21, 1985. All of its segments (except for Without You and The Martins and the Coys) had been released on home video in the US since they were shown on The Magical World of Disney television series and/or released only as shorts.

Casey at the Bat was featured on the VHS release of Disney's Tall Tales in 1985.

Blue Bayou was featured on the Disney's Greatest Lullabies Part Two VHS.

All the Cats Join In, Two Silhouettes, After You've Gone and The Whale Who Wanted To Sing At The Met (along with Stokowski's original recording of Claire de Lune) were featured on the VHS compilation The Wonderful World of Disney: Music for Everybody in 1986.

Peter and the Wolf was first released on the Storybook Classics VHS in 1982 and eventually joined the Walt Disney Mini Classics series (along with Willie the Operatic Whale) and the Favorite Stories collection.

Johnnie Fedora and Alice Bluebonnet was released on laserdisc in 1999 as part of The Disneyland Anthology 3 disc box-set, as it was a segment of the Adventures in Fantasy episode on side 5.

The actual film was released on VHS and DVD on June 6, 2000 under the Walt Disney Gold Classic Collection line. They edited this release to remove The Martins and the Coys, which contained comic gunplay that they deemed not suitable for children,[6] as well as editing out the sexualized imagery in All the Cats Join In.

Outside of North America, Make Mine Music has been largely unavailable on DVD and VHS. It has, however, been available in Scandinavia on both VHS (1983) and DVD (2006) and since 2013 on DVD in the UK (unrestored, albeit with The Martins and the Coys intact, but still editing out the sexualized imagery in All the Cats Join In). This and The Adventures of Ichabod and Mr. Toad are the only two major Disney animated films never to see a release on Region 4 DVD in Australia; however, the latter did get a VHS release.

As of 2025, Make Mine Music is the only package film from the animation studio that is not available on Disney+.[8]

Disney released Make Mine Music and Melody Time for the first time ever on Blu-ray, through their Disney Movie Club website on November 2, 2021. Despite explicit reports by Disney's customer service confirming this release would be uncut and mentioning that the release would include all ten musical segments, the actual discs contained the 2000 censored version of the film.

Reception

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Box office

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The film grossed $70,000 in its first week at the Globe Theatre in New York City.[9] It went on to earn $2,085,000 in theatrical rentals from the United States and Canada. Cumulatively, it earned $3,275,000 in worldwide rentals.[3]

Critical response

[edit]

Abel Green of Variety stated that "the animation, color and music, the swing versus symph, and the imagination, execution and delineation—that this Disney feature (two years in the making) may command widest attention yet. The blend of cartoon with human action has been evidenced before; here Disney has retained all his characters in their basic art form, but endowed them with human qualities, voices and treatments, which is another step forward in the field where cartoons graduate into the field of the classics."[10] Harrison's Reports felt that some of the shorts were "more entertaining than others, but all are good, and each has something to please movie-goers of all tastes and ages. It is a delightful blend of comedy, music, pathos, animation, and color, given a most imaginative treatment."[11]

Bosley Crowther, reviewing for The New York Times, praised the film as "a brilliant abstraction wherein fanciful musical instruments dance gayly on sliding color disks, sets of romping fingers race blithely down tapes of piano keys and musical notes fly wildly through the multi-hued atmosphere—all to the tingling accompaniment of Benny Goodman's quartet playing the ancient and melodious torch song, "After You're Gone". Color, form and music blend dynamically in this bit, and a rich stimulant of sensuous rhythm is excitingly achieved."[12] Edwin Schallert of the Los Angeles Times wrote that Make Mine Music was "a picture of much inventiveness and imagination. The lighter the picture is, the more is its excellence demonstrated, it might be noted. And while music is the keynote of the production, it ranges well into comedy, and plentifully into swing."[13]

The film holds 58% rating on Rotten Tomatoes, with an average score of 6.5/10. The site's critical consensus reads, "This collection of musical-themed shorts doesn't reach the artistic heights of Fantasia, but it's well animated and mostly good fun."[14]

See also

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References

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[edit]
Revisions and contributorsEdit on WikipediaRead on Wikipedia

Make Mine Music

View on Grokipedia
from Grokipedia
Make Mine Music is a American animated musical produced by Productions and distributed by RKO Radio Pictures. It comprises ten distinct segments, each set to contemporary and featuring diverse animation styles ranging from jazz-infused dances to narrative tales. The film showcases performances by prominent artists of the era, including vocalist , , bandleader , and narrator . Originally conceived as a series of short films amid production constraints, Make Mine Music was compiled into a single feature-length "package film" to optimize resources at the studio. Several segments, such as and were repurposed from material initially developed for Fantasia (1940) or other unproduced projects. Key highlights include the feuding hillbilly ballad "The Martins and the Coys," the poem adaptation the Prokofiev-inspired the hat-based romance "Johnny Fedora and Alice Bluebonnet," and the operatic finale "The Whale Who Wanted to Sing at the Met." The film premiered in on April 20, 1946, with a wider U.S. release on August 15, 1946, running approximately 75 minutes in Technicolor. It earned the Prix du meilleur dessin animé (Best Animated Film) at the inaugural in 1946. As part of Disney's 1940s anthology series, Make Mine Music exemplifies the studio's experimentation with musical storytelling and visual innovation during a transitional period in animation history.

Background and production

Development

During , the Studio faced severe staff shortages, as many animators were drafted into military service, and resource limitations due to material rationing and financial strain from halted European distribution. This led to a strategic shift from single-feature animated films to "package films," which compiled multiple short segments into anthology features to reduce production costs and maintain output. The first such films were in 1942 and in 1945, both developed amid wartime constraints that prioritized shorter, more economical projects. Make Mine Music, released in 1946, originated as a compilation of independent musical short segments produced during this period, allowing the studio to repurpose existing ideas and collaborations without committing to full-length narratives. Several segments were conceived as standalone shorts but were bundled together to form the feature-length , reflecting the practical necessities of the package . This approach enabled to experiment with diverse musical styles and artists while navigating postwar recovery. A key element in the film's development was the inclusion of Sergei Prokofiev's , which Disney had acquired rights to following a 1938 meeting with the composer. On February 28, 1938, Prokofiev visited the Disney Studio, where he performed the piece on for and composer Leigh Harline, sparking interest in an animated that would visualize each character's . The project was delayed by the and Prokofiev's return to the , with no immediate contract signed, but Disney revived it in the mid-1940s for inclusion in Make Mine Music. decisions emphasized a shift to highlight Peter's heroism and independence, aligning with American cultural values; the style began with abstract black-and-white silhouettes for a dreamlike quality before transitioning to vibrant, full-color sequences, and narration was added to introduce characters and guide the story, diverging from the original score's structure by reordering sections for dramatic pacing. The completed film marked Disney's first entry into international competition, selected for the , where it competed in the feature films category and won the Grand Prix International du dessin animé. This recognition underscored the studio's resilience in adapting to wartime challenges while advancing animated musical storytelling.

Production process

The production of Make Mine Music was profoundly shaped by constraints, which drastically reduced the available workforce at Studios. A significant number of animators were drafted into , creating severe staffing shortages that delayed multiple projects. The animators' strike, lasting approximately nine weeks and involving over 300 employees, further disrupted operations and strained studio relations. Material shortages, including limited supplies of and paint, forced the adoption of resource-conserving approaches, while the studio increasingly depended on female artists from the ink-and-paint department; many of these women, previously limited to tracing and coloring roles, took on tasks to fill the gaps left by departing male staff. To address these challenges, the film utilized limited animation techniques, which minimized the number of drawings per second and emphasized stylized designs over full character movement. For example, the jazz segment "All the Cats Join In" employed minimal, elastic line work and visible pencil sketches to evoke spontaneity while reducing production time. Rotoscoping was selectively applied, as in "Two Silhouettes," where live-action footage traced silhouettes for realistic dance sequences without extensive hand-drawn animation. Backgrounds in music-driven segments, particularly those with jazz influences, featured bold, abstract stylization to align with the rhythmic energy and further economize on detailed rendering. Collaborations with musicians were central to the process, beginning with dedicated recording sessions to capture authentic performances. Artists such as provided tracks for jazz numbers, while recorded vocals and narration for narrative segments; these audio elements were then synchronized meticulously with the animation to ensure visual cues matched musical beats and phrasing. The "Blue Bayou" segment, for instance, repurposed animation originally created for a Fantasia sequence set to Debussy's "Clair de Lune," with new recordings orchestrated by to adapt it to a popular . Production wrapped up in the post-war period of –, allowing the studio to finalize the anthology format amid recovering resources. Editing prioritized a cohesive 75-minute runtime, sequencing the ten segments to sustain musical variety and narrative flow while accommodating the wartime-originated shorts.

Film segments

The Martins and the Coys

"The Martins and the Coys" is the opening segment of the 1946 Disney anthology film Make Mine Music, presenting a satirical take on the Hatfield-McCoy feud through a family rivalry. The story follows two feuding Appalachian clans, the Martins and the Coys, whose longstanding grudge erupts into chaos when Grandpa Coy is caught stealing chickens from the Martin henhouse, sparking a massive shootout that decimates both families. Narrated and sung by the vocal group The King's Men in the style of a rustic , the segment parodies the narrative as the sole survivors—a young Martin girl named Grace and a young Coy boy named Henry—fall in love amid the carnage, only for the vengeful ghosts of their kin to rise and pursue them to a cliff's edge. In a comedic apocalypse, the lovers to safety in the water below while the spectral horde tumbles after them, shattering upon impact and ending the feud forever. The animation features highly caricatured human characters with exaggerated, over-the-top depictions of violence, including rapid-fire gunplay and mayhem, all set against a backdrop of folksy, banjo-driven music that underscores the segment's humorous tone. Directed by and titled as "A Rustic ," it employs a looser, more irreverent style reminiscent of contemporary rival studios, emphasizing dynamic action sequences and humor to poke fun at rural . This approach serves as a lighthearted, energetic opener for the , blending musical storytelling with visual comedy to hook audiences early. Running approximately 8 minutes, the segment was later censored from U.S. releases starting with the 2000 DVD edition due to its portrayals of , rendering it unavailable in standard domestic versions of the film. Despite the deliberate cartoonish nature of the violence, concerns over its intensity led to its exclusion, though it remains intact in some international releases and standalone reissues from 1954.

Blue Bayou

"Blue Bayou" is a tone poem segment in Make Mine Music that depicts a pair of egrets gliding gracefully through the misty bayous at twilight, capturing a serene and melancholic atmosphere of natural beauty and quiet introspection. The visuals evoke the tranquility of the nocturnal , with the birds' fluid movements symbolizing a dreamy, ethereal journey amid shimmering waters and lush foliage, free of dialogue or plot-driven action. The segment's music features the Ken Darby Chorus performing the original song "," composed by Bobby Worth with lyrics by , which provides a haunting, harmonious backdrop that enhances the mood of wistful longing. This animation originated as a planned sequence for Disney's 1940 film Fantasia, intended to accompany Claude Debussy's "Clair de Lune" from , but it was fully animated, recorded, and then cut from the final version to reduce the film's overall length. The repurposed footage was rescored with "" for Make Mine Music, transforming the impressionistic classical piece into a more accessible popular song adaptation. Artistically, the segment employs soft, naturalistic techniques to convey nocturnal serenity, with flowing lines and subtle color gradients that mimic the gentle sway of life and the egrets' poised elegance. As one of the few purely visual, non-narrative entries in the , it runs approximately seven minutes and stands out for its poetic emphasis on atmospheric immersion over storytelling.

All the Cats Join In

"All the Cats Join In" depicts a lively group of teenagers gathering at a local malt shop, where they dance, flirt, and revel in the exuberant spirit of the swing era through stylized animation that emphasizes their youthful energy and social interactions. The sequence opens with an animated pencil sketching the characters and scenes in real time, starting in black-and-white line drawings that gradually fill with vibrant colors as the action unfolds, creating a dynamic, improvisational feel akin to live jazz performance. This innovative technique highlights the spontaneity of 1940s teen culture, with jitterbugging couples and playful flirtations evoking the post-World War II optimism and freedom among American youth. The segment is set to the upbeat jazz tune "All the Cats Join In," performed by and his Orchestra, which drives the rhythmic of dancers crowding the and spilling into the streets. Running approximately 5 minutes, it stands out for its minimalist yet fluid style, blending surreal elements like the drawing pencil with realistic portrayals of antics, earning praise for pioneering overt authorial intervention in that predates later experimental techniques. However, the segment faced editing controversies in its U.S. and releases, where brief instances of implied —such as a teenage girl's slip briefly slipping during a scene—were removed to align with contemporary standards, altering the original's candid glimpse into flirtatious . These cuts reflect the era's shifting social norms around depictions of in post-war media, toning down elements that captured the era's relaxed yet provocative vibes.

Without You

"Without You" is the fourth segment in Make Mine Music, subtitled "A Ballad in Blue," and presents an abstract, impressionistic depiction of romantic longing and separation during wartime. The visuals evoke a sailor's yearning for his distant love through a series of moody, symbolic scenes: a girl swinging alone in a park, another walking through rain where petals fall like tears, a figure gazing sorrowfully from a window in a darkened room, and a shadowy sailor standing on the deck of a ship amid stormy seas. These elements collectively illustrate themes of loneliness and lost love, synchronized to the melancholic melody without a linear narrative. The segment features the song "Without You," an English-language adaptation of the Cuban "Tres Palabras" composed by in 1941, with by that infuse it with sentimental wartime resonance. Released as a single in 1946, the track captures the era's emotional undercurrents of separation due to , aligning with broader motifs in the film's production. Animation in "Without You" employs a minimalist style, relying on evocative silhouettes, fluid color transitions in cool blue hues, and subtle effects like rippling rain and drifting petals to convey heartbreak and . This approach prioritizes emotional atmosphere over detailed character development, using shadowy forms and somber landscapes to mirror the ballad's introspective tone. At roughly two minutes in length, it stands as the film's shortest segment, functioning as a poignant interlude that heightens the anthology's emotional variety.

Casey at the Bat

"Casey at the Bat" is an animated segment in the 1946 Disney anthology film Make Mine Music, adapting Thayer's 1888 poem of the same name. The story unfolds in the town of Mudville in 1902, where the local team, the Mudville Nine, faces a pivotal ninth-inning crisis with two runners on base and the team trailing by two runs. The arrogant star batter, , steps up to the plate amid the roaring crowd; he disdainfully lets the first pitch go by for a strike, ignores the second while reading a for another strike, and dramatically swings and misses the final pitch, and dooming his team to defeat. The segment concludes with the iconic line, "there is no joy in Mudville— has struck out," emphasizing the tragicomic downfall of overconfidence in sports. The segment features bombastic narration by comedian Jerry Colonna, who delivers the poem's text with theatrical flair and humorous asides, accompanied by an orchestral score that builds tension through dramatic swells during the at-bats and swells of despair at the end. Colonna's energetic, vaudeville-style recitation heightens the comedic tone, turning the recitation into a lively performance rather than a straightforward reading. The music, composed specifically for the adaptation, underscores the poem's rhythm without overpowering the spoken words, creating a of anticipation and letdown synchronized to the action. Visually, the animation showcases Disney's classic 2D style with exaggerated character designs: Casey is depicted as a cocky, lanky figure reminiscent of a "Sinatra of ," complete with a pompadour and smug expressions, while the crowd reacts with wildly caricatured enthusiasm—cheering fans wave hats, collapse in agony, or faint in exaggerated dismay. The setting includes a humorous , with a sign announcing the opponents as the Burbank team, nodding to the location of Studios. This segment stands out in the Disney canon for its rare focus on , blending humor with dynamic sports to capture the poem's dramatic irony through over-the-top and fluid crowd movements. Running approximately 10 minutes, "Casey at the Bat" is the longest non-opera segment in Make Mine Music and proved popular enough to inspire a 1954 sequel short, Casey Bats Again, in which Casey's daughters form a team to redeem his legacy.

Two Silhouettes

"Two Silhouettes" is a ballade segment in Make Mine Music that depicts a stylized between two silhouetted lovers, symbolizing romance and unity, accompanied by two cherubic putti figures. The animation portrays the dancers in elegant, flowing movements against abstract, fantastical backgrounds, blending the grace of with imaginative elements. This 4-minute sequence shifts the film's tone to one of elegant, dance-driven romance, contrasting with more humorous segments like "." The segment is set to the original song "Two Silhouettes," composed by Charles Wolcott with lyrics by , featuring a romantic and melodic tune performed by singer . Shore's vocal delivery provides a soothing, backdrop that enhances the lovers' , emphasizing themes of harmony through its lyrical flow. Animation for "Two Silhouettes" employs , a technique where live-action footage of performances is traced frame by frame to create fluid motion. The primary performers captured for this process were the real-life married ballerinas David Lichine and Tatiana Riabouchinska, whose silhouettes form the central figures in black-and-white outlines accented by colorful, animated environments. This integration of traced live-action with abstract fantasy elements creates a unique visual poetry, highlighting the segment's homage to .

Peter and the Wolf

"" is an animated segment in Make Mine Music that serves as Disney's first full adaptation of Sergei Prokofiev's 1936 symphonic fairy tale for children, featuring narration by and running approximately 14 minutes. The music, originally composed to introduce young audiences to orchestral instruments through distinct leitmotifs, was recorded under the direction of in 1941 after Disney acquired the rights from Prokofiev. Holloway's gentle, storytelling narration guides viewers through the fable, emphasizing the musical themes associated with each character to enhance thematic clarity. In the story, a young boy named Peter ventures beyond his garden into a despite warnings from his Grandfather, accompanied by his animal friends: a named Sascha, a named Sonia, and a named . When a menacing appears and swallows the duck, Peter devises a clever plan using a rope to the wolf's tail, enlisting the bird to distract it while the cat hides nearby. With the help of arriving hunters, Peter triumphs over the wolf through ingenuity rather than brute strength, parading the captured beast back home in a celebratory procession. The animation visually reinforces the musical structure by linking each character to a specific instrument, creating a multisensory experience: Peter is represented by the buoyant strings of a , the by the light , the duck by the quacking , the cat by the sly , Grandfather by the gruff , the by ominous French horns, and the hunters by rhythmic kettledrums and woodwinds. This approach, realized in classic style with fluid character movements and expressive backgrounds, transforms Prokofiev's composition into a vibrant fable that highlights the personalities and actions through synchronized visuals and sound. Designed primarily for children, the segment uses the and to educate on orchestral families while imparting a that and prevail over force. By tying character traits to musical motifs, it fosters an engaging introduction to , making complex concepts accessible and memorable for young viewers.

After You've Gone

"After You've Gone" is a brief animated segment in Make Mine Music that showcases anthropomorphic musical instruments engaging in a lively , with no overarching narrative beyond their rhythmic interplay. The instruments, representing the members of the Quartet—clarinet, , bass, and drums—come alive through playful animations, dancing and swirling in surreal patterns across abstract skies and seas. The segment is set to an instrumental jazz performance of "After You've Gone," a 1918 tune by Henry Creamer and Turner Layton, rendered at a lightning-fast tempo by Benny Goodman's quartet featuring on piano, Sid Weiss on bass, and on drums. This pure jazz track, devoid of vocals, drives the visuals with syncopated energy, emphasizing the clarinet's lead through dynamic, shape-shifting movements. Directed by with effects animation by Josh Meador, the sequence employs semi-abstract stylization reminiscent of Disney's experimental works, where instruments morph and interact in whimsical, non-literal fashion to highlight rhythmic over . Clocking in at around two and a half minutes, it functions as a transitional interlude, contrasting the preceding classical narrative of "" with abstract experimentation.

Johnny Fedora and Alice Bluebonnet

"Johnny Fedora and Alice Bluebonnet" is a whimsical romance segment in Make Mine Music, depicting the love story of two sentient hats: a dashing named and a delicate named Alice. The pair meet and fall in while on display in a window, serenading each other with dreams of a shared future. However, they are soon separated when sold to different owners—Johnny to a carefree and Alice to a glamorous —leading Johnny on a determined quest across to reunite with his beloved. Through a series of adventures, including stints in a pawn shop and a lively where Alice adorns a singer's head, Johnny takes up to win her back. The story culminates happily as the reunited hats find their way to a ranch, adorning a pair of horses in eternal companionship. The narrative unfolds entirely through song, featuring the titular tune "Johnny Fedora and Alice Bluebonnet," composed by with lyrics by and performed by in their signature harmonious, upbeat style blending swing and light country rhythms. The Andrews Sisters' lively vocals drive the plot, narrating the hats' emotional journey with infectious energy and charm, emphasizing themes of perseverance and true . This musical approach creates a seamless integration of story and , making the segment a standout example of Disney's wartime-era experimentation with in . The animation emphasizes a fantastical, object-centric world, with fluid cityscapes, bustling nightlife scenes, and imaginative transformations that highlight the hats' personalities and plights. Disney animators employ clever to imbue the hats with expressive faces, agile movements, and relatable emotions, turning simple accessories into endearing protagonists without relying on characters. This technique not only fosters but also showcases the studio's technical prowess in character design and background artistry during the . The segment's charm lies in its lighthearted fantasy, contrasting the more abstract pieces in the film by returning to a character-driven tale. Notably, "Johnny Fedora and Alice Bluebonnet" was extracted and re-released as a standalone theatrical short on May 21, 1954, with a runtime of approximately 7 minutes, allowing it to enjoy a second life independent of the anthology feature. This reissue underscores the segment's enduring appeal and Disney's strategy to repurpose popular elements from package films for broader distribution.

The Whale Who Wanted to Sing at the Met

"The Whale Who Wanted to Sing at the Met" is the final segment of Make Mine Music, serving as an operatic tale narrated and voiced entirely by . It follows Willie, a with extraordinary singing abilities, who dreams of performing at the House in New York. Willie entertains other sea creatures with his multifaceted voice—capable of , , and bass registers—while rumors spread among humans that he has swallowed an singer, leading Tetti-Tatti to hunt him down. Despite Willie's hopeful audition via a seashell telephone, Tetti-Tatti harpoons him, tragically ending his life on , though his spirit ascends to sing eternally in heaven. The segment's original score was composed by , incorporating a blend of folk tunes and operatic to underscore Willie's talent and the story's pathos. Key musical elements include a rendition of the traditional American folk song "," followed by operatic excerpts such as "" from Rossini's (Italian), the sextet from Donizetti's (Italian), selections from Wagner's (German), an from Gounod's (French), and "Mag der Himmel euch vergehn" from Flotow's (German). These pieces, performed in their original languages alongside English narration, highlight Willie's versatility and culminate in a heavenly chorus representing his posthumous performance. Nelson Eddy's performance is notable for employing a new multi-track recording technique to layer , , , bass, and choral voices simultaneously, voicing not only Willie but also secondary characters like critics and an auctioneer. Animation in the segment features whimsical underwater sequences depicting Willie's daily life and rehearsals with his friend Whitey the worm, contrasted with imaginative montages of his fantasized career on grand stages. The visuals employ lush, colorful oceanic environments and sight gags emphasizing Willie's massive scale, such as his voice booming through ships. The bittersweet finale transitions to ethereal heavenly scenes, where Willie's spirit joins a chorus of angels in a triumphant, multi-voiced , providing an emotional climax to the . Running approximately 12 minutes, this segment stands out for its tragic narrative arc and Eddy's multifaceted vocal contributions, marking it as the film's emotional capstone.

Cast and music

Voice cast

The voice cast of Make Mine Music consisted primarily of prominent radio and recording artists of the , who provided , vocals, and musical performances without appearing on screen, bridging the worlds of live and . These performers contributed to the film's format by lending their distinctive styles to individual segments, enhancing the musical variety through operatic, , swing, and folk interpretations.
PerformerRole/Segment(s)
Nelson EddyNarrator and all character voices ("The Whale Who Wanted to Sing at the Met"), showcasing his operatic baritone range in multiple roles including Willie the Whale, the Metropolitan Opera chorus, and solo arias.
Dinah ShoreSinger ("Two Silhouettes")
Benny GoodmanBandleader and clarinetist ("All the Cats Join In" and "After You've Gone")
The Andrews Sisters (Laverne, Maxene, and Patty Andrews)Vocal group ("Johnny Fedora and Alice Bluebonnet")
Jerry ColonnaNarrator ("Casey at the Bat")
Sterling HollowayNarrator ("Peter and the Wolf")
Andy RussellSinger ("Without You")
The King's MenNarrators and singers ("The Martins and the Coys")
Nelson Eddy's multifaceted performance in the finale segment highlighted his versatility as a radio and , voicing an entire operatic ensemble to comedic effect. Shore's smooth vocal delivery complemented the rotoscoped ballet in "Two Silhouettes," where dancers David Lichine and Tania Riabouchinska provided the live-action basis for the silhouetted figures, their movements traced frame-by-frame for the animation. Benny Goodman's contributions infused two segments with authentic swing energy, drawing from his renowned sound popularized on radio broadcasts. The Andrews Sisters brought their harmonious close-singing style, familiar from wartime radio hits, to the whimsical hat narrative. Jerry Colonna's bombastic narration added humorous flair to the poem, while Sterling Holloway's gentle, whimsical tone suited the fairy-tale adaptation. Andy Russell's crooning enhanced the melancholic piano visuals, and The King's Men delivered a folksy, rhythmic retelling of a in hillbilly dialect.

Soundtrack

The soundtrack for Make Mine Music encompasses ten segments set to musical compositions that blend jazz, classical, and pop styles, reflecting the film's anthology structure. Core tracks include the swing jazz piece "All the Cats Join In," composed by Eddie Sauter, Ray Gilbert, and Alec Wilder and performed by Benny Goodman and His Orchestra; the classical opus "Peter and the Wolf" by Sergei Prokofiev, narrated by Sterling Holloway with the Ken Darby Chorus and Orchestra; and the melancholic "Blue Bayou," written by Ray Gilbert and Bobby Worth and sung by the Ken Darby Singers. The original title song, "Make Mine Music," composed by Ken Darby and Eliot Daniel, opens the film with vocals by the Disney Studio Chorus. Other notable selections feature pop and folk elements, such as "Without You" by Osvaldo Farres and Ray Gilbert, performed by Andy Russell, and the Andrews Sisters' rendition of "Johnny Fedora and Alice Bluebonnet" by Allie Wrubel and Ray Gilbert. Several segments emphasize instrumental arrangements, including the lively "After You've Gone" (music by Turner Layton, lyrics by Henry Creamer), played by and His Orchestra, which underscores a dance sequence. The score was overseen by music director Charles Wolcott, with associates Ken Darby, , and Edward Plumb contributing arrangements and compositions across the segments. Licensing classical repertoire proved challenging; for instance, rights to selections from Leoncavallo's were unavailable for "The Whale Who Wanted to Sing at the Met," prompting to compose an original substitute , while Prokofiev's work required careful adaptation to fit the animated narrative. Album releases of the soundtrack began with promotional efforts in 1946, including a non-commercial three-disc 78 RPM set recorded by and distributed to radio stations, containing six tracks such as "All the Cats Join In," "Blue Bayou" (sung by Hal Derwin), and "Without You" (sung by Anita Boyer), backed by Charles Wolcott and His Orchestra. issued a separate multi-disc 78 RPM album for the "The Whale Who Wanted to Sing at the Met" segment, featuring Eddy's narration and operatic vocals alongside orchestra performances of adapted arias from works like Rossini's and Gounod's . No comprehensive long-playing record of all tracks appeared in 1946, though individual singles by artists like on captured popular songs such as "Johnny Fedora and Alice Bluebonnet." No comprehensive soundtrack album has been released since 1946.

Release

Theatrical release

Make Mine Music premiered in on April 20, 1946, before its wide release across the on August 15, 1946, distributed by RKO Radio Pictures. The film, an of ten animated musical segments, runs for a total of 75 minutes and was presented as a postwar return to Disney's imaginative storytelling through music. Internationally, the film debuted in Europe at the , competing in the feature films category and earning the Grand Prix International du dessin animé for its innovative animated sequences. Following the initial release, select segments were reissued as standalone theatrical shorts by RKO, including "Johnny Fedora and Alice Bluebonnet" on May 21, 1954, which highlighted a whimsical romance narrated by . Additionally, a sequel to the "Casey at the Bat" segment, titled Casey Bats Again, premiered on June 18, 1954, extending the baseball-themed narrative with an all-girl team led by Casey's daughters. Marketing for the film positioned it as a vibrant musical variety program, with trailers showcasing energetic performances by stars like and his orchestra in segments such as "All the Cats Join In" and "After You've Gone," appealing to audiences with its blend of , pop, and classical influences.

Home media

The first home video release of Make Mine Music occurred in on on October 21, 1985, presented in its uncut form including all original segments. In the United States, the film debuted on and DVD on June 6, 2000, as part of the Gold Classic Collection, but this edition omitted the "The Martins and the Coys" segment due to concerns over its violent content. Subsequent releases maintained similar edits. A DVD in the followed on July 15, 2013, running approximately 75 minutes to align with the theatrical length, though it retained some frame-specific alterations from earlier versions. The film's 2021 Blu-ray edition, exclusive to the Disney Movie Club and released on November 2, 2021, was promoted as including all segments but preserved prior edits, such as toned-down violence in "The Martins and the Coys," without a fully restored uncut master. Notably, no official Region 4 DVD has been issued in , limiting physical availability there to earlier tapes from 1987. As of 2025, Make Mine Music remains unavailable on Disney+, the primary streaming platform for Disney animated features, primarily due to ongoing content sensitivity issues related to and other elements in certain segments. Access is thus restricted to rare imported physical copies, such as the 1985 Japanese LaserDisc, or unofficial clips on platforms like . Debates persist among collectors and preservationists regarding the need for a complete, uncut restoration, as no such edition has been produced for modern home viewing, and comprehensive sales figures for these limited releases are not publicly available, likely constrained by the and scarcity.

Reception

Box office performance

Make Mine Music premiered in New York City on April 20, 1946. The film ultimately generated $2.085 million in U.S. and rentals, contributing to worldwide rentals of $3.275 million by 1951. Produced on a budget of $1.35 million, it proved profitable for Productions, helping to stabilize the studio's finances during the post-World War II recovery period. The film's performance benefited from the post-war cinema boom, as audiences returned to theaters in large numbers following the conflict's end, boosting attendance and ticket sales across Hollywood. However, it underperformed relative to earlier Disney features like Fantasia (1940), which had set high expectations for animated musicals but faced its own distribution challenges during wartime. The anthology package format of Make Mine Music allowed for lower production risks and easier reissues of individual segments, aiding cost recoupment over time. This financial outcome also supported the ongoing partnership between Disney and distributor RKO Radio Pictures, providing steady revenue streams that reinforced their collaboration amid the studio's transitional phase from wartime shorts to peacetime features.

Critical reception

Upon its release in 1946, Make Mine Music received generally positive but mixed reviews from contemporary critics, who appreciated its inventive animation synced to while noting variations in quality across its format. Variety described the film as a "75-minute Walt Disney treat" that provided consistent entertainment, particularly praising the clever visualization in segments like "Peter and the Wolf," where rich hues and new character designs enhanced the musical storytelling. Similarly, Bosley Crowther of The New York Times highlighted the film's "dynamic color and rhythm," calling it a "rich stimulant of sensuous rhythm" in sequences such as the abstraction set to Benny Goodman's "After You've Gone," where musical notes flew through a multi-hued atmosphere. Critics often singled out specific segments for acclaim, with "Peter and the Wolf" and "The Whale Who Wanted to Sing at the Met" emerging as highlights for their emotional depth and imaginative execution. In The New York Times review, Crowther described "Peter and the Wolf" as a lengthy little whimsey likely to delight children, though just a bit sticky for adults due to the slinking wolf, adding dramatic flair to Prokofiev's score. Variety echoed praise for the segment's "fine new Disney characters" and warmly dramatic tone, while calling the finale with Nelson Eddy's multi-voiced whale performance an "imaginative" and crowd-pleasing capstone that wowed animated audiences. Aggregate scores reflect this divided response, with reporting a 58% approval rating based on 12 reviews and an average score of 6.5/10, underscoring the film's appeal as a musical despite its patchwork structure. Common critiques focused on the inconsistent tone across segments, with some reviewers viewing it as a post-World War II "filler" effort pieced together from leftover ideas to quickly generate revenue during the studio's lean years. Crowther captured this unevenness by likening the film to a "basket of assorted —vivid, motley, ornamental and just-a-bit questionable in spots," where delightful pieces coexisted with "ponderous and dull" ones. As Disney's first major feature after the war, it faced expectations for a return to pre-war masterpieces, leading some to see its variety as disjointed rather than cohesive.

Legacy

Make Mine Music played a pivotal role in the development of Disney's anthology format, directly influencing the structure of subsequent package films such as (1948), which adopted a similar collection of musical shorts set to contemporary and folk tunes. Segments like "" have endured as educational tools, frequently incorporated into school curricula to teach children about and through . The film's innovative use of "ghost stars"—celebrity voices without on-screen appearances—reflected wartime resource constraints at , where many animators were drafted, leading to shorter, cost-effective productions that marked a transitional phase in history. In the 2020s, the film has sparked discussions regarding its availability on streaming platforms, with Make Mine Music notably absent from Disney+ as the sole Disney animated canon entry not offered, largely due to concerns over outdated stereotypical content in segments like " and the Coys." Fan-led campaigns have emerged calling for uncut releases, including petitions urging Disney to include the full version on Disney+ and in high-definition home media formats. Restoration efforts remain incomplete, as no fully uncut digital or Blu-ray version has been released as of 2025, with the 2021 Disney Movie Club Blu-ray retaining edits from prior VHS and DVD editions. While the film is examined in animation scholarship for its incorporation of unused concepts from earlier projects, such as recycled footage originally intended for Fantasia, broader analyses highlight gaps in preserving its original wartime vision. The film's legacy is reflected in its mixed modern reevaluation, earning a 58% approval rating on based on 12 reviews, underscoring its historical significance amid critiques of uneven execution.

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