Boy, do I have a treat for you today as we look at a real classic from the Disney Vault, Fun and Fancy Free. This is a compilation release by Disney that first hit theatres in 1947 as a way to save money during the war. The movie was a solid hit for Disney and it features one of my favorite Mickey Mouse shorts!
How to Stream or Download Fun and Fancy Free
You can download or stream the film from a digital platform. Click on the Download button at the end of this review and make your choice. Check out also other animated anthology Disney films – Fantasia, Saludos Amigos, or The Three Caballeros.
The Movie Review
Fun and Fancy Free is made up of two shorts, Jiminy Cricket is our host and introduces our first short, Bongo which is based on a children’s book called, Little Bear Bongo. Bongo is actually a lot of fun and quite cute, but I will admit that I do overlook it as I love the other short that is here so much.
Bongo is a little circus bear that is not happy with the way he is treated. Bongo manages to escape the circus and finds himself in the woods where he must now learn to live on his own. Bongo is a very cute bear and he looks very stylish with that hat, he is a character that I wish Disney made more merch of, I have only ever seen a couple of pins over the years and they were unofficial.
Anyway, Bongo meets a female bear called Lulubelle and he ends up in a rivalry with Lumpjaw for her affections. It is a fun and cute story and one that I feel does not get the love it deserves. Now, the other feature on this set is truly something special and it is actually the last time Walt Disney would voice Mickey Mouse.
Fun & Fancy Free: Fun and Fancy Free
The short I am talking about here is Mickey and the Beanstalk. To be honest with you, Mickey and the Beanstalk is pretty much just the Jack and the Beanstalk story, but with Mickey, Donald, and Goofy. I love this version of this classic tale it is probably my favorite.
Mickey, Donald, and Goofy are living in hard times with no money and no food! Mickey and the Beanstalk has one of the all-time epic Donald Duck freakouts that is hilarious, trust me this is next-level stuff! Anyway, Mickey ends up with the fabled magic beans and before long, they are at the top of the beanstalk in the land of the giants!
Another thing that is awesome about this is that I am sure this is the very first appearance of Willie the Giant who has appeared in other Disney movies/specials over the years such as Mickey’s Christmas Carol. Mickey, Donald, and Goofy end up finding food and a magical harp, but they end up on the run from Willie!
I also want to take a moment here to mention that Disney revisited this story in the Donald and the Beanstalk episode from the fantastic Mickey Mouse Clubhouse series in 2006. I watched this a million times with my son when he was younger and he would always pick that over Mickey and the Beanstalk!
You can get Fun and Fancy Free on DVD and Blu-Ray, but it is part of a double pack with The Adventures of Ichabod and Mr. Toad. While that is a great two-pack, the collector in me wishes that Fun and Fancy Free had its own single release. However, even more, I would love all these old early Disney movies to get a 4K collection at some point!
