The Reluctant Dragon (full feature) on TV!

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The Reluctant Dragon (full feature) on TV!

Post by Ben » August 18th, 2006, 10:05 pm

Hey guys,

Just a heads up that Disney's full 1941 tour of his studio, The Reluctant Dragon, will be showing on the UK's BBC 2 channel this Sunday morning, at 10am:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/bbctwo/listings/pr ... 4_49175_70


The feature was made to address public requests for a tour of the new Hyperion studio and also to convey how Walt Disney cartoons were made. There's tons of footage that eventually became recylced for later documentaries, and this is the only place to see deleted footage from Dumbo (as well as the famous scene where the sound effects guys perform the audio for the storm sequence).

The Reluctant Dragon was released in the Walt Disney Treasures tin "Behind The Scenes At The Walt Disney Studios", but this is a rare chance to see it on TV "for free".

It's fantastic, publicity-fueled fun, ending with the complete featurette version of the short story that host Robert Benchley has been shopping around the studio to show Walt - only for them to catch up at the end and find that the animators have, in fact, just completed the very same picture!

Sunday, 10am, BBC 2. "Hey, I'm in Technicolor!" :)

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Post by Wonderlicious » August 19th, 2006, 5:37 am

I have this on DVD, so I don't need to watch it, but for those who don't have Behind the Scenes at the Walt Disney Studio, this is pretty good. It's not the first time The Reluctant Dragon has been on TV, though. I remember on BBC2 at Easter 2004 they showed this movie one morning, along with The Three Caballeros the following day.
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PETER PAN: Sure I do...but can you [b]fly?[/b][/i]
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Post by Ben » August 19th, 2006, 10:22 am

Even before that, Channel Four did a great two-day showing with introductions by British animation historian Brian Sibley.

They had Reluctant Dragon on the Saturday, and Der Fuehrer's Face/Victory Thru Air Power on the Sunday.

I still have my off-air tapings of these, mainly for the Sibley wraparounds. During this time, C4 also showed a variety of animation documentaries and 1940s films including "Animating Art" on Art Babbit, Saludos Amigos, Fun And Fancy Free (WITH The Martyns And The Coys opening segment), Three Cabelleros, etc.

This was the first time I'd seen many of those as they weren't out on VHS, let alone DVD! Magic times.

I think these are sold as a package to the TV channels, which is why BBC 2 also has Song Of The South on from time to time.


PS: I have the DVD too, but will always catch this delightful movie when it plays! :)

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Post by Wonderlicious » August 19th, 2006, 4:29 pm

When did Channel 4 do that? I bet that it was when I was in the period between 1982 and 1993 (read: before I was born until 1988 and from then on until I began to notice the media in great detail). If only the BBC or Channel 4 could get their mits on an uncut Make Mine Music (Fun and Fancy Free is the package feature with Bongo and Mickey and the Beanstalk, btw) and screen it. Alas, that will probably never happen. And I left Sky, ITV and Channel 5 off the list as they're too low-brow for this kind of stuff. :roll:
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[i]GIRL: Do you know the way to the Magic Kingdom?
PETER PAN: Sure I do...but can you [b]fly?[/b][/i]
-Scary Disney World TV ad circa '71

[b][url=http://www.dvdaficionado.com/dvds.html?cat=1&sub=All&id=big_joe]My DVD List[/url][/b]

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Post by Ben » August 19th, 2006, 7:48 pm

Yep, my mistake. I meant Make Mine Music. They also did show Fun And Fancy Free though...my first exposure to such films that I had only read about until then.

Yes, it was MMM, with The Martyns And The Coys. This was all around the early 1990s. You may be surprised to know that both ITV and Five have been known to get the odd "exclusive" - The Adventures Of Ichabod And Mr Toad has shown quite a few times on ITV, while C5 treated us to Fun And Fancy Free too.

Though I have it all on DVD now, I still have my off-air tapings of all of this. :)

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Post by Ben » August 26th, 2006, 9:05 am

Another heads up that BBC 2 is plundering their 1940s era catalogue again this Sunday for...

"SONG OF THE SOUTH" :)

http://www.bbc.co.uk/bbctwo/listings/pr ... 4_53366_95



Screening this Sunday on BBC 2 at 10am. If this is the same master as I have a copy of then it's a pretty nice remaster from when Disney re-transfered their library for late 1990s syndication.

Funny how we can get this on TV here, but video and TV in the rest of the world is prohibited. Why not just get this out already??

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Post by ShyViolet » August 26th, 2006, 6:22 pm

Maybe it'll come on BBC America (which I'm lucky enough to have.)
You can’t just have your characters announce how they feel! That makes me feel angry!

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Post by Ben » August 26th, 2006, 7:02 pm

We spoke about this before Vi. It's not going to come on BBC America.

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