Disney's Reluctant Dragon...? (1 Viewer)

[bob kaplan]

Wondering if anyone has any informed speculation on the release of this title....i know very little about it, other that it was once on LaserDisc. If anyone knows of resources where i might get some information on the work itself...it would be appreciated...thanks.
b

 

[Anthony Liz]

Walt Disney Treasures: Behind The Scenes At The Walt Disney Studio: In this collection you'll experience the art of classic animation, discover how your favorite animated films are created, how your favorite characters are brought to life, and you'll rediscover the 1941 feature, "The Reluctant Dragon."

 

[streeter]

cool! BTW, bob, the date on it is December 3.

I wonder if there will be any mention of the enormous labor controversies at the Walt Disney studios around that time. Not to address it would be like eating a bowl of soup with a gigantic fly in it.

 

[Brian Kidd]

Hmm. I wonder if this will have the complete "Reluctant Dragon" animated short or just the live-action stuff that was in the movie? I'd love to have the whole thing as it was originally put together.

 

[Johnny G]

"live-action"?

I have it on VHS & it's a few years since I watched it but I don't remember any live action.

Are all 4 of the next Disney Treasures out Dec 3?

 

[AdamZ]

Where did u get this information on the topic of Walt Disney Treasure

 

[Todd Phillips]

Where did u get this information on the topic of Walt Disney Treasure

There is this Link Removed on Link Removed that mentions these links:
The Complete Goofy
Mickey Mouse in Black and White
Behind the Scenes at the Walt Disney Studio

 

[Colin Jacobson]

"live-action"?

I have it on VHS & it's a few years since I watched it but I don't remember any live action.

Then you don't have the full version of Dragon. The original program mainly concentrates on a tour of the Disney studios taken by writer Robert Benchley. At the time, Disney got a lot of inquiries from people who wanted to know how they made cartoons, and those elements attempted to demonstrate that side of things.

IIRC, Benchley watches parts of the creation of the "Dragon" short, and at the very end, we get to see the finished product. The whole thing runs more than an hour, so if you have something with just the "Dragon" cartoon, you're missing the entire program...

 

[Johnny G]

OK but I'm gonna watch it again to see where the live action might fit.

What happened to Dr Syn Alias The Scarecrow in the next batch of treasures?

 

[Colin Jacobson]

OK but I'm gonna watch it again to see where the live action might fit.

??? If all you have is the animated short called "The Reluctant Dragon", then there's no place for the live-action portions to fit. They took place BEFORE the cartoon aired in the film. Disney could - and did - lift the cartoon from the movie in its entirety, and you'd never know the Benchley sections existed. If all you have is the short itself, you won't learn anything from a rewatching.

You seem to not believe that anything other than the short exists...

 

[Brian Kidd]

I hear that there is some question as to whether or not the original RELUCTANT DRAGON feature can even be reconstructed as it has been edited so many times over the years that no one is absolutely sure what the original edit was like. Any Disneyphiles care to comment?

 

[Colin Jacobson]

I hear that there is some question as to whether or not the original RELUCTANT DRAGON feature can even be reconstructed as it has been edited so many times over the years that no one is absolutely sure what the original edit was like. Any Disneyphiles care to comment?

Since they released it on videotape only a few years back, I can't imagine this would be a problem. Clearly they have it in its original form...

 

[Johnny G]

Thanks Colin,
It wasn't that I didn't believe, I just needed the construction explaining a little clearer, now it's like crystal.

 

[Brian W.]

I just love working in a job where I can verify these things from time to time.

"The Reluctant Dragon" on the Disney Treasures DVD is the full-length version. It runs 1 hour and 13 minutes (not 1:23, as I originally posted -- I can't add), including the full cartoon at the end.

Though this reminded me of something I'd totally forgotten about. I should have known they were working on reissuing the original version, because about a year-and-a-half to two years ago, while I was temping at Walt Disney Studios, some department (probably DVD -- don't remember) called up my department looking for the script to "The Reluctant Dragon."

We sent the script off, but they called back and said, "No, this isn't the right one. There should be a longer script. We need the theatrical version." We looked and looked, but, as I recall, all we had was what was called the TV Version. I remember them telling me, "No, there should be a longer version of the script with live action in it. There should be a guy named Bob Benchley who does a tour of the studio, but they cut his stuff out when they broadcast it on TV."

I remember they were so disappointed we couldn't find it. I don't think we ever did, but I don't know for sure. They may have wanted the script for subtitling or they may have been trying to verify they had the complete version.