The Grasshopper and the Ants (1934)

As in the classic fable, the grasshopper plays his fiddle and lives for the moment, while the industrious ants squirrel away massive amounts of food for the winter. With his song, he's able... See full summary »

Stars:

Pinto Colvig

Cast

Uncredited cast:
Pinto Colvig	...	Grasshopper (voice) (uncredited)

Storyline

As in the classic fable, the grasshopper plays his fiddle and lives for the moment, while the industrious ants squirrel away massive amounts of food for the winter. With his song, he's able to convince at least one small ant until the queen arrives and scares him back to work. The queen warns the grasshopper of the trouble he'll be in, come winter. Winter comes, and the grasshopper, near starvation, stumbles across the ants, who are having a full-on feast in their snug little tree. They take him in and warm him up. The queen tells him only those who work can eat so he must play for them.

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Plot Keywords:

ant | queen | grasshopper | fable | fiddle | 

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Genres:

Family | Comedy | Animation | Musical | Short

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Certificate:

Approved

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

10 February 1934 (USA)

Also Known As:

Die Heuschrecke und die Ameisen

Company Credits

Production Co:

Walt Disney Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

8 min

Sound Mix:

Mono (RCA Sound System)

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

The Grasshopper is voiced by Pinto Colvig, better known as the voice of Goofy. The song "The World Owes Me a Living" was later used as a theme song of sorts for Goofy.

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Quotes

Queen Ant: With ants, only those who work may stay. So take your fiddle.
[the grasshopper starts to leave]
Queen Ant: ... and play!

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Connections

Featured in Ink & Paint Club: Infested Silly Symphonies (1998)

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Soundtracks

"The World Owes Me a Living"
Written by Frank Churchill

User Reviews

10/10

I give this animated short a 10/10. It's just so charming. I guess something about a grasshopper prancing around playing good fiddle music just warms the heart.

Despite the queen's warning, the ants accept the grasshopper out of the cold, showing their kind nature, something we should all strive for. The grasshopper also admits he is wrong, which is another important lesson. And when the queen says, "Now take your fiddle... and play!" that moment is perfect:

"I owe the world a living! I owe the world a living! I've been a fool all year long. Now I'm singing a different song! You were right; I was wrong!"

That just gets me all choked up.

Ya gotta love Disney.