The Milky Way (1940)

The Three Little Kittens tie helium balloons to a basket and travel up to the Milky Way, which is filled with all the milk they can drink.

Director:

Rudolf Ising

Stars:

Bernice Hansen

Won 1 Oscar.

Cast

Uncredited cast:
Bernice Hansen	...	Mama Cat / Three Little Kittens (voice) (uncredited)

Storyline

The three little kittens have lost their mittens and are sent to bed without dinner. From their room, they see the Milky Way and sail up to it, using a basket and helium balloons, passing through some fanciful astronomical bodies, until they reach a Milky Way filled with every conceivable form of milk, including milkweed and Milk of Magnesia.

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Plot Keywords:

milky way | milk | kitten | helium balloon | balloon | 

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Genres:

Comedy | Animation | Fantasy | Short | Musical

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Certificate:

Approved

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

22 June 1940 (USA)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM)

Technical Specs

Runtime:

8 min

Sound Mix:

Mono (Western Electric Sound System)

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Was the first non-Disney cartoon to win an Oscar for Best Short Subject.

User Reviews

A Little Gem of an Animated Film

I had not seen this short before, and it is an overlooked gem. The short is based on the nursery rhyme about the three little kittens who lost their mittens. Their mother sends them to their rooms without dinner. From there, they sail on to the milky way for plenty of milk and other dairy products. Unlike some of cartoons of the era, it is easy to understand the voices of the "characters" and the technicolor hues are still vivid. Walt Disney won the Oscar for Short Subject (Cartoon) for the first eight years it was awarded (1932-39); this cartoon broke his streak and is clearly one of the best cartoons of the era. I saw it on Turner Classic Movies during the annual "31 Days of Oscar" broadcast. Hopefully, it will be distributed on DVD in the near future.