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Title: The Reluctant Dragon (1941)
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Edit
Cast
| Cast overview, first billed only: | |||
| Robert Benchley | ... | Robert Benchley | |
| Frances Gifford | ... | Doris (Studio Artist) | |
 |
Buddy Pepper | ... | Humphrey (Studio Guide) |
| Nana Bryant | ... | Mrs. Benchley | |
| Claud Allister | ... | Sir Giles (segment "The Reluctant Dragon") (voice) | |
| Barnett Parker | ... | The Dragon (segment "The Reluctant Dragon") (voice) | |
| Billy Lee | ... | The Boy (segment "The Reluctant Dragon") (voice) | |
|
|
Florence Gill | ... | Florence Gill / Clara Cluck |
|
|
Clarence Nash | ... | Clarence Nash / Donald Duck |
|
|
Norman Ferguson | ... | Norm Ferguson (as Norm Ferguson) |
| Ward Kimball | ... | Ward Kimball | |
|
|
Jim Luske | ... | Jimmy - Baby Weems Model (as Jimmy Luske) |
| Alan Ladd | ... | Al - Baby Weems Storyboard Artist | |
|
|
Truman Woodworth | ... | Truman Woodworth |
|
|
Hamilton MacFadden | ... | Hamilton MacFadden (as Hamilton Mac Fadden) |
Edit
Plot Summary
|
Plot Synopsis
Storyline
Humorist Robert Benchley attempts to find Walt Disney to ask him to adapt a short story about a gentle dragon who would rather recite poetry than be ferocious. Along the way, he is given a tour of Walt Disney Studios, and learns about the animation process. Written by Anonymous
Taglines:
The big feature show with a thousand surprises! See more »Parents Guide:
Add content advisory for parents »
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See more on IMDbPro »
See full technical specs »
Details
Country:
USALanguage:
EnglishRelease Date:
20 June 1941 (USA) See more »Also Known As:
A Day at Disneys See more »Filming Locations:
Walt Disney Studios, 500 South Buena Vista Street, Burbank, California, USAEdit
Box Office
Gross USA:
$872,000Company Credits
Show more on
IMDbPro »
Technical Specs
Runtime:
Sound Mix:
Mono (RCA Sound System)Aspect Ratio:
1.37 : 1
Edit
Mrs. Benchley: [Reading] "So they set off up the hill, arm in arm, the knight, the dragon, and the boy. The lights in the little village began to go out one by one."
[Is interrupted by a toy rifle going off]
Mrs. Benchley: "But there were stars and a late moon as they climbed the downs together."
[Toy rifle again]
Mrs. Benchley: Robert, please.
[Pan to Robert Benchley lying on a raft in the pool, with the toy rifle]
Robert Benchley: Go on, I can hear in any position.
[Shoots a dart at a duck decoy in the pool]
Mrs. Benchley: [Continues reading] "And as they ...
[...]
See more »
Music by Charles Wolcott
Lyrics by T. Hee and Erdman Penner (as Ed Penner)
See more »
Did You Know?
Trivia
Maquettes in the model department include Jiminy Cricket and the drunk cuckoo clock from Pinocchio (1940), characters from Fantasia (1940) including Chernabog, a black centaurette that Robert Benchley takes with him, and the Knight from The Reluctant Dragon (1941). See more »Quotes
[first lines]Mrs. Benchley: [Reading] "So they set off up the hill, arm in arm, the knight, the dragon, and the boy. The lights in the little village began to go out one by one."
[Is interrupted by a toy rifle going off]
Mrs. Benchley: "But there were stars and a late moon as they climbed the downs together."
[Toy rifle again]
Mrs. Benchley: Robert, please.
[Pan to Robert Benchley lying on a raft in the pool, with the toy rifle]
Robert Benchley: Go on, I can hear in any position.
[Shoots a dart at a duck decoy in the pool]
Mrs. Benchley: [Continues reading] "And as they ...
[...]
See more »
Crazy Credits
The animation credits include caricatures and signatures of the crew. See more »Alternate Versions
Typically releases of this film have the sequences How to Ride A Horse and the title featurette as separate films with the live action footage excised. See more »Soundtracks
The Reluctant DragonMusic by Charles Wolcott
Lyrics by T. Hee and Erdman Penner (as Ed Penner)
See more »
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The film stars Robert Benchley as a man whose wife encourages him to pitch an idea to Walt Disney about adapting a children's book into a movie. So Benchley goes to the Disney Studios, where he wanders around and gets a behind-the-scenes look at the animation process. He's treated to a brief bit of Donald Duck, Bambi, and the storyboarding of a cartoon in production called Baby Weems. He also gets to watch a new Goofy cartoon, How to Ride a Horse. Then he meets Walt Disney and gets to see a 20-minute cartoon based on the book Benchley wanted to be adapted, The Reluctant Dragon.
The first 20 minutes or so of the live-action part of the movie is in black & white then it changes to beautiful Technicolor. It's a nice time capsule that shows us the goings-on at the Disney Studios back in the day and how they made cartoons. I found a lot of this fascinating. I absolutely loved the "paint mill" part! Robert Benchley is always funny. Walt Disney himself appears (wearing a groovy suit). Alan Ladd, Frances Gifford, and Frank Faylen all play Disney employees. The two major cartoons are the Goofy short and The Reluctant Dragon itself. The Goofy short is amusing.
The Dragon cartoon, which is I imagine why most people went to see this, is about a boy who befriends a shy, poetry-spouting dragon that doesn't like to fight. Well, for some reason, the boy is intent on getting the dragon to fight elderly knight, Sir Giles. Even after Sir Giles and the dragon meet and realize they both have a love of poetry in common, the boy still pushes for the fight. Finally the fight takes place, sort of, with Sir Giles and the dragon putting on a show for the villagers. I have to admit I didn't get the point of most of this. Why was the boy so intent on getting the dragon, whom he seemed to genuinely like, to fight? Once Sir Giles proposes the idea of faking the fight, he seems okay with it. So what was the point of pushing for the fight in the first place? Just let the dragon be! I know I'm probably looking too closely at it but it just seemed weird to me. Anyway, it's easy to see why this story wasn't enough for its own feature. It's animated nicely and has a sweet charm and humor about it, but the story needed reworking for sure. The dragon is impossible to dislike. Love his "Ode to Upside-Down Cake."
This movie was a flop at the time of its release, which is understandable. It was a very different kind of movie for Disney. Still, it's a joy to watch if you like little glimpses back in time as well as great old Technicolor and some nice cartoons. There are no hidden Pinocchios here or anything but they are pleasant with lovely animation. Robert Benchley is great fun. This probably isn't for everybody, and will especially turn off people expecting it to be a feature-length cartoon, but I liked it.