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IMDbPro

The Reluctant Dragon

  • 19411941
  • ApprovedApproved
  • 1h 14m
IMDb RATING
6.8/10
3.4K
YOUR RATING
POPULARITY
24,983
2,221
Alan Ladd, Walt Disney, Ernie Alexander, Claud Allister, Robert Benchley, Nana Bryant, Frank Churchill, Louise Currie, Lester Dorr, John Dehner, Frank Faylen, Norman Ferguson, Frances Gifford, Florence Gill, Henry Hall, Verna Hillie, Ward Kimball, Leone Le Doux, Billy Lee, Jim Luske, James MacDonald, Hamilton MacFadden, Eddie Marr, Linda Marwood, John McLeish, Gerald Mohr, Fred Moore, Maurice Murphy, Clarence Nash, George Offerman Jr., Barnett Parker, Steve Pendleton, Buddy Pepper, Wolfgang Reitherman, Raymond Severn, Val Stanton, Alfred L. Werker, J. Donald Wilson, Truman Woodworth, Jack Young, and The Staff of the Walt Disney Studio in The Reluctant Dragon (1941)
Humorist Robert Benchley learns about the animation process at Walt Disney Studios while trying to find the great man himself to pitch him the idea of making a cartoon about a shy dragon.
Play trailer1:59
4 Videos
99+ Photos
AnimationComedyFamily
Humorist Robert Benchley learns about the animation process at Walt Disney Studios while trying to find the great man himself to pitch him the idea of making a cartoon about a shy dragon.Humorist Robert Benchley learns about the animation process at Walt Disney Studios while trying to find the great man himself to pitch him the idea of making a cartoon about a shy dragon.Humorist Robert Benchley learns about the animation process at Walt Disney Studios while trying to find the great man himself to pitch him the idea of making a cartoon about a shy dragon.
IMDb RATING
6.8/10
3.4K
YOUR RATING
POPULARITY
24,983
2,221
  • See more at IMDbPro
    • Directors
      • Alfred L. Werker
      • Hamilton Luske(cartoon sequences)
      • Jack Cutting(cartoon sequences)
    • Writers
      • Kenneth Grahame(based on the story by)
      • Ted Sears(screenplay)
      • Al Perkins(screenplay)
    • Stars
      • Robert Benchley
      • Frances Gifford
      • Buddy Pepper
    Top credits
    • Directors
      • Alfred L. Werker
      • Hamilton Luske(cartoon sequences)
      • Jack Cutting(cartoon sequences)
    • Writers
      • Kenneth Grahame(based on the story by)
      • Ted Sears(screenplay)
      • Al Perkins(screenplay)
    • Stars
      • Robert Benchley
      • Frances Gifford
      • Buddy Pepper
  • See production, box office & company info
    • 27User reviews
    • 21Critic reviews

    Videos4

    Trailer
    Trailer 1:59
    Trailer
    Disney Animation Collection: Volume 4-6
    Clip 1:30
    Disney Animation Collection: Volume 4-6
    The Reluctant Dragon
    Clip 1:25
    The Reluctant Dragon
    The Reluctant Dragon
    Clip 1:51
    The Reluctant Dragon

    Photos161

    The Reluctant Dragon (1941)
    The Reluctant Dragon (1941)
    The Reluctant Dragon (1941)
    The Reluctant Dragon (1941)
    The Reluctant Dragon (1941)
    The Reluctant Dragon (1941)
    The Reluctant Dragon (1941)
    The Reluctant Dragon (1941)
    The Reluctant Dragon (1941)
    The Reluctant Dragon (1941)
    The Reluctant Dragon (1941)
    The Reluctant Dragon (1941)

    Top cast

    Edit
    Robert Benchley
    Robert Benchley
    • Robert Benchley
    Frances Gifford
    Frances Gifford
    • Doris (Studio Artist)
    Buddy Pepper
    • Humphrey (Studio Guide)
    Nana Bryant
    Nana Bryant
    • Mrs. Benchley
    Claud Allister
    Claud Allister
    • Sir Giles (segment "The Reluctant Dragon")
    • (voice)
    Barnett Parker
    Barnett Parker
    • The Dragon (segment "The Reluctant Dragon")
    • (voice)
    Billy Lee
    Billy Lee
    • The Boy (segment "The Reluctant Dragon")
    • (voice)
    Florence Gill
    • Florence Gill…
    Clarence Nash
    • Clarence Nash…
    Norman Ferguson
    • Norm Ferguson
    • (as Norm Ferguson)
    Ward Kimball
    Ward Kimball
    • Ward Kimball
    Jim Luske
    • Jimmy - Baby Weems Model
    • (as Jimmy Luske)
    Alan Ladd
    Alan Ladd
    • Al - Baby Weems Storyboard Artist
    Truman Woodworth
    • Truman Woodworth
    Hamilton MacFadden
    Hamilton MacFadden
    • Hamilton MacFadden
    • (as Hamilton Mac Fadden)
    Maurice Murphy
    Maurice Murphy
    • Baby Weems Storyboard Artist
    The Staff of the Walt Disney Studio
    • Staff of the Walt Disney Studios
    Ernie Alexander
    • Baby Weems' Father
    • (voice)
    • (uncredited)
    • Directors
      • Alfred L. Werker
      • Hamilton Luske(cartoon sequences)
      • Jack Cutting(cartoon sequences) (uncredited)
    • Writers
      • Kenneth Grahame(based on the story by)
      • Ted Sears(screenplay)
      • Al Perkins(screenplay)
    • All cast & crew
    • Production, box office & more at IMDbPro

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    Storyline

    Edit

    Did you know

    Edit
    • Trivia
      The Mickey Avenue/Dopey Drive signpost was built specifically for the movie, and was supposed to be removed afterward. It wasn't, and it still stands at the Disney studio.
    • Quotes

      Sir Giles: Radish so red / Radish so red / Plucked from the heart of your warm little bed / Sprinkle some salt on the top of your head /

      [eats radish]

      Sir Giles: Delicious.

    • Crazy credits
      The animation credits include caricatures and signatures of the crew.
    • 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.
    • Connections
      Featured in L'ami public numéro un: L'usine à rêves (1962)
    • Soundtracks
      The Reluctant Dragon
      Music by Charles Wolcott

      Lyrics by T. Hee and Erdman Penner (as Ed Penner)

    User reviews27

    Review
    Top review
    eye-popping look at the Disney process
    This little classic spends just short of an hour touring the Disney Studios in the company of Robert Benchley, the humorist who acts like a big kid in a candy store (and is thus the perfect guide for something like this).

    We see how the cartoons are made, moving from the recording studio - where the real-life voices of Donald Duck and Clara Cluck sing an aria - through to clay models of the characters to be animated - the sound effects dept. (we see the full Casey Junior sequence, some of which ended up in 1941's 'Dumbo') - the scenario department (we see a whole cartoon - Baby Weems - in storyboard format) - the animation department (we see a cartoon feature on riding a horse, and see Donald Duck showing us how he walks) - and much more. There's also a neat segue from black and white to Technicolor.

    'The Reluctant Dragon' is a book which Benchley hopes to pitch to Disney, only to find the film has already been made; the last 20 minutes of this feature is the cartoon about the (rather camp) dragon, and a classic bit of Disney work.

    The whole movie is engrossing and a fantastic overview of the state-of-the-art work being done by the Disney Studios at the beginning of the 40s.
    helpful•11
    2
    • didi-5
    • Apr 8, 2004

    Details

    Edit
    • Release date
      • June 20, 1941 (United States)
    • Country of origin
      • United States
    • Official site
      • Official site
    • Language
      • English
    • Also known as
      • A Day at Disneys
    • Filming locations
      • Walt Disney Studios, 500 South Buena Vista Street, Burbank, California, USA
    • Production company
      • Walt Disney Productions
    • See more company credits at IMDbPro

    Box office

    Edit
    • Gross US & Canada
      • $872,000
    See detailed box office info on IMDbPro

    Technical specs

    Edit
    • Runtime
      1 hour 14 minutes
    • Aspect ratio
      • 1.37 : 1

    Related news

    Contribute to this page

    Suggest an edit or add missing content
    Alan Ladd, Walt Disney, Ernie Alexander, Claud Allister, Robert Benchley, Nana Bryant, Frank Churchill, Louise Currie, Lester Dorr, John Dehner, Frank Faylen, Norman Ferguson, Frances Gifford, Florence Gill, Henry Hall, Verna Hillie, Ward Kimball, Leone Le Doux, Billy Lee, Jim Luske, James MacDonald, Hamilton MacFadden, Eddie Marr, Linda Marwood, John McLeish, Gerald Mohr, Fred Moore, Maurice Murphy, Clarence Nash, George Offerman Jr., Barnett Parker, Steve Pendleton, Buddy Pepper, Wolfgang Reitherman, Raymond Severn, Val Stanton, Alfred L. Werker, J. Donald Wilson, Truman Woodworth, Jack Young, and The Staff of the Walt Disney Studio in The Reluctant Dragon (1941)
    Top Gap
    By what name was The Reluctant Dragon (1941) officially released in India in English?
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