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.
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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:
A NEW WORLD OF WALT DISNEY WONDERS! (original print media ad - all caps) See more »Parents Guide:
Add content advisory for parents »
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Edit
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 Friedrich von Flotow
Libretto by Friedrich Wilhelm Riese
See more »
Did You Know?
Trivia
This is the first full-length feature for Disney where the voices are credited. 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
At the end of the opening credits, a title reads: "This picture is made in answer to the many requests to show the backstage life of animated cartoons --P.S. Any resemblance to a regular motion picture is purely coincidental" 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
Excerpts from the opera 'Martha, oder Der Markt von Richmond'" (uncredited)Music by Friedrich von Flotow
Libretto by Friedrich Wilhelm Riese
See more »
Frequently Asked Questions
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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.