This month on Dispodopolis we talk about the Reluctant Dragon, a movie that came out in June of 1941. This movie came out right after the strike against the Disney Studio began. It was Disney's first experimentation with a package film and included live action scenes. The Reluctant Dragon cost $600,000 to make and it didn't make money for the company. Even though it didn’t make money, Disney would go forward with the idea of package films to keep the company afloat during the war.
With the war raging in Europe and with the strike at home, it would have been incredible for this movie to make money. This is also the first year they delivered two feature films with Dumbo following in October of 1941. It obviously was the start of a tend that would follow for years to come.
The Reluctant Dragon is an answer to the many questions that people had about making an animated film. It walks us through the Disney studio and all the different departments that work together to create an animated film. Some of the departments they visit in the film are animation, sound effects, music, and paint and ink. You'll also notice that they are trying to show that the studio has a progressive environment. It is a place where men and women work side by side. Remember this is before the war effort to get women in the workforce. They also make an attempt to show that they hire people from diverse backgrounds. Showing these different cultures is not handled in the most political correct way and I'm pretty sure nobody consulted with anyone outside of the studio or with in it.
We also have a book report by Fiona, that takes a look at the differences between the Reluctant Dragon book and the segment of the movie that is the Reluctant Dragon short. The book report is based on the unabridged version of the book, so there is a lot of fun language that we are not exposed to anymore in our modern world. When this book originally came out, it was thought to use an uneducated commoner language.
To finish off our June episode we open up with a fun conversation about our day to day lives with Disney. From a movie we watched, a local Dole Whip sighting, to the San Antonio Comic Con, and fun summer items found at Walmart.
If you have any comments, questions or fun and fancy free thoughts for us, email us at comments@dispodopolis.com. Our moms still haven't sent any questions in yet, so we are relying on anyone out there to help us. Please enjoy our latest podcast, Dispodopolis.
