Freeze Frame: Toby Tortoise Returns

Disney animators frequently pay homage to other animators in the Disney animated shorts. Sometimes, major films stars of the day are caricatured or they will use characters from other Disney films. Whether it is strictly for fun or for practice, we might not ever know for sure.

Jeff has a great look at the cameos in Mickey's Polo Team.

The 1936 Silly Symphony Toby Tortoise Returns features several cameos by other Silly Symphony characters.

In the following scene, we see a veritable who's who of the Silly Symphony world: the Big Bad Wolf, Dirty Bill, Jenny Wren, Donald Duck and a very Goofy-like character.

In the next shot, Practical Pig is the time keeper.

We see the return of the Three Bunny Sisters from the Tortoise and the Hare.

Cuckoo, Fifer Pig, Fiddler Pig, Tillie Tiger and Elmer Elephant are part of the audience.

Special thanks to the Encyclopedia of Disney Shorts for help in identifying Dirty Bill, Cuckoo and Jenny Wren!

Disney Animation Collection 4: Tortoise & The Hare May 12, 2009. The fourth volume of the Disney Animation Collection contains the following six animated short films:

• The Tortoise and the Hare
  
• Babes in the Woods
  
• The Goddess of Spring
  
• Toby Tortoise Returns
  
• Paul Bunyan
  
• The Saga of Windwagon Smith
  

What we see in this collection, is a series of Silly Symphonies and two additional films that celebrate folklore and folktales. The first four shorts are based on European tales. Babes in the Woods is a take on Hansel and Gretel and retains most of the storyline. There are a few places where the story diverges, but it still has a very pre-Snow White feel. The Goddess of Spring is the story of Persephone and Hades--the familiar Greek tale of how she becomes the queen of the underworld and why we have spring and fall. There is also a hip jazz number with a modern version of Hades.

Paul Bunyan and The Saga of Windwagon Smith are classic Disney re-tellings of American folklore. The animation is different, since they were produced 20 years later but both are charming and demonstrate how far Disney animation and storytelling has come.

This is a great disc set if you are looking for one of the shorts or you are in the mood for a Disney look at fairy tales and fables. This is a great addition to your collection!