Line #58 WesternAnimation/MelodyTime


1	[[quoteright:301:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/melody_time.png]]
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3	''Melody Time'' is the 10th Entry in the Franchise/DisneyAnimatedCanon, released in [[UsefulNotes/TheGoldenAgeOfAnimation 1948.]]
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5	Unlike most other Disney animated features from before the age of home video, this was never given a theatrical re-release. Sometimes, however, the individual segments were each tacked onto another Disney release. Like ''WesternAnimation/MakeMineMusic'', the movie is a music-based AnimatedAnthology in the style of ''WesternAnimation/{{Fantasia}}''
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7	The film contains 7 shorts:
8	* ''Once Upon a Wintertime'' features a couple who go out skating in the wintertime. A small spat leads to trouble when thin ice gets involved.
9	* ''Bumble Boogie'' is an unused ''WesternAnimation/{{Fantasia}}'' short that follows the adventures of a small bumble bee set to a jazz rendition of the classic Rimsky-Korsakov piece, ''Flight of the Bumblebee''.
10	* ''The Legend of UsefulNotes/JohnnyAppleseed'' is an adaptation of the fictionalized account of the story of John Chapman, the pioneer who planted apple trees across the country, told and sung by Dennis Day.
11	* ''Little Toot'', based on the book by former Disney artist Hardie Gramatky, is the story of a small tugboat who wants to be just like his father, but always seems to cause trouble. Told and sung by The Andrews Sisters.
12	* ''Trees'' is a song-version of the famous Joyce Kilmer poem, with visuals to match.
13	* ''Blame It On the Samba'' is based on an idea created during the trip to South America that created ''WesternAnimation/SaludosAmigos''. WesternAnimation/DonaldDuck and his friend Joe Carioca are [[ColorCodedForYourConvenience literally blue]], when the Aracuan bird (from ''WesternAnimation/TheThreeCaballeros'') invites them into the ''Café do Samba'', where he uses the rhythm of the samba to perk up the duo and restore their colour. Once their moods have been perked up, the Aracuan mixes the two into a cocktail, and generally starts messing around with the two.
14	* ''Pecos Bill'' is an adaptation of the story of the legendary cowboy who was raised by coyotes. Told by Roy Rogers and the Sons of the Pioneers to Disney child-stars Luana Patten and Creator/BobbyDriscoll by a campfire.
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16	----
17	!!'''Tropes used in this film:'''
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19	* ActionGirl: Slue-foot Sue from the Pecos Bill segment, who can ride a giant catfish standing up. It's her danger-loving nature along with a bouncing bustle that [[spoiler: leads to her demise in the end, when she insists on riding the angry Widowmaker]].
20	* ActuallyPrettyFunny: Despite being mad at him, the lady rabbit can't help but giggle at the guy rabbit kicking their hearts etched in the log and [[AgonyOfTheFeet clutching at his foot in pain afterward]].
21	* AllAnimalsAreDogs: The mountain lion in ''Johnny Appleseed''.
22	* BittersweetEnding: [[spoiler:Johnny Appleseed dies, and is heartbroken at leaving his animal friends behind. His guardian angel, however, says that he did a lot of good on Earth and on heaven he can keep planting apples]].
23	* {{Bowdlerise}}: The original American VHS and DVD releases edited the Pecos Bill scene. They cut a scene of Bill rolling a smoke and lighting it with a lightning bolt while riding a tornado and digitally removed all other shots of the offending cigarette hanging from his lips. The cigarette was edited out in each case resulting in the removal of almost the entire tornado sequence and some odd hand and mouth movements for Bill throughout. They left in a [[ValuesDissonance quite racist]] scene of Bill terrorizing a group of HollywoodNatives, however. Creator/DisneyPlus and the Disney Movie Club-exclusive Blu-ray restored all the tobacco use to the film, as did the Japanese Laserdisc and the DVD release in England.
24	* BrokenAce: [[spoiler: Pecos Bill becomes this after losing Slue-foot Sue.]]
25	* CharlesAtlasSuperpower: Pecos Bill.
26	* CirclingVultures: In the ''Pecos Bill'' segment, Bill meets his horse Widowmaker when rescuing him from a group of these.
27	* ColorFailure: The girl rabbit upon looking over the waterfall in ''Once Upon a Wintertime''.
28	* ComedicUnderwearExposure: Sue in her white long bloomers or pantalets, as she's getting dressed for the big wedding day.
29	* CouldntFindALighter: Pecos Bill uses a lightning bolt to light a cigarette.
30	* CrowdSong: "The Pioneer Song."
31	* DangerThinIce: Joe and Jenny go on a date, where presumably no one knows where they are, and she walks onto thin ice. When it cracks, Joe is frantic to keep her from falling into the water and getting her back to shore, especially after they had a fight.
32	* DeathByAdaptation: [[spoiler:Slue-Foot Sue, sort of. Whether or not Bill manages to save her from her bouncing bustle varies from version to version of the original legend: this adaptation opts for the {{Downer Ending}}. She ends up bouncing so high, she crashes into the moon.]]
33	* {{Determinator}}: Despite being banished, disgraced, and sunken by the storm, Little Toot will ''not'' give up on the boat that sent the SOS.
34	* DigitalDestruction: The Blu-ray compresses the Dolby Digital 1.0 audio to a bitrate half as small as that of the DVD, or even the three bonus shorts.[[note]]''Melody Time'' also marks one of three Disney Animated Canon movies to lack a lossless audio option on Blu-ray, along with ''WesternAnimation/MakeMineMusic'' (Dolby Digital 1.0) and ''WesternAnimation/{{Bambi}}'' (DTS-HD HR 7.1 or Dolby Digital 1.0)[[/note]]
35	* DiscoveringYourOwnDeadBody: The "Johnny Appleseed" segment ends with Johnny, now an old man, [[PassedInTheirSleep dying quietly in his sleep]]. His guardian angel summons his soul to Heaven, but first Johnny pauses to stare at the strange man lying under a tree. Johnny is shocked when the angel tells him he's "just your husk, Johnny, your mortal husk."
36	-->'''Johnny:''' My ''husk''?! You mean to say I...I passed away?
37	* DisneyAcidSequence: ''Blame It on the Samba''. After all, most of the action is taking place in a giant wine glass.
38	** "Bumble Boogie" too. And how.
39	* DisneyDeath: There is a brief moment where ''Little Toot'' appears to have sunk.
40	* {{Disneyfication}}: The UsefulNotes/JohnnyAppleseed story adaptation. His life was originally much harder than it was presented in the film. It also plays up his positive qualities more and glosses over the fact that in real life, Johnny was a shrewd businessman and promoted his own religion. Subverted, however, by "Pecos Bill".
41	* DistaffCounterpart: Sue for Bill.
42	* TheDogBitesBack: The bumblebee just wants to get some nectar and pollen from flowers. They all attack him when he tries. In response, the bee dive-bombs them. Unfortunately, their petals fuse into a piano monster.
43	* DownerEnding: [[spoiler:Pecos Bill gets one after the loss of Sue, so much so that he decides to return to the coyotes, where he laments his lost love by howling at the moon, and the coyotes join in howling with him (thus explaining why coyotes howl at the moon). As this is the final section of the film, this trope could apply for the film as a whole.]]
44	* EverythingIsBigInTexas: ''Pecos Bill'' features a map of Texas covering more than half of the continental U.S., the other states crowded around it.
45	* EverythingTryingToKillYou: The bee in ''Bumble Boogie'' is a victim of this.
46	* FreakOut: Johnny Appleseed initially has one when he realizes that he walked away and left his dead body behind. He doesn't want to die and leave behind all of his work and animal friends. His guardian angel calms him down by saying that his work on Earth is finished, and that heaven needs apple trees too.
47	* FriendToAllLivingThings: Johnny Appleseed, even managing to befriend a SmellySkunk that he accidentally kicks by accident.
48	* GreenEyedMonster: Widowmaker becomes quite jealous of Slue-Foot Sue. [[spoiler:And causes Bill to miss catching her, [[DramaticIrony although Bill doesn't know it]].]]
49	* {{Grimmification}}: Pecos Bill doesn't save Slue Foot Sue in this version of the story, not for lack of trying anyway.
50	* GunsAkimbo: Pecos Bill, occasionally.
51	* HopeSpot:
52	** When Jenny and the female rabbit get trapped on the ice, Joe rushes over and tries to TakeMyHand as she passes under the bridge. Instead, he gets her glove and futilely tries to use its fraying threads to pull her to safety. Then when he and the rabbit use the horse carriage to catch up with the floating iceberg, a wrong turn sends them headfirst into the snowbank. The horses and other forest animals need to step in to mount a rescue.
53	** Slue-Foot Sue decides to ride on Widowmaker on her wedding day. She actually fares better than the men holding the angry horse, sitting calmly as Widowmaker tries to unseat her. Unfortunately, Sue makes the mistake of wearing a bustle that day, which makes her bounce up and down in her seat and allows Widowmaker to gain an edge in tossing her off and onto the ground.
54	** Pecos Bill has a moment where he can catch Sue with his lassoing skills. Unfortunately, he misses Widowmaker stepping on the rope and messing with it.
55	* HorsingAround: The segment where Slue-Foot Sue tries to ride Pecos's horse Widowmaker. She does quite well for herself in the first few minutes. And then that bustle...
56	* HowlOfSorrow: In the "Pecos Bill" sequence, the coyotes howl at the moon out of sympathy with Bill, who howls for sorrow at [[spoiler:losing Slue-Foot Sue]], thus explaining why coyotes howl at the moon.
57	* ImpossibleHourglassFigure: Slue-Foot Sue. After donning a bustle and corset on her wedding day, she's drawn with a ridiculously slender waist and an oversized butt.
58	* InevitableWaterfall: ''Once Upon a Wintertime''. Not the best choice for a skating area.
59	* InkSuitActor: Pecos Bill is essentially a self-portrait of his animator, Creator/WardKimball.
60	* JustSoStory:
61	** Whenever the clouds in the sky look like apple blossoms, it's because [[spoiler: the trees Johnny Appleseed has planted in heaven are in bloom.]]
62	** According to his song, Pecos Bill dug the Rio Grande, knocked the gold into "them thar hills," painted the Painted Desert, and shot out all the stars in the sky but one (for the "Lone Star Texas state"). Coyotes howl at the moon [[spoiler: out of sympathy for him, because he howled at the moon every night after Slue-Foot Sue was launched into the sky and never came down.]]
63	* KarmaHoudiniWarranty: Widowmaker, Pecos Bill's horse, seems to get off scot-free for [[spoiler:''killing'' Slue-foot Sue. Though he appears to have regret it afterwards due to how it utterly ruins Bill's life, making it something of a PyrrhicVictory for him.]]
64	* KickingAssInAllHerFinery: Subverted. [[ActionGirl Slue-foot Sue]] tries to ride Widowmaker in the bustled dress she was wearing for the wedding. It was a bad idea.
65	* KilledOffForReal: [[spoiler:Slue-Foot Sue is launched to the moon and never comes down. Johnny Appleseed also dies of old age in the woods.]]
66	* LetsGetDangerous: The horses team up with the forest animals to toss their reins toward the iceberg. As the other rabbit faints, the squirrels tether the ice with the reins and signal for the horses to pull it to shore, while making sure none of the unconscious inhabitants fall into the water. The endeavor is successful.
67	* ListSong: "The Apple Song," with all kinds of food that can be made from apples.
68	* MeaningfulName: Let's just say that after the ending of "Pecos Bill", you'll see why his horse is called "Widowmaker".
69	* MoodyMount: Widowmaker in "Pecos Bill", especially when Slue-Foot Sue intends to ride him.
70	* MsFanservice: '''''Slue-Foot Sue'''''. Bright red hair and lips? Check. Big blue eyes? Double check. Gratuitous {{panty shot}}s aplenty? Oh yeah. [[ImpossibleHourglassFigure Ridiculously tiny waist]] paired with an absurdly big and round...[[https://i.imgur.com/704dsnJ.gif bustle]]? You bet.
71	* MurderTheHypotenuse: [[spoiler: Widowmaker effectively does this to Slue-Foot Sue.]]
72	* MusclesAreMeaningless: Oddly enough for a "Western Superman", Pecos Bill is depicted with a build near-identical to [[WesternAnimation/TheAdventuresOfIchabodAndMrToad Ichabod Crane's]], even when he's rolling up his sleeves to beat the tar out of a pack of rustlers.
73	* NeverSayDie: [[spoiler: "Pecos Bill" never outright says that Slue-Foot Sue died, only that she landed on the moon and never came down. The fate this implies is FridgeHorror.]]
74	** Averted, however, near the end of "Johnny Appleseed", when, as he goes with his angel to heaven, Johnny learns that [[DiscoveringYourOwnDeadBody that is his mortal husk]] and, shocked, exclaims, "You mean to say I... I passed away?"
75	* NiceJobBreakingItHero: The boy rabbit tries to warn Jenny and his miffed girlfriend about the Thin Ice sign he's carrying. When they ignore him, he sets it in the ice angrily...only to crack it and cause the other two to get trapped on a floating iceberg. Whoops!
76	* OOCIsSeriousBusiness: It's prevalent in "Blame It On The Samba":
77	** Why are ''Donald Duck'' and Jose Carioca sad?? What's more, where is Donald's usual temper? He's so happy to be dancing the samba with Jose and a beautiful lady that not even the Aracuan Bird's tricks upset him.
78	** When the Aracuan Bird actually looks concerned for Donald and Jose's depression, you know that he wants to do more than mess with them for a good time. He cheers them up with Samba music before engaging in trippy antics.
79	* PassedInTheirSleep: [[spoiler:Happens to Johnny Appleseed, by now an old man whose soul is being summoned into heaven as he dies in his sleep.]]
80	* PetTheDog: The Aracuan Bird, known normally for being a {{Troll}}, sincerely cheers up Donald and Jose before scooping them up in a cocktail glass for trippy antics. Even as he messes with them, they all have a lot of fun dancing.
81	* PhallicWeapon / SomethingElseAlsoRises: When Slue-Foot Sue kisses Pecos Bill, Bill's guns start going off by themselves.
82	* PoliticallyIncorrectHero: Pecos Bill, due to ValuesDissonance, turns into this due to the scene where he shoots at Native Americans, whom the narrator refers to as "redskins". This is today considered a pretty bad racial slur.
83	* PrettyInMink: Jenny in the "Wintertime" segment has a white fur muff, as do a few other ladies skating on a pond the couple passes by. To help show her daintiness, she puts the muff over her face when blushing. She also keeps her hands in the muff until the sleigh stops, where she delicately removes one hand from her muff, for her boyfriend to take.
84	* ProductionForeshadowing: In the intro to "Johnny Appleseed", the Master of Ceremonies mentions some iconic items in folk tales, such as Paul Bunyan's ax, John Henry's hammer, and Davy Crockett's rifle. Disney would later adapt the WesternAnimation/PaulBunyan story in 1958 and the [[Series/DavyCrockett Davy Crockett]] stories in 1954. It wouldn't be until 2001 when Disney would adapt the story of John Henry.
85	* RaisedByWolves: ''Pecos Bill''. Coyotes, actually. [[spoiler: He goes back to them in the end.]]
86	* RecycledAnimation: They did need to save money after all. Some of Joe and Donald's dancing in ''Blame it on the Samba'' is taken from either ''WesternAnimation/SaludosAmigos'' or ''WesternAnimation/TheThreeCaballeros''. Also, much of the square dancing in "Johnny Appleseed" was reused from "The Martins and the Coys" segment of ''WesternAnimation/MakeMineMusic''.
87	* RedEyesTakeWarning: When Slue-Foot Sue intends to ride Widowmaker, his angry eyes are visibly red as he expresses his jealousy of her. It serves as a warning that he is about to give her a ride she will never forget...
88	* RogerRabbitEffect: ''Blame it on the Samba'' features animated characters interacting with a live action performer in the same style as ''WesternAnimation/TheThreeCaballeros''. The frame story for ''Pecos Bill'' features live action actors in an animated background.
89	* TheSavageIndian: The "Painted Indians" in ''The Ballad of Pecos Bill'' are portrayed as this, true to the song.
90	* SceneryPorn: Many of the segments have beautiful backgrounds thanks to artist Mary Blair.
91	* SettingOffSong: "The Apple Song".
92	* SnowMeansLove: ''Once Upon a Wintertime''.
93	* SoProudOfYou: As the ending lyrics in "Little Toot" say, the titular tug makes his father proud when he becomes a hero.
94	* TheSomethingSong: "The Pioneer's Song" and "The Apple Song" (both in "Johnny Appleseed").
95	* SupermodelStrut: Slue-Foot Sue does a ridiculously exaggerated [[https://i.imgur.com/HfHdh4h.mp4 hip-sway]] whenever she walks. It doesn't hurt that her "bouncing bustle" really accentuates her behind.
96	* TallTale: The segments on Johnny Appleseed and Pecos Bill.
97	* TeethFlying: In the "Pecos Bill" segment, Bill knocks out all the gold fillings off a gang of rustlers, which is why "there's gold in them thar hills".
98	* ThisIsGonnaSuck: As Slue-Foot Sue gets ready to ride Widowmaker, Pecos Bill can be seen watching with horror, like he knows something bad is going to happen. [[spoiler:He was right.]]
99	* ThroughAFaceFullOfFur: This occurs with not only the male half of the rabbit item, but the human couple (despite not really having fur) Joe and Jenny as well. Any whole scenery involving them changes color as well as it follows their moods, a few of these moments include:
100	** Jenny getting mad at Joe and turning red (and her back on him).
101	** A downhearted Joe turning blue and as he sadly walks away, he makes an arrow through the heart that was inscribed on the ice with the blades of his skates.
102	** The male bunny also turning blue when his mate rejects him, then red as he furiously kicks a log, injuring his foot.
103	** The male bunny gets angered and turns red again, when he fails to get Jenny's attention of the "thin ice" sign, then causes the ice to crack when he pokes a hole through it with the sign.
104	** Joe turns pale as he sees Jenny and the female bunny in danger, with them on a board of ice that's going to go over a waterfall and as he hurries to their aid.
105	** Jenny turning pale and fainting when she and the female rabbit nearly meet their impending doom.
106	** The male bunny turning hot pink and the ice block in which he's imprisoned melts from literal heat of passion, when the female bunny kisses him.
107	** Joe turns pink as well when Jenny embraces him for saving her.
108	** Also in the "Pecos Bill" segment, the eponymous character gets red-faced when Sue catches him eyeing her and he gets so infatuated with her, his hair has a reaction that's as if it were electrified and he takes off into the air like a rocket.
109	* TooDumbToLive: Sluefoot Sue gets it in her head to ride her fiance's horse Widowmaker to the altar. This same horse has been watching them court each other with a large amount of jealousy and is roaring with red eyes. Even Pecos Bill thinks it's a bad idea, but Sue has her way. Sure enough, even though Sue does better than the eight men holding Widowmaker still long enough for her to mount, Widowmaker gets the better of her and sends her flying. That bustle definitely didn't help, with it eventually sending her to the moon from bouncing so high.
110	* WellDoneSonGuy: Little Toot wants his father to be proud of him, but he has a habit of getting into mischief, to the point where he accidentally sends a ship crashing into the city. He is branded a criminal and exiled out to sea by the Harbor Patrol, while his father has been reduced to hauling garbage barges in disgrace. Out at sea, however, Little Toot spots a ship in distress, and it becomes up to him to save it and bring it into port all by himself, which impresses his father when he does so.
111	* WolverinePublicity: WesternAnimation/DonaldDuck received some fanfare in the VHS trailer, and is the only character on the DVD case. On the other hand, most theatrical posters, both domestic and international, prominently featured Pecos Bill.
112	* YouAreBetterThanYouThinkYouAre: Johnny initially thinks he's too scrawny to survive out west. His angel tells him that Johnny still has faith, courage, a level head, and a talent for growing apple trees, which is all he needs.

Context WesternAnimation / MelodyTime