The ‘Fun’ Returns

“Fun and Fancy Free,” Walt Disney’s ninth full-length animated feature, has never achieved the recognition of such Disney classics as “Bambi,” “Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs” and “Fantasia.”

But the charming 1947 family film, which finally made its video debut on Tuesday ($27), is the only Disney feature that stars Mickey Mouse, Donald Duck, Goofy and Jiminy Cricket. “Fun and Fancy Free” also marks Walt Disney’s last performance as the voice of his famous creation, Mickey Mouse.

So why did it take so long for Walt Disney Home Video to open the studio’s vaults and release it?

“I don’t know that it has taken so long,” says Dennis Rice, senior vice president of marketing for Buena Vista Home Video.

“Obviously, it’s a great opportunity to celebrate its 50th anniversary. We are one of the lucky studios. We have a wonderful array of product. We just took our time to put it back together the way it was released. By the way, not very many people know that Walt Disney was the voice of Mickey Mouse.”

“Fun and Fancy Free,” which hasn’t been seen in its original form since its initial release, consists of two animated stories: “Bongo the Bear” and “Mickey and the Beanstalk.”

Jiminy Cricket serves as host and kicks off the proceedings with “I’m a Happy Go Lucky Fellow,” a cheery ditty that had originally been cut from Jiminy’s first film, “Pinocchio.”

“Bongo the Bear” features the voice of Dinah Shore, who sings several songs and narrates this tale of a circus bear who tries with all his might to win the paw of a beautiful female bear he meets in the woods. Based on a Sinclair Lewis story, “Bongo” also spotlights the escapades of two mischievous forest creatures who just happen to be early incarnations of Chip ‘n’ Dale.

Mickey, Goofy and Donald are not the only famous faces in “Mickey and the Beanstalk.” This clever take on the famed fairy tale features live-action sequences starring the legendary ventriloquist Edgar Bergen, his wooden pals Charlie McCarthy and Mortimer Snerd and child actress Luana Patten.

If either title sounds familiar, you may have caught them on TV. But the Bergen sequence was removed for the TV version of “Mickey and the Beanstalk” and replaced with the antics of the animated Ludwig von Drake and his pet flea, Herman. “Bongo” also was reissued theatrically in 1971.

The restored limited edition of “Fun and Fancy Free” features an informative 14-minute behind-the-scenes historical documentary that includes rare footage of Walt Disney doing the voice of Mickey Mouse and a recently discovered storyboard scene, starring Mickey and Minnie Mouse, that had originally been created for the movie.

Because “Fun and Fancy Free” has such a rich heritage, Rice says, it “seemed appropriate that we would find things that would make the programming that much more special. We do have an excellent archive. The footage of Walt performing as Mickey is really only one of two sources available. It’s fairly rare.”

Originally, “Bongo” and “Mickey and the Beanstalk” had been developed as separate full-length features. But World War II changed the focus at the studio.

“The studio was asked to provide a lot of support for our men and women overseas,” Rice explains. “It really put our production schedules on hold. This was one of those treasures that got caught in the middle of the prewar period of the studio and then during the war.”

After the war, Disney was eager to get animated projects into release as soon as possible, so “Bongo” and “Mickey and the Beanstalk” were transformed into short subjects and “Fun and Fancy Free” helped put the studio back in the animation forefront.