The Truth About Mother Goose

A very good animated documentary that tells us the truth behind the nursery rhymes most all of us know from our childhoods. Like Ring Around the Rosey is about the black plague, the other childhood rhymes have a true story behind them. Worth watching if one is interested in where these Mother Goose stories come from.

10/10.

Most stories, rhymes and fables have some story behind them as to their origin and this short, an Oscar nominee, goes into several of the Mother Goose rhymes and tells what event or action caused its creation. It's really quite fascinating to discover the basis of many of these rhymes we grew up with and to discover how many were actually political in nature. This shows on The Ink and Paint Club on the Disney Channel as well as a free-standing filler itself every once in awhile. Most recommended.

I remember this cartoon very well. Of course, it was the version that was in an hour-long episode of a Disney TV show that ran from the 1950s to the '70s. It also had a new narrator - Paul Frees, in the character of Ludwig von Drake. But I was fortunate to watch the original version on YouTube.

In this memorable cartoon, the none-too-cheery stories behind well-known nursery rhymes are revealed. It covers "Little Jack Horner," "Mary, Mary, Quite Contrary," and "London Bridge is Falling Down" with a clever contrast of wonderful animation that reflects the influence of the film "Sleeping Beauty" (which was in production then) and serious narration by John Dehner. Each segment begins with an upbeat performance of the song, followed by a depiction of the historical inspiration, and concludes with a rather sombre rendition of the tune.

So overall, I would say this cartoon is that it's artistically beautiful, fun to watch, and really interesting. I especially loved the segment on "Mary, Mary,...", though her story was so sad.

I love animation and I love Disney Silly Symphonies. This is one of my personal favourites. The animation with its fluid background art and lively colouring is wonderful, and the music with the never-annoying repeat of London Bridge is Falling Down is delightful too. The narration is beautifully delivered and appropriately sombre in places, while The Truth about Mother Goose is written with detail and care and the story merging two Mother Goose rhymes Little Jack Horner and Mary Mary Quite Contrary is whimsical and entertaining. The voice work is faultless, not a weak link in sight. In conclusion, a truly great cartoon. 10/10 Bethany Cox

This is a Disney short describing the back stories about classic nursery rhymes that almost every little kid in the world knows. The only two stories, I actually remember though is the one about "Mary, Mary Quite Contary". Which was about Mary, the Queen of Scotland whom was executed by her cousin, Elizabeth, the Queen of England. the other was the "London Bridge is Falling Down", actually the real London bridge did fall down, and was rebuilt several times. It's basically one of those cartoons, which is more educational than humorous, but it a great example of Disney or shorts made in the 1950s. They used to air on the Disney Channel when I was a child, before Disney changed it's image in the the late 1990s as a contemporary kids channel, but I think you can now find them on DVD.