Bongo, Roi du Cirque

BONGO is one of the two middling-sized short-subjects (a three-reeler, in this case), edited from Disney's FUN AND FANCY FREE. The story, basically a silent about a circus bear who escapes to the wild and finds true love, is narrated by Dinah Shore, with three songs by her, is, as always with Disney's cartoons, technically perfect, but it is clearly aimed at small children.

Disney was, at this point, distracted by a multitude of projects, including trying to get back into feature production after wartime work, thinking about starting up Disneyland and preparing for 1950's Cinderella, so the story is told in a straightforward fashion. It lacks much of interest for adults.

While just a minor classic to some, Bongo is very cute and memorable for others including myself. The animation is stunning, considering when it was made way back in 1947; a lot of detail went into making this and it showed. The music was a treat to the ears, with a mix of humorous and poignant motifs, and the songs were beautiful and I think memorable too. I love the character Bongo, he is simply adorable. So were the chipmunks, and all the other forest animals. I liked Dinah Shore's narration, it was quite sensitive and fun, and while the cartoon is very simple in terms of story, kids will definitely love it, and adults who grew up loving this will still find it easy to like. 10/10 Bethany Cox

Originally part of the movie Fun & Fancy Free, this cartoon was released later on its own as a theatrical short. It's the lesser of the two shorts that made up that film, but it's not bad by any means. The story is about a little bear named Bongo falling in love and having to fight a bigger bear for his lady. Flimsy story but it's well-paced and fun. It's narrated by Dinah Shore, who also sings. She has a lovely voice. Worth a look but you might as well seek out Fun & Fancy Free so you get the Mickey beanstalk short as well.