The Truth About Mother Goose

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.

A Walt Disney Cartoon.

By learning the real stories behind some of her rhymes we are able to discover THE TRUTH ABOUT MOTHER GOOSE.

Andrew Lang once described nursery rhymes as 'smooth stones from the brook of time, worn round by constant friction of tongues long silent.' They can also, in some cases, be tiny intriguing glimpses into past history, as they often made satirical reference to real events. This excellent little film examines two Mother Goose rhymes, Little Jack Horner & Mary Mary Quite Contrary, and a favorite nursery song, London Bridge. This is a fine example of the medium of animation's ability to painlessly instruct.

Celebrated children's author Bill Peet was the writer on this project. John Dehner narrates and the Page Cavanaugh Trio add their talents to the proceedings.

Walt Disney (1901-1966) was always intrigued by pictures & drawings. As a lad in Marceline, Missouri, he sketched farm animals on scraps of paper; later, as an ambulance driver in France during the First World War, he drew comic figures on the sides of his vehicle. Back in Kansas City, along with artist Ub Iwerks, Walt developed a primitive animation studio that provided animated commercials and tiny cartoons for the local movie theaters. Always the innovator, his ALICE IN CARTOONLAND series broke ground in placing a live figure in a cartoon universe. Business reversals sent Disney & Iwerks to Hollywood in 1923, where Walt's older brother Roy became his lifelong business manager & counselor. When a mildly successful series with Oswald The Lucky Rabbit was snatched away by the distributor, the character of Mickey Mouse sprung into Walt's imagination, ensuring Disney's immortality. The happy arrival of sound technology made Mickey's screen debut, STEAMBOAT WILLIE (1928), a tremendous audience success with its use of synchronized music. The SILLY SYMPHONIES soon appeared, and Walt's growing crew of marvelously talented animators were quickly conquering new territory with full color, illusions of depth and radical advancements in personality development, an arena in which Walt's genius was unbeatable. Mickey's feisty, naughty behavior had captured millions of fans, but he was soon to be joined by other animated companions: temperamental Donald Duck, intellectually-challenged Goofy and energetic Pluto. All this was in preparation for Walt's grandest dream - feature length animated films. Against a storm of naysayers, Walt persevered and over the next decades delighted children of all ages with the adventures of Snow White, Pinocchio, Dumbo, Bambi & Peter Pan. Walt never forgot that his fortunes were all started by a mouse, or that childlike simplicity of message and lots of hard work always pay off.

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.

Another of my favorite Disney rarities. And this was a very informative one. Who knew that there were connections to these nursery rhymes that were inspired directly or indirectly by real events, like I heard somewhere that Ring Around The Rosey has something to do with the black plague. I had two books on the nursery rhymes when I was little, one of them was a Disney read-along. Before watching this short months ago on Youtube, I had no idea that there really was more to them than the basics of which I know. One of the most interesting shorts ever made by Disney I think. I recommend this to anybody who'd like to learn more about how the nursery rhymes originated and their history, and how they're linked to their inspirations. By the way, the version that I first saw was a Wonderful World Of Color episode featuring Ludwig Von Drake as narrator and Herman in intervals, which I like more than the original.

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