Paul Bunyan

Not a great adaption for Disney, but certainly characteristic of the shorts released in the 50's. It's interesting to consider that this tale was part of American folklore long before it was put into print. Like most folklore,it's full of exaggerated fictional accounts of events. One can image loggers sitting around a campfire, or in a cabin, each trying to embellish and exaggerate the story to make it more interesting then the last time it was told. Certainly a colorful Tall Tale. All part of our collective heritage, and what fun!

A legend well used by an energetic and high sweet short animation. The giant, his people, his ox and the modernization of USA . Cut trees - too many for my taste and for the contemporary ecological habits - , good music and few good spoons of humor. And the comfortable end. An old fashion Disney animation preserving its freshness and all the special flavors in the forms of nostalgia.

Paul Bunyan was one of those animations that I saw a lot as a child, and was fascinated and highly amused by it. As a 20-year old adult, I still do have a soft spot for it, but I think I liked it more as a child. Mainly because when I was younger I paid little attention to the animation quality, but when you're older it's not really something that you can ignore really. And I hate to say it, but I do agree that the animation is not that great, despite Paul Bunyan being unique for being the last Disney short film to be inked by hand apparently. The character designs came across as rather blocky, except for Paul himself, and the backgrounds are very limited and flat. There is one touch that I did like and that was the Nothern Lights at the end, very nicely done. Aside from the animation, which I do think is too big a foible to excuse, I loved the music. The title song is very catchy with great lyrics, and the rest of the songs are humorous and the scoring whimsical. The singing of it is great as well, I still marvel at how the vocal ensembles manage to blend with each other so well and Paul Bunyan is no exception, while Thurl Ravenscroft has that same resonant basso-profundo voice. The story and writing have some funny moments, are faithful to the original tale and are very clever. The characters are memorable, especially Paul who is also very endearing and easy to like, and the voice work is great. Overall, I didn't care for the animation, but I thought the rest of Paul Bunyan was highly enjoyable. 8/10 Bethany Cox

I remember this from my childhood. Coming from Minnesota, we, like so many other areas, take credit for the legend. One day, Paul shows up in a gigantic cradle as a baby and is story begins. No need to go into details. Most of North America is created by him, the lakes, the rivers, the mountains. He has a strong personality but the West is only so defined. This is an adequate cartoon version of American folklore but not great shakes. I did enjoy the song, however.

I am drawn to this thanks to "The Simpsons" episode "Simpsons Tall Tales." That version is much more entertaining, and in that episode, the neighbors are cruel and express their dark thoughts without restraint, just like in real life. Here, being a Disney production, they are portrayed as angelic. However, this version has a bittersweet ending that has made me appreciate it more. Generally, it can be said that this short film presents a story that doesn't offer much, which can be dull, but coming from watching "The Simpsons," I found it interesting. It is also interesting to learn about other versions of the story.