Dad... Can I Borrow the Car?

This Disney short is director Ward Kimballs' tribute to car culture of the late 1960s, also focusing on one young mans' trials and tribulations as he goes through the steps of becoming a licensed driver with his own car.

Narrated engagingly by young Disney star Kurt Russell, this is an often VERY funny short that would often get shown during drivers' ed courses. One of my favorite parts was the young lead using a "simulator" to test his handling of a vehicle on busy streets. It was just hysterical when the machine controlling the eight simulators started to break down. Kimball also utilizes a very avant-garde approach; the short is mostly live-action, but uses various animation techniques that are highly striking, and add to the overall mirth.

What is far and away one of the brightest sequences involves a used car salesman (Spencer Quinn) shamelessly extolling the "virtues" of various lemons, in a priceless parody of a standard used-car TV ad. The guy speaks at a speed of roughly a mile a minute!

You also get to see a variety of very colorful and interesting cars, some of which were decorated in the most garish ways possible, for a contest held by Disney.

The often hilariously ridiculous music score is just the icing on this particular cake, which ANY person eager to start experiencing driving (and even their parents) can easily appreciate.

Eight out of 10.

A Walt Disney Short Subject.

A young man's love affair with cars is examined from infancy to marriage.

Ward Kimball, Walt Disney's master animator & eccentric genius, brings his own brand of wacky humor as producer and director to DAD...CAN I BORROW THE CAR? This mostly live action short is full of animated bits, crazy montages, offbeat humor & rock ‘n' roll music and contains a wonderfully weird spoof of a TV used car commercial. Everything from the DMV to drive-thru car washes are grist for the mill. The message here is not auto safety or good sense in car purchasing. The aim is simply entertainment and the acknowledgment of the automobile's domination of our culture.

Kurt Russell narrates; listen for Jesse White as the voice of his father. And that's the bottom half of Ward Kimball's face early in the film, munching on a tiny toy car.

All-in-all, this is rollicking fun. Kurt Russell was the best choice as host/narrator. Too bad nothing like this is being produced today. We've been too serious these days.

Watching this film again (after I don't know how many years) reminds me of the spontaneous comedy the Disney crew used to produce, whether live action or animation. The film moves at a non-stop & unpredictable pace - it's like taking a quick joyride for 45 minutes. Hasn't lost it's freshness after all these years. Sure it's dated in some respects (clothing, styles, etc), but the presentation & storyline itself is timeless. The spot with the used car dealer never gets old, and is only a small sample of how much fun this film is. Watching the old custom hot rods brings back flashbacks of a time that seemed to have no limits or restrictions on car-muscle mania. I was fortunate enough to find an old (but mint) copy on Ebay, and don't regret it a bit. Hats off to director Ward Kimball, writer Ted Berman, and narrator Kurt Russell.

This relic of a short film starts with a teen going through the process of attempting to get a driver's license. It quickly becomes sidetracked with just about every imaginable topic relating to cars.

Such things as dune buggies, drag racing, custom paint jobs and car shows are discussed. It often attempts to be humorous but instead the film is dull, drawn out and even sexist at times. None of the people in the film are actually heard. Instead, everything is done in narration and voiceovers. Sorry, but I can't stand that.

There is nothing educational or interesting about "Dad, Can I Borrow The Car?". It's just another piece of mindless filler to take up time on their "Wonderful World Of Disney" TV show. 1/10