Old King Cole (film) facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Old King Cole |
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| Directed by | David Hand |
| Produced by | Walt Disney |
| Studio | Walt Disney Productions |
| Distributed by | United Artists |
| Release date(s) | July 29, 1933 |
| Running time | 7:15 min |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
Old King Cole is a fun Disney cartoon from 1933. It's part of the famous Silly Symphonies series. This cartoon brings many well-known nursery rhymes and fairy tales to life, especially the story of Old King Cole. David Hand directed it, and it first came out on July 29, 1933. It's like a colorful, improved version of an earlier Disney cartoon called Mother Goose Melodies.
Contents
The Story of Old King Cole
The cartoon starts in Storyland one evening. A storybook titled "Old King Cole" opens up by itself. Then, the king's castle inside the book unfolds! Other nursery rhyme books also open. Many famous characters leave their homes to go to Old King Cole's big party.
At the party, all the characters perform. They sing and dance for everyone. When the Ten Little Indians start their dance, it's so catchy! Old King Cole and all the other guests join in the fun. Later, Old Mother Hubbard accidentally pushes Old King Cole. He falls right into a fountain!
Suddenly, the tiny mice from "Hickory Dickory Dock" announce that it's midnight. This means everyone should go home. All the characters return to their storybooks. Old King Cole sings a special good-bye song. Before the cartoon ends, he leaves a bottle of milk for the milkman. Then, he quickly runs back inside his castle.
Famous Characters in the Cartoon
This cartoon features many popular characters from nursery rhymes and fairy tales. Here are some of them, in the order they appear:
- Old King Cole
- Pied Piper of Hamelin
- Little Boy Blue
- A literally crooked man (from There Was A Crooked Man)
- Old Mother Hubbard
- The Old Woman Who Lived in a Shoe
- Mary and her lamb (from Mary Had A Little Lamb)
- Little Bo Peep and her sheep
- Little Red Riding Hood and the Big Bad Wolf
- Goldilocks and the Three Bears
- A cat playing the fiddle (from Hey Diddle Diddle)
- Queen of Hearts
- Mary and her garden (from Mary, Mary, Quite Contrary)
- Peter Peter Pumpkin Eater
- Jack Sprat
- Goosey Gander
- Humpty Dumpty
- The spider from Little Miss Muffet
- Simple Simon
- Three Little Kittens
- Three Blind Mice
- Ten Little Indians
- The butcher, baker, and candlestick maker from Rub-a-dub-dub
- The mice from Hickory Dickory Dock
Music in the Cartoon
The cartoon features several songs. Here are some of the composers who created the music and lyrics:
- KING COLE'S PARTY (Opening Song) by Bert Lewis
- PIPER MAN by Frank Churchill
- LITTLE BOY BLUE by Frank Churchill
- CROOKED MAN by Frank Churchill
- KING COLE'S WELCOME SONG by Bert Lewis
- MARY, MARY QUITE CONTRARY by Frank Churchill
- SIMPLE SIMON by Frank Churchill
- THREE LITTLE KITTENS by Bert Lewis
- THREE BLIND MICE and TEN LITTLE INDIANS by Bert Lewis and Frank Churchill
- HICKORY DICKORY DOCK by Bert Lewis
- KING COLE'S GOOD-NIGHT SONG by Bert Lewis and Frank Churchill
- THE STORY BOOK CLOSES by Bert Lewis
Voice Actors
The talented people who gave voices to the characters include:
- King Cole: Allan Watson
- Girl trio: The Rhythmettes (including Mary Moder and Dorothy Compton)
- Additional voices: Marcellite Garner
How This Cartoon Influenced Others
"Old King Cole" was a big step up from Disney's earlier cartoon with a similar idea, "Mother Goose Melodies." This new version was in color and had much more detail. Both the story and the animation were greatly improved.
The idea of storybooks coming to life and characters interacting became very popular. Many cartoons after Old King Cole used this fun storyline. Some examples include:
- Mother Goose Goes Hollywood (1938) and The Truth About Mother Goose (1957) by Disney Studios.
- The Betty Boop cartoon Mother Goose Land (1933) by Fleischer Studios.
- Have You Got Any Castles? (1938), A Gander at Mother Goose (1940), A Coy Decoy (1941), and Book Revue (1946) by the Looney Tunes.
Where to Watch It
This classic cartoon was released on December 19, 2006. You can find it on the DVD collection called Walt Disney Treasures: More Silly Symphonies, Volume Two.
