A Disney Halloween Case

Back in 1982, The Wonderful World of Disney aired a Halloween special comprised of animated clips from some of their spookiest works. With about a 60 minute run-time, Disney’s Halloween Treat was hosted by Hal Douglas, an unseen narrator, with a few appearances from a talking foam pumpkin. 

• Hal Douglas is known for narrating thousands of movie trailers. You’ve heard his voice so many times, and this performance is incredible.

• One year later, Disney premiered a newer version of the special, this time 90 minutes long. It omitted parts from the original special, but included pieces from a 1977 special called, “Disney’s Greatest Villains” 
  • This version excluded a clip from Ichabod and Mr. Toad, and the skeletons in the beginning were green instead of orange. 
• Some versions also include an opening with Michael Eisner, the then chair-man of Walt Disney Studios. This opening was most likely added for the VHS release of the special. 
• Throughout the 1980’s and early 90’s, Disney ran this special on its channel every Halloween season. A Disney Halloween was released on VHS in 1985, though the original Disney’s Halloween Treat was never officially released (of course, Robin has a version taped off TV).

Segments of the Special

In this episode we talk about both specials. We cover clips from both, where they are from, and what we love about them. 

So buckle up! It’s gonna be a REAL treat 😉 

Part 1

• The opening sequence
  • As we said before, the original special, “Disney’s Halloween Treat,” came out in 1982. It opens with clips from Disney cartoons, most prominently “The Skeleton Dance” (1929)
    • The Skeleton Dance was a “Silly Symphony.” Silly Symphonies were animated short films set to music, that Disney released over a 10 year period. The Skeleton Dance is one of the most popular, along with “The Three Little Pigs” 
    • In this version, the skeletons have been colored orange. In the original short they were black and white. 
  • The theme song for this special was written specifically for it! The music was by John Debney, a well-known film composer. Debney wrote the music for Hocus Pocus, which we talked about earlier this month! 
    • The lyrics were written by Galen R Brandt 
  • In A Disney Halloween, the skeletons are green, and this is how we could tell which special we were watching from the beginning.

Part 2

• Night on Bald Mountain 
  • The narrator (Hal Douglas) wastes no time leading us into the first clip, a piece from Fantasia (1940). This image is very familiar to many, as the horrifying Chernabog ascends from the mountain to summon his minions. 
  • This piece of classical music was written by Mussorgsky, and this is one of the most famous animations from Fantasia 

Part 3

• In A Disney Halloween, we get a clip from “The Sword in the Stone” (1963) with an emphasis on Mad Madam Mim. This particular scene features the wizard duel and the death of Mim.
• Mim was voiced by Martha Wentworth, who also voiced the nanny in 101 Dalmatians (1961). This was her last acting credit. 

Part 4

• The Old Mill 1937
  • Another silly symphony, this short is anything but silly. 
• This clip comes from a 9 minute short about various animals: such as owls, mice, and bats that move into an old windmill.  Nearby the songs of frogs, crickets, and fireflies can be heard. The climax comes when a storm puts in peril all the creatures in and around the mill.
  • The beautiful thing is that even though the creatures do not speak you feel for them though the music and their actions.
  • This is one of the saddest and most touching pieces in the special.

Part 5

• Mickey Mouse 
  • Pluto’s Sweater (1949)
    • We get a very short clip from this short film, but the transition is pretty seamless!
  • Mickey’s Parrot 1938
    • This clip comes from a 7 minute short where an escaped parrot comes into Mickey’s home just as he learns that the dangerous convict Machine-Gun Butch has shot his way out of jail. Thinking that the parrot is Butch, Mickey and Pluto cautiously try to find him.
• Donald Duck
  • Donald Duck and the Gorilla 1944
    • This clip comes from a 7 minute short about Ajax, the killer gorilla who has escaped from the zoo! Donald Duck and his three nephews prank each other, making them think that Ajax is in their house. 
    • There’s a twist, when the real Ajax appears and tries to attack Donald! 

Part 6

• Heffalumps and Woozils 
  • Next, we get a segment on nightmares! This clip is another part added to the new special, taken from “The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh” (1977).
  • In the film, Winnie the Pooh goes to sleep on a stormy night and dreams of the infamous Heffalumps and Woozils! Evil creatures out to steal his honey (or whatever else he wants).

Part 7

• Pluto’s Judgement Day
  
  • This part is very interesting! For this section, animators cut three different Pluto adventures together to create one cohesive story. Those stories are: 
    • Puss Cafe 1950
    • Cat Nap Pluto 1948
    • Judgement Day 1935 (notice the 15 year difference between two of the shorts) 

Part 8

• This segment is a wonderful piece, that really adds to the creepy atmosphere of the special. It comes from another Wonderful World of Disney episode called, “The Great Cat Family”! It came out in 1956. 
• This part educates the audience on the beginning of superstitions, and also uses some imagery from The Legend of Sleepy Hollow, which Disney cut from the second version of this special. 

Part 9 

• To continue the theme of cats, we have a clip from “Lady and the Tramp” (1955)
  • Here we have Si and Am, the trouble-making cats from the film. The song was originally sung by Peggy Lee. 
  • The song is widely considered problematic,and in the 2019 version, this song will be “rewritten” and performed by Janelle Monáe

Part 10

• The next segment of “A Disney Halloween” was taken from yet another Wonderful World of Disney episode called “Disney’s Greatest Villains” from 1977
  • This was an updated special following another version called, “Our Unsung Villains” in 1956.
  • It featured Hans Conried as The Magic Mirror. Conried had died when this segment was added to A Disney Halloween, but the footage was used anyway. 
  • Conried was a prolific actor whose voice was used in the animated “Hobbit” (1977), as the Grinch in “Halloween is Grinch Night,” but he was also the voice of Captain Hook in Disney’s Peter Pan.
• Disney’s Greatest Villains 1977
  • Peter Pan (1953) – Hook
    • This scene with Captain Hook was included in the original Disney’s Halloween Treat, and is the first clip introduced by The Magic Mirror.
    • It shows the defeat of  Hook.
  • The Aristocasts (1970) – Edgar
    • Shows when Edgar drops the kittens while he is being chased by the dogs Lafayette and Napoleon.
  • Mickey and the Beanstalk – The Giant
    • This piece is from “Fun and Fancy Free” (1947)
  • The Jungle Book (1967) – Kaa
    • Voiced by the talented Sterling Halloway 
    • Kaa is interrupted during his hypnosis of Mowgli by Shere Khan.
  • Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs (1937) – The Evil Queen
    • In Disney’s Halloween Treat, we get a full look at the evil queen, from her transformation to the moment she poisons Snow White. We also see her meet her doom at the edge of a cliff! 
  • Sleeping Beauty (1959) – Maleficent 
    • We get to see Maleficent in all her glory!
• After Maleficent, the magic mirror briefly mentions:
  • Cinderella – Lady Tremaine 
  • 101 Dalmatians (1961)- Cruella De Vil
    • In Disney’s Halloween Treat, Cruella gets the full treatment, with a clip from the movie showing her ultimate defeat.
  • Alice in Wonderland (1951) – The Queen of Hearts
  • The Rescuers (1977)
    • At the time of “Disney’s Greatest Villains,” Medusa was the newest villain in Disney’s catalog. For this reason, this is the final villain featured by the magic mirror before he says, “I don’t know about you, but I’m getting out of here!” 

Part 11

• The narrator uses the mirror’s disappearance to bring us into “Lonesome Ghosts” (1937)
  • This short film was originally released 3 days after Snow White and the Seven Dwarves.
  • It features four bored ghosts that play pranks on Mickey, Donald, and Goofy. In this episode, the trio are ghost exterminators from AJAX, the fictional Disney company equivalent to ACME in the Looney Toon Universe.
  • Features Clarence Nash as Donald, Pinto Colvig as Goofy, and Walt Disney as Mickey Mouse.

Part 12

• Trick or Treat (1952)
  • The final piece of “A Disney Halloween” is a piece from “Trick Or Treat” in 1952.
  • This short features the wonderful June Foray as “Witch Hazel” and an uncredited appearance by Thurl Ravenscroft as the Jack-O-Lantern!
  • Clarence Nash is the voice of Donald and his three nephews.
  • The music was written by Paul J Smith! A well-known Disney Composer (Snow White, Pinocchio, Cinderella).

Part 13 

• Ichabod Crane and Mr Toad
  • In the original Disney’s Halloween Treat, it ended with a clip from “Ichabod and Mr. Toad” (1949).
    • This film covered two stories: The Wind and the Willows, and The Legend of Sleepy Hollow by Washington Irving.
  • In this clip, we see the thrilling end of Ichabod Crane. It starts with an edited version of the ghost story scene, narrated and sung by Bing Crosby. It then cuts to Ichabod cautiously riding home in the dark before being attacked by the Headless Horseman. It ends just as the story does, with the image of a shattered pumpkin on the bridge of souls. 

This is how the original special ended, and it’s how we will end our Halloween special as well! Happy Halloween, everyone! 

See you tomorrow. Maybe.