Old King Cole (film)
Storybook characters gather for Old King Cole's party.
Directed by David Hand, this animated short draws from several nursery rhymes and fairy tales, most notably the title rhyme.
Quick Facts
- Director
- David Hand
- Producer
- Walt Disney
- Studio
- Walt Disney Productions
- Distributor
- United Artists
- Released
- 29 July 1933
- Runtime
- 7:15
- Country
- United States
- Language
- English
Facts from the source article.
Plot
In Storyland one evening, the book titled "Old King Cole" opens by itself, and the king's castle unfolds. Other nursery rhyme books also open, releasing well-known characters who head to Old King Cole's party. Each character performs a brief song and dance. When the Ten Little Indians take the stage, their dance proves so infectious that Old King Cole and everyone else join in. Old Mother Hubbard accidentally shoves Old King Cole into a fountain, and then the mice from "Hickory Dickory Dock" announce that it's midnight, signaling everyone to return home. All the characters go back into their books, and Old King Cole sings a goodbye song. He leaves a bottle of milk for the milkman, then dashes back inside, ending the cartoon.
Influence
This black-and-white short shares its plot and style with the Silly Symphony Mother Goose Melodies. Many animated films feature a premise where storybooks come alive and their characters mingle. Other Disney examples include Mother Goose Goes Hollywood and The Truth About Mother Goose. Fleischer Studios contributed the Betty Boop short Mother Goose Land. Looney Tunes also explored this idea in Have You Got Any Castles?, A Gander at Mother Goose, A Coy Decoy, and Book Revue.
More in Disney Animated Films Based on Fairy Tales
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