Pecos Bill (1948)

Must See Movie...

It's easily one of the freshest, sharpest and most enjoyable films of this year.

This is one of the best movies I’ve seen in a very long time. You have to go and see this on the big screen.

Although I seem to have had higher expectations than I thought, the movie is super entertaining.

"Pecos Bill" is an American animated short film from 1948, so this one has its 70th anniversary this year. It says here on imdb 23 minutes, but I think actually it runs for a bit under 20 in fact and here we have another old cartoon about American everyday heroes like Paul Bunyan, Johnny Appleseed etc. Pecos Bill is probably not the most known of the bunch, but his eternal friendship with his horse as well as his romance with Slue Foot Sue. It needs a little while to get going I would say, but at the latest when the previously mentioned ginger redhead character enters the picture, it is really worth seeing, not just looks-wise, but also story-wise. It is a Disney production with the inclusion of Clyde Geronimo and the best way to watch this one is to go for Melody Time, a full feature film that includes other cartoons and also some live action. Maybe just watch the segment if you know the other stuff already or don't care for it. As for this one here, music's nice, animation is nice and the story isn't too bad either. This is really exactly what a western animation film should look like, a pretty daring genre combination that could also go very wrong. But it all worked out fine, even became pretty touching towards the end. See it and with Ferdinand getting his own full feature recently, maybe this one here can at some point too. I'd definitely watch it.

This cartoon was originally part of Melody Time. It's the longest cartoon in that movie and probably the best. It tells the story of Pecos Bill, a cowboy raised by wolves and capable of amazing feats. He meets the love of his life, Slue Foot Sue, and plans to marry her. But his jealous horse Widowmaker isn't happy about it. Great harmonies from Roy Rogers and the Sons of the Pioneers, who appear in live-action mixed with the animation. Disney's child stars of the time, Bobby Driscoll and Luana Patten, also appear. Indian part and cigarette smoking will no doubt ruffle politically correct feathers. It's harmless unless you insist on making it otherwise. It's a fun, cute cartoon.

This short subject was originally part of Melody Time, but it got the best reviews by far of any of the segments of that feature length film. So Walt Disney decided to release it as a short subject in a stand alone feature. I think he was wise to do so.Roy Rogers and the Sons Of The Pioneers came over from Republic Pictures to do this feature. Disney must have forked over some big bucks to Herbert J. Yates for their services. They are in a scene with his two child stars from So Dear To My Heart, Luana Patten and Bobby Driscoll with them dressed up like future Mouseketeers on talent roundup day.Roy tells the tale and sings with the help of The Sons Of The Pioneers the story of legendary cowboy Pecos Bill, his horse Widowmaker, and the girl of his dreams, Sluefoot Sue. Let's just say this was a triangular situation with Pecos Bill at the apex and only one of the other two could put a claim on him.Roy and the Pioneers sing Blue Shadows On The Trail, a favorite cowboy ballad of mine since I got a Bing Crosby record of it. I'm partial to Bing, but Roy and the Pioneers do a grand job. It's a great song and a fine short subject from The Magic Kingdom.

My only complaints are the rather tedious beginning(of the animated sequences that is, the live-action sequences were charming and very nicely shot) and there are one or two scenes when the animation is not always as good as it could've been, one or two of the characters looked a tad deflated. Still there is a lot to enjoy, especially the fast pace of the well thought out story and the rousing songs. The animation in general was nice to look at, and the characters were engaging enough. A huge part of what made the cartoon so enjoyable to watch was the voice of Roy Rogers, he was fantastic here, what a voice and the male singing was top notch as well. Overall, has its minor flaws but it is jolly good fun!8/10 Bethany Cox