Disney's American Legends
Encyclopedia
Disney's American Legends is a home video release narrated by James Earl Jones
and which features the following Walt Disney Feature Animation
animated short subjects:
The compilation was released February 12, 2002.
lumberjack that was a giant.
and Indiana
.
.
James Earl Jones
James Earl Jones is an American actor. He is well-known for his distinctive bass voice and for his portrayal of characters of substance, gravitas and leadership...
and which features the following Walt Disney Feature Animation
Walt Disney Feature Animation
Walt Disney Animation Studios is an American animation studio headquartered in Burbank, California. The studio, founded in 1923 as the Disney Brothers Cartoon Studio by brothers Walt and Roy Disney, is the oldest subsidiary of The Walt Disney Company...
animated short subjects:
- Johnny AppleseedJohnny Appleseed (film)Johnny Appleseed is a bio-fiction animated feature from Walt Disney, using the nickname of Johnny Appleseed, a real-life American frontiersman born as John Chapman.-Synopsis:...
released in 19481948 in filmThe year 1948 in film involved some significant events.-Events:* Laurence Olivier's Hamlet becomes the first British film to win the American Academy Award for Best Picture.-Top grossing films : After theatrical re-issue- Awards :... - The Brave EngineerThe Brave EngineerThe Brave Engineer is a 1950 Walt Disney-produced short subject cartoon, based on the exploits of legendary railroad engineer John Luther "Casey" Jones. It was narrated by madcap comic and radio funny-man Jerry Colonna and was a fanficiful re-telling of the story related in the Wallace Saunders...
released in 19501950 in filmThe year 1950 in film involved some significant events.-Events:* February 15 - Walt Disney Studios' animated film Cinderella debuts.-Top grossing films : After theatrical re-issue- Awards :Academy Awards:*Ambush... - Paul BunyanPaul BunyanPaul Bunyan is a lumberjack figure in North American folklore and tradition. One of the most famous and popular North American folklore heroes, he is usually described as a giant as well as a lumberjack of unusual skill, and is often accompanied in stories by his animal companion, Babe the Blue...
released in 19581958 in filmThe year 1958 in film involved some significant events.-Events:* February 16- "In the Money" by William Beaudine is released on this date. It would be the last installment of The Bowery Boys series which began back in 1946.... - John HenryJohn Henry (folklore)John Henry is an American folk hero and tall tale. Henry worked as a "steel-driver"—a man tasked with hammering and chiseling rock in the construction of tunnels for railroad tracks. In the legend, John Henry's prowess as a steel-driver was measured in a race against a steam powered hammer,...
released in 20002000 in home video-Industry milestones:*March 4 - Sony releases PlayStation 2 in Japan. PlayStation 2 is a video game console that also can play DVD.*In the USA, Bringing Out the Dead and Sleepy Hollow are the last two movies to be released on laserdisc by a major studio....
(featuring Alfre WoodardAlfre WoodardAlfre Ette Woodard is an American film, stage, and television actress. She has been nominated once for an Academy Award and Grammy Awards, 17 times for Emmy Awards , and has also won a Golden Globe and three Screen Actors Guild Awards.She is known for her role in films such as Cross Creek, Miss...
as Polly and newcomer Tim HodgeTim HodgeTimothy "Tim" Hodge is an American voice actor, writer and director who works at Big Idea Entertainment in Nashville, Tennessee, where he has worked on the VeggieTales videos as well other projects like 3-2-1 Penguins!....
as McTavish)
The compilation was released February 12, 2002.
Reception
Mike Pinsky, of DVD Verdict, reviewed the compilation saying, "If, as James Earl Jones says in the finale, the message of this film is to "look for the heroes around you and celebrate them," Disney's American Legends is an interesting, if half-hearted, attempt to carry out that advice." Kirby C. Holt, Toon Talk, reviewed the compilation saying, "Although the program definitely presents the shorts in descending order of quality, it ends on a high note with these inspirational words from James Earl Jones: "Look for the heroes around you and celebrate them ... you can find them in the past, in the present, even in the mirror."John Henry
Retells the story of John Henry, who raced against a train.- Director: Mark HennMark HennMark Henn is a Disney animator, whose contributions to animation have included several Disney leading or title characters, most notably heroines. He studied in the Character Animation program at the California Institute of the Arts in the seventies. His work includes Princess Jasmine in Aladdin,...
- Producer: Steven Keller
- Writer: Broose Johnson, Tim HodgeTim HodgeTimothy "Tim" Hodge is an American voice actor, writer and director who works at Big Idea Entertainment in Nashville, Tennessee, where he has worked on the VeggieTales videos as well other projects like 3-2-1 Penguins!....
, Shirley Pierce - Music: Stephen James TaylorStephen James TaylorStephen James Taylor is a Los Angeles based composer best known for his film and TV scores with 4 Emmy nominations , 2 Annie nominations and a DVD-X Award on "Best Original Score to date...
- Art Director: Robert Stanton
Paul Bunyan
Retells the story of Paul Bunyan, a fakeloreFakelore
Fakelore or Pseudo-folklore is inauthentic, manufactured folklore presented as if it were genuinely traditional. The term can refer to new stories or songs made up, or to folklore that is reworked and modified for modern tastes...
lumberjack that was a giant.
- Director: Les ClarkLes ClarkLes Clark was the first of Disney's Nine Old Men. Joining Disney in 1927, he was the only one to work on the origins of Mickey Mouse with Ub Iwerks.- The Disney Studio :...
- Producer: Walt DisneyWalt DisneyWalter Elias "Walt" Disney was an American film producer, director, screenwriter, voice actor, animator, entrepreneur, entertainer, international icon, and philanthropist, well-known for his influence in the field of entertainment during the 20th century. Along with his brother Roy O...
- Writer: Lance Nolley, Ted Berman
- Music: George BrunsGeorge BrunsGeorge Bruns was a composer of music for film and television who worked on many Disney films. He was nominated for four Academy Awards for his work.-Career:...
Johnny Appleseed
Retells the story of Johnny Appleseed, a nurseryman who introduced apple trees to OhioOhio
Ohio is a Midwestern state in the United States. The 34th largest state by area in the U.S.,it is the 7th‑most populous with over 11.5 million residents, containing several major American cities and seven metropolitan areas with populations of 500,000 or more.The state's capital is Columbus...
and Indiana
Indiana
Indiana is a US state, admitted to the United States as the 19th on December 11, 1816. It is located in the Midwestern United States and Great Lakes Region. With 6,483,802 residents, the state is ranked 15th in population and 16th in population density. Indiana is ranked 38th in land area and is...
.
- Director: Wilfred JacksonWilfred JacksonWilfred Jackson was an American animator, arranger, composer and director best known for his work on the Mickey Mouse and Silly Symphonies series of cartoons and the two segments Night on Bald Mountain and Ave Maria of Fantasia from The Walt Disney Company.Wilfred Jackson was born in Chicago,...
- Producer: Walt Disney
- Writer: Winston HiblerWinston HiblerWinston Hibler was an American screenwriter, film producer and director.He was born in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania and died in Burbank, California.-Selected filmography:* Seal Island...
, Erdman Penner - Music: Paul J. Smith
The Brave Engineer
Retells the exploits of railroad engineer Casey JonesCasey Jones
John Luther Jones was an American railroad engineer from Jackson, Tennessee, who worked for the Illinois Central Railroad...
.
- Director: Jack KinneyJack KinneyJack Ryan Kinney was an American animator, director and producer of animated shorts.Jack Kinney attended John Muir Junior High School in Los Angeles, California , and attended John C. Fremont High School there with Roy Williams...
- Producer: Walt Disney
- Writer: Dick KinneyDick KinneyRichard Timothy "Dick" Kinney was an American animator and comic book writer. His comic book work was mostly on Donald Duck and Scrooge McDuck stories. He was the writer who, along with artist Al Hubbard, created Fethry Duck and Hard Haid Moe...
, Dick Shaw - Music: Ken DarbyKen DarbyKenneth Lorin Darby was an American composer, vocal arranger, lyricist, and conductor. His film scores were recognized with three Academy Awards and one Grammy Award.- Personal life :...