Peter and the Wolf (1946 film)
Encyclopedia
An animated dramatization of the 1936 musical composition
by Sergei Prokofiev
, produced by Walt Disney
, with Sterling Holloway
providing the voice of the narrator. It was originally released theatrically in 1946 as a segment in Make Mine Music
. It was re-issued the following year accompanying a re-issue of Fantasia
(as a short subject before the film), then released separately on home video in the 1990s.
This version makes several changes to the original story, for example:
In Belle's Tales of Friendship
, The Disney version of Peter and the Wolf is featured and narrated by Belle instead of Sterling Holloway.
This version of Peter and the Wolf was featured in House of Mouse and Who Framed Roger Rabbit
, and an audio recording of this version with expanded narration by Sterling Holloway was released on Disneyland Records
(DQ-1242).
The film offers a rather positive view of Russians, and the Russian language
features rather prominently.
Peter and the Wolf
Peter and the Wolf , Op. 67, is a composition written by Sergei Prokofiev in 1936 in the USSR. It is a children's story , spoken by a narrator accompanied by the orchestra....
by Sergei Prokofiev
Sergei Prokofiev
Sergei Sergeyevich Prokofiev was a Russian composer, pianist and conductor who mastered numerous musical genres and is regarded as one of the major composers of the 20th century...
, produced by Walt Disney
Walt Disney
Walter 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...
, with Sterling Holloway
Sterling Holloway
Sterling Price Holloway, Jr. was an American character actor who appeared in 150 films and television programs. He was also a voice actor for The Walt Disney Company...
providing the voice of the narrator. It was originally released theatrically in 1946 as a segment in Make Mine Music
Make Mine Music
Make Mine Music is an animated feature produced by Walt Disney and released to theatres by RKO Radio Pictures on August 15, 1946. It is the eighth animated feature in the Walt Disney Animated Classics series....
. It was re-issued the following year accompanying a re-issue of Fantasia
Fantasia (film)
Fantasia is a 1940 American animated film produced by Walt Disney and released by Walt Disney Productions. The third feature in the Walt Disney Animated Classics series, the film consists of eight animated segments set to pieces of classical music conducted by Leopold Stokowski, seven of which are...
(as a short subject before the film), then released separately on home video in the 1990s.
This version makes several changes to the original story, for example:
- During the character introduction, the pets are given names: "Sasha" the bird, "Sonia" the duck, and "Ivan" the cat.
- As the cartoon begins, Peter and his friends already know there is a wolf nearby, and are preparing to catch him.
- The hunters get names at a later point in the story: "Misha", "Yasha" and "Vladimir".
- Peter day-dreams of hunting and catching the wolf and exits the garden carrying a wooden "pop-gun" rifle with the purpose of hunting the wolf down.
- At the end, in a complete reversal of the original (and to make the story more child-friendly), it turns out that the duck has not been eaten by the wolf. (The wolf is shown chasing the duck, who hides in a tree's trunk. The wolf attacks out of view, and returns in view with some of the duck's feathers in his mouth and licking his jaws. Peter, the cat, and the bird assume the duck has been eaten. After the wolf has been caught, the bird is shown mourning the duck. The duck comes out of the tree trunk at that point and they are happily reunited).
In Belle's Tales of Friendship
Belle's Tales of Friendship
Belle's Tales of Friendship is a live-action/animated Disney film released direct-to-video as a midquel to Beauty and the Beast. It was also released to help promote Disney Channel's television series, Sing Me a Story with Belle, for which Belle tells stories about classic cartoons such as The...
, The Disney version of Peter and the Wolf is featured and narrated by Belle instead of Sterling Holloway.
This version of Peter and the Wolf was featured in House of Mouse and Who Framed Roger Rabbit
Who Framed Roger Rabbit
Who Framed Roger Rabbit is a 1988 American fantasy-comedy-noir film directed by Robert Zemeckis and released by Touchstone Pictures. The film combines live action and animation, and is based on Gary K. Wolf's novel Who Censored Roger Rabbit?, which depicts a world in which cartoon characters...
, and an audio recording of this version with expanded narration by Sterling Holloway was released on Disneyland Records
Disneyland Records
Disneyland Records is the original name of the Walt Disney Company's record company.After long associations with primarily RCA Victor Records, with a few select titles on Capitol, Disneyland Records was established by the Disney studio in 1956 with its first release entitled A Child's Garden of...
(DQ-1242).
The film offers a rather positive view of Russians, and the Russian language
Russian language
Russian is a Slavic language used primarily in Russia, Belarus, Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan. It is an unofficial but widely spoken language in Ukraine, Moldova, Latvia, Turkmenistan and Estonia and, to a lesser extent, the other countries that were once constituent republics...
features rather prominently.