From Brenda Edins : This animated short has had a lasting impact on me. I believe it is one of the best I have ever seen. The care taken with the story and music are apparent. Thank you, Disney, for such an uplifting, delightful treatment of a classic tale!

From Steve Puddicombe : I'm commenting more on the soundtrack of this short rather than the film itself: I had a recording of the soundtrack as a kid and it had a profound affect upon me. The gentle kindness and generosity of Johnny was just so different from the rest of the media representations of American heroes. I must say that I identified with his character strongly and, looking back, it surprises me that such a character emerged out of the Hollywood of the time. Dennis Day is simply magnificent as the voices of all the characters. The animation is average but the presentation as a whole, so iconoclastic, is an American classic.

From Ryan : I enjoy this short quite a bit. It is the retelling of the famous American folktale about the man who planted apple trees wherever he went. The square dance scene with the pioneers by their wagon train reminds me of the Martins and the Coys segment from "Make Mine Music." One thing I noticed about this short is that there is a chipmunk who looks similar to the early Chip and Dale from their debut in Private Pluto.

From Linda Means : I will be 50 this year and sometimes have a hard time remembering things from my childhood. (It seems so far away) However, one of the clearest memories I have is of the Disney short "Johnny Appleseed." The gentleness of this man and his simple mission has remained with me all these years. I enjoyed the songs sung by Dennis Day and can still recall many words of the lyrics. I would love to have this film to watch with my grandchildren but don't know if there is a way to purchase it. It is a credit to the filmmakers that this movie can still hold it's own 53 years after it was made.

From Jeannie : This is a wonderful short. So gentle. I am especially fond of the Johnny Appleseed song. After each performance, our local high school marching band hold hands and sing the song. I suppose this is instead of public prayer! It is very touching to hear!

From Don Leeman : My son enjoyed the story on 45 rpm record when he was small, and now he has a daughter aged 3 1/2. She loves to visit our local orchard to pick apples, so the other day I told her the story of Johnny Appleseed. She sat quietly, and I wasn't even sure she was listening, but when I saw her again the first thing she asked for was for me to repeat the story! Then were fortunate to find it on a Disney video, and I'll bet she has watched it 10 times already! Our thanks to the original creators and to those who preserved and re-created it so well!

From Terri Wood : I rate this story a 10! My kids absolutely love it and I watch it right along with them. I really enjoy the songs in this short story. My 6 year old loves the "Apple Song" and tries to remember as many things as he can that are made with apples. Jacob is going to be Johnny Appleseed this Wednesday at school because he is required to dress up as an early American historical figure. Thanks to you he is excited about it.

From Douglas Blades : Well this one's got to be a 10! I bought a collection of old Disney soundtrack EPs and the song "The Lord Is Good To Me" just jumped out from the others. I couldn't understand why I'd never heard it before. The record label said the song came from "Melody Time" which I'd never heard of so I tracked down a copy of the DVD on the internet. By this time my three young daughters were getting used to me playing the song and they liked it too! When the DVD arrived and we watched it, the Johnny Appleseed short stood out from all the others. A lovely story told in a wonderful way with some lovely background artwork and that wonderful song. It's the Christian theme throughout that I find exceptional, a Disney song thanking God and references to the Holy Book! No mainstream producer would dare produce something like that nowadays - more's the pity! We've watched it many times and still enjoy it.

From Deborah Goschy : I watched the short of Johnny Appleseed a few years ago at a school. I was touched by the goodness of this figure by history, as well as the spirituality of the person.

From Baruch Weiss : Yet another great segment from 'Melody Time' I enjoyed the background art and animation as well as the songs such as "The Lord Is Good To Me" among others. As Ryan has pointed out one of the chipmunks looks like Chip or Dale from Private Pluto.

From Mary : I wish I still had my original LP of this short. Every time it came onto the Wonderful World of Disney I was transfixed by it. No religion was endorsed in my childhood home, so this was my first taste of it. To this day, "The Lord is Good To Me" is an anthem I live by. I love this story and many other old west legends that Disney chose to illustrate so epically. Ah...those were the days!

From Gwen Gilliland : Wow! My 3 and 5 year old kids and I rent this video from our library. I am thrilled to hear my son (5) singing "The Lord's been good to me" while he daydreams. He doesn't have the lyrics correct, but close enough. I am so happy when I hear him sing parts of this song. Makes me feel like he has love in his heart and responds to goodness. So glad I found this site and could get the lyrics to the whole song. I will memorize them so I can teach my son. Here's to Johnny Appleseed! And a job well done by Disney!

Johnny Appleseed

From "Melody Time"

Synopsis

Characters

Credits

Director

Animation

Backgrounds

Effects Animation

Layout

Story

Music

Color and Styling

Voices

Video

United States

Germany

Italy

Laserdiscs

Japan

DVD

United States

Germany

France

Italy

Sweden

United Kingdom

Television

Technical Specification

Released by RKO Radio Pictures, Inc.

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