"A Special Cartoon"

Release Date August 8, 1952

Running Time 8:19

Synopsis

A small house has to try to compete with progress and the encroaching press of the big city.

Characters

Little House

Credits

Director : Wilfred Jackson

Animation

Hal Ambro

Marc Davis

Les Clark

Clair Weeks

Effects Animation : George Rowley

Layout

McLaren Stewart

Thor Putnam

Background

Ray Huffine

Claude Coats

Eyvind Earle

Narraration : Sterling Holloway

Music : Paul Smith

Story Adaptation

Bill Peet

Bill Cottrell

From the book by Virgina Lee Burton

Videos

Germany

Die Drei Kleinen Schweinchen und der Böse Wolf

Italy

Cartoons Disney 3

Paperino e Soci a Caccia di Guai

Cartoon Festival 3

France

Disney Parade 4

Laserdiscs

Japan

Winnie the Pooh and a Day for Eeyore

Disney Cartoon Festival 4

DVD

United States

Disney Treasures : Disney Rarities: Celebrated Shorts, 1920s - 1960s

It's a Small World of Fun : Volume 4

Technical Specifications

Color Type : Technicolor

Animation type : Standard

Sound mix : Mono

Aspect ration : 1.37 : 1

Negative format : 35mm

Print format : 35mm

Cinematographic process : Spherical

Original language : English

Released by RKO Radio Pictures, Inc.

Comments

From Jesus Daprice : I saw this short on "Walt Disney Presents" last night. I didn't really care for it because it just seemed stupid. The humanized houses were a bit too dumb and seemed a little too juvenile. I prefer the shorts with the classic Disney characters such as Pluto and Goofy.

From Ryan : This short did not interest me at all. All those humanized houses seemed too juvenile for me like something out of a children's book. I do not care for the plot of the short itself either. A small country house is overcrowded by an expanding city and tries to fit in with the other buildings. It just gets too tiring for me.

From Frank : I saw it on German TV a few minutes ago. The plot may be unspectacular, but the animation is no less than awesome. To me it looked like "golden era" (ca. 1940), so I was very surprised to find out it's from 1952.

From Jane Kepros : I have not seen this short in years, but when I was a kid it was another one of my favorites. The story actually did come from a children's book. I loved the animation--I was 8 or 9 the first time I saw this and wanted to be an artist.

From Fred : I saw this video on the Disney Sunday night TV show when I was a little boy. I loved it - there was a commercial break just when it looked like the house was about to be torn down and I had to leave the room to keep from crying, because boys of course don't cry.

When my own son was little a few years ago I finally discovered the original book. It became one of his all-time favorite books and I wish I could find a copy of this short to share with him.

From Patrick : I like this a lot, simple but great story, and a cute character, very original!

From Kimberly : I remember watching this every time I came home sick when I was a kid (which was quite often) and though it may not be the most spectacular Disney short, it is one of my favorites. As a matter of fact, for a long time I wanted to live in the little house.

From Wojtek : This one I saw for the first time when I was about 7 or 8, and I found it very interesting. Due to my age at the time, I didn't remember much from the cartoon, only that there was a little house among other houses (I remembered the one with big keyhole as a nose) and those other houses got burned, and then the bricked city grew around and then got torn down to found metropolis with scyscrapers. It was strange sensation to watch the cartoon after over 10 years. Now it's my favourite cartoon, I like all those humanized houses and machines and everything, and those nice background samples. I can watch it over and over again! Maybe a bit childish cartoon, but a sweet one as well.

From Brook : I loved this cartoon when I was little- it was part of a series of similar cartoons about a little car and a little tugboat as well, I think. The narrators voice was very soothing and happy. It was like a very good bedtime story.

From Willie : I last saw this little story quite some time ago. It brought me to tears. (I'm 6'3 and 260 pounds.) I remember hearing a commentator talk about it some years later, saying that if this story didn't bring tears to your eyes, you need to check your pulse. Yeah, it's a little silly with the animated, "snooty" houses that are next door, but come on... the actual story is quite touching. Now that my wife and I have our own "Little House", I would really like to get a copy of that little cartoon!! Our house reminds me a lot of that adorable little one in the story.

From eboousm : This is one of my favorite books! I was thrilled as a child when I watched the short for the first time. For those who have said it is juvenile, give us a break....not every piece of animation is filled with symbolism and underlying meaning. And guess what...it was made for CHILDREN! If it sounds like a children's book, that's because it was taken from a Caldecott Award-winning book of the same name. I like the fact that the animation stays true to the style of the original illustrations. Definitely one of my favorites and I have been hunting it on video/DVD for years!

From Tricia : Oh my God, I loved this when I was little! I used to watch it over and over again along with other Disney shorts, and I'm so happy to discover that they are available to buy! It'll be like re-discovering my childhood!

From Baruch Weiss : This short looks like an updated Silly Symphony. I liked it, but it's not all that great. I enjoyed the musical score during the title presentation and the two scenes of the bride and groom.

From Bryan Hensley : I never read the original book for this short, or even seen it before. I discovered this short in 2007 as the final one in Disney's It's A Small World of Fun collection. If you think this short is only for kids, look and listen again; there were intoxicated folks ringing in the new year, tons and tons of mayhem and ruckus, and eventually headlines about "new murders" and bars springing up all over the city, along with the skyscrapers! I wonder how the little house survived all that progress in the first place? At least at the end, she was moved to a better and happier place... in the country. What a great way to wrap up such a collection of Disney shorts taking place in different countries!

From love disney classics : I love this short, it brings back so many good memories of my childhood. I would love for the Disney channel to play more of the classics at night for those of us who love them.

From Sydney Simmonds :

I wonder why we don't see the bride and groom and their kids a lot in this short. I would like to live in the country when I grow up.

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