Editing Fun and Fancy Free

{{short description|1947 film produced by Walt Disney and Ben Sharpsteen}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=March 2025}}
{{Use American English|date=April 2025}}
{{Infobox film
| name           = Fun and Fancy Free
| image          = funfanposter.jpg
| caption        = Original theatrical release poster
| director       = {{indented plainlist|
* [[Jack Kinney]] (animation)
* Bill Roberts (animation)
* [[Hamilton Luske]] (animation)
* [[William Morgan (director)|William Morgan]] {{nowrap|(live action)}}
}}
| producer       = {{plainlist|
*[[Walt Disney]]
*[[Ben Sharpsteen]]}}
| story          = {{Plainlist|
* [[Homer Brightman]]
* [[Eldon Dedini]]
* Lance Nolley
* Tom Oreb
* Harry Reeves
* [[Ted Sears]]
}}
| based_on       = {{Based on|"[[Little Bear Bongo]]"|[[Sinclair Lewis]] (''Bongo'')|"[[Jack and the Beanstalk]]" (''[[Mickey and the Beanstalk]]'')}}
| starring       = {{Plainlist|<!--Per poster-->
* [[Edgar Bergen]]
* [[Dinah Shore]]
}}
| music          = {{Plainlist|
* [[Oliver Wallace]]
* [[Paul Smith (composer)|Paul Smith]]
* [[Eliot Daniel]]
* [[Charles Wolcott]]
}}
| editing        = Jack Bachom
| studio         = [[Walt Disney Animation Studios|Walt Disney Productions]]
| distributor    = [[RKO Radio Pictures]]
| released       = {{Film date|1947|09|27}}
| runtime        = 73 minutes
| country        = United States
| language       = English
| budget         = 
| gross          = $3.165 million (worldwide rentals)<ref name="Jewell">{{cite journal|last=Sedgwick|first=John|title=Richard B. Jewell's RKO Film Grosses, 1929–51: The C. J. Trevlin Ledger: A comment.|journal=Historical Journal of Film, Radio and Television|volume=14|issue=1|pages=51–58|year=1994|doi=10.1080/01439689400260041}}</ref>
}}
'''''Fun and Fancy Free''''' is a 1947 American animated [[musical film|musical]] [[fantasy film|fantasy]] [[anthology film]] produced by [[Walt Disney]] and [[Ben Sharpsteen]] and released on September 27, 1947, by [[RKO Radio Pictures]]. The film is a compilation of two stories: ''Bongo'', narrated by [[Dinah Shore]] and loosely based on the short story "[[Little Bear Bongo]]" by [[Sinclair Lewis]]; and ''[[Mickey and the Beanstalk]]'', narrated by [[Edgar Bergen]] and based on the "[[Jack and the Beanstalk]]" fairy tale. Though the film is primarily animated, it also uses live-action segments starring [[Edgar Bergen]] to join its two stories.

==Plot==
{{long plot|date=April 2025}}
[[Jiminy Cricket]] first appears inside a large plant in a large house, exploring and singing "I'm a Happy-go-Lucky Fellow", until he happens to stumble upon a [[doll]], a [[teddy bear]], and a record player with some records, one of which is ''Bongo'', a musical [[romance film|romance story]] narrated by actress [[Dinah Shore]]. Jiminy decides to set up the record player to play the story of ''Bongo''.

The story follows the adventures of a circus bear named Bongo who longs for freedom in the wild. Bongo is raised in captivity and is praised for his performances, but is poorly treated once he is off stage. As such, while traveling on a [[circus train]], his [[natural instinct]]s (the call of the wild) urge him to break free. As soon as he escapes and enters a forest, a day passes before his idealistic assessment of his new living situation has been emotionally shattered, and he experiences some hard conditions.

The next morning, however, he meets a female bear named Lulubelle. The two bears [[love at first sight|immediately fall in love]], until Bongo soon faces a romantic rival in the bush.  An enormously-shaped rogue bear named Lumpjaw.  Bongo fails to interpret Lulubelle slapping him as a sign of affection, and when she accidentally slaps Lumpjaw, he claims her for himself, forcing all other bears into a celebration for the happy new couple. Bongo comes to understand the meaning of slapping one another among wild bears and returns to challenge Lumpjaw. He manages to outwit Lumpjaw for much of their fight until the two fall into a treacherous river and go over the waterfall. While Lumpjaw is presumably swept away and never to be seen again, Bongo's hat saves him from falling down, and he finally claims Lulubelle as his mate.

After the story is over, Jiminy starts to walk out. But then he notices a birthday invitation to [[Luana Patten]]. A party is taking place in the house across the way with Charlie McCarthy, Mortimer Snerd and Edgar Bergen. Excited, he exits the house out a window and hops over to the house across the way. He quietly and obliviously attends the party while Luana, Charlie, Mortimer and Edgar party together. Edgar decides to tell a story to entertain them.

{{anchor|beanstalk}}In a parody of "[[Jack and the Beanstalk]]", a jovial countryside land called Happy Valley, kept alive at all times by a singing golden [[Harp]], is suddenly plagued by a severe drought and falls into turmoil and depression after the instrument is stolen from the castle by a mysterious figure. After weeks pass, there are only peasants remaining, the story then looks into three of them: [[Mickey Mouse|Mickey]], [[Donald Duck|Donald]], and [[Goofy]]. The trio have but just one loaf of bread and a single solitary bean to eat to share, but Donald, driven [[insanity|insane]] by his hunger, attempts to make a sandwich out of plates and silverware, before trying to kill the trio's pet cow with an [[axe]]. Mickey decides to sell the cow for money to buy food.

Goofy and Donald are excited about eating more food again until Mickey comes back and reveals that he sold the cow in exchange for a container of beans that are said to be magical. Thinking that Mickey had been conned, an angry Donald throws the beans down a hole in the floor. However, it turns out that the beans are truly magical as later that night, a gigantic beanstalk grows, taking the house with it.

The next morning, Mickey, Donald, and Goofy soon find themselves at the top of the beanstalk and in a magical kingdom of enormous scope, where they appear to be tiny compared to their surroundings. They eventually make their way to a huge castle, where they help themselves to a sumptuous feast. There, they stumble across the harp locked inside a small box, and she explains that she was kidnapped by a "wicked" giant. Immediately after, [[Willie the Giant|a giant named Willie]] enters, grunting angrily while simultaneously breaking into a happy song while demonstrating his powers of [[flight]], [[invisibility]], and [[shapeshifting]].

As Willie prepares to eat lunch, he catches Mickey hiding in his sandwich after Mickey sneezes when Willie pours some chilli pepper onto the sandwich. Mickey then plays palm reader and gains the giant's trust. Willie offers to show off his powers, and Mickey, spotting a nearby fly-swatter, requests that he change himself into a fly. However, Willie suggests turning into a pink bunny instead, and as he does,  he sees Mickey, Donald, and Goofy with the fly-swatter. Angered, Willie captures Donald and Goofy and locks them in the harp's chest, while Mickey who gets away unseen.

With the help of the musical harp, who begins singing Willie to sleep, Mickey frees his friends and they make a break for it with the harp. However, Willie wakes up from his sleep and spots them, giving chase all the way to the beanstalk. Mickey stalls him long enough for Donald and Goofy to reach the bottom as they begin to saw down the beanstalk. Mickey arrives just in time to help his friends finish the job, and the giant, who was climbing down, falls to his supposed death.

Back at Edgar Bergen's home, he finishes his story, saying that with the return of the harp, Happy Valley returned to prosperity. He then cheers up Mortimer, who was mourning Willie's death. Just as Edgar says that Willie is a fictional character, the giant appears, having survived the fall, tearing the roof off Bergen's house. Willie inquires about Mickey's whereabouts, but Edgar faints in shock while Mortimer tells Willie goodnight. The movie then ends with Jiminy leaving the house and Willie stalking through [[Hollywood, Los Angeles|Hollywood]], searching for Mickey.

==Cast==
* [[Edgar Bergen]] – himself, [[Charlie McCarthy]], and [[Mortimer Snerd]]
* [[Luana Patten]] – herself
* [[Dinah Shore]] – singer, the narrator, and Lulubelle
* [[Jimmy MacDonald (sound effects artist)|Jimmy MacDonald]] – Bongo, Lumpjaw, [[Chip and Dale]]
* [[Cliff Edwards]] – [[Jiminy Cricket]]
* [[Walt Disney]] – [[Mickey Mouse]]
* [[Clarence Nash]] – [[Donald Duck]]
* [[Pinto Colvig]] – [[Goofy]]
* [[Billy Gilbert]] – [[Willie the Giant]]
* [[Anita Gordon]] – The Golden Harp

==Production==
During the 1940s, ''Mickey and the Beanstalk'' and ''Bongo'' were originally going to be developed as two separate feature films.

In the late 1930s, Mickey's popularity fell behind Donald Duck, Goofy, Pluto, [[Max Fleischer]]'s [[Popeye]] and [[Warner Bros. Cartoons|Warner Bros.]]' [[Porky Pig]]. To boost his popularity, Disney and his artists created cartoons such as "[[Brave Little Tailor]]" and "[[The Sorcerer's Apprentice]]", the latter of which was later included in ''[[Fantasia (1940 film)|Fantasia]]'' (1940). In early 1940, during production on ''Fantasia'', animators Bill Cottrell and [[T. Hee]] had [[Pitch (filmmaking)|pitched]] the idea of a feature film based on ''[[Jack and the Beanstalk]]'' starring Mickey Mouse as Jack and with Donald Duck and Goofy as supporting characters. When they pitched it to Disney, he "burst out laughing with tears rolling down his cheeks with joy", as Cottrell and Hee later recalled. Disney enjoyed the pitch so much he invited other employees to listen to it. However, he said that, as much as he enjoyed the pitch of the film, the film itself would never go into production, because, as Disney claimed, they "murdered [his] characters".{{sfn|Gabler|2006|pp=425–26}} However, Cottrell and Hee were able to talk Disney into giving it the green-light and story development as ''The Legend of Happy Valley'', which began production on May 2, 1940.<ref name="fancyfree">{{cite video|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5k58ee1JfIM |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211212/5k58ee1JfIM| archive-date=2021-12-12 |url-status=live|title=The Story Behind Fun and Fancy Free|year=1997|type=Bonus feature|format=VHS|publisher=Walt Disney Home Video|via=YouTube}}{{cbignore}}</ref>

The original treatment was more-or-less the same as what became the final film. However, there were a few deleted scenes. For example, there was a scene in which Mickey took the cow to market where he meets [[The Fox and the Cat|Honest John and Gideon]] from ''[[Pinocchio (1940 film)|Pinocchio]]'' who con him into trading his cow for the "magic beans".<ref name="fancyfree" /> Another version had a scene where Mickey gave the cow to the Queen (played by [[Minnie Mouse]]) as a gift, and in return she gave him the magic beans. However, both scenes were cut when the story was trimmed for ''Fun and Fancy Free'' and the film does not explain how Mickey got the beans.<ref name="fancyfree" />

Shortly after the rough animation on ''[[Dumbo]]'' was complete in May 1941, ''The Legend of Happy Valley'' went into production, using many of the same animation crew, although RKO doubted it would be a success.{{sfn|Barrier|1999|pp=280, 309}} Since it was a simple, low-budget film, in six months, fifty minutes had been animated on ''Happy Valley''. Then on October 27, 1941, due to the [[Disney animators' strike]] and [[World War II]] which had cut off Disney's foreign release market caused serious debts so Disney put ''The Legend of Happy Valley'' on hold.{{sfn|Barrier|1999|p=309}}

Meanwhile, production was starting on ''Bongo'', a film based on the short story written by Sinclair Lewis for ''[[Cosmopolitan (magazine)|Cosmopolitan]]'' magazine in 1930. It was suggested that ''Bongo'' could be a sequel to ''[[Dumbo]]'' and some of the cast from the 1941 film would appear as supporting characters;<ref name="fancyfree"/> however, the idea never fully materialized. In earlier drafts, Bongo had a [[Common chimpanzee|chimpanzee]] as a friend and partner in his circus act. She was first called "Beverly" then "Chimpy", but the character was ultimately dropped when condensing the story.<ref name="fancyfree"/> Bongo and Chimpy also encountered two mischievous bear cubs who were dropped.<ref name="fancyfree"/> Originally, the designs for the characters were more realistic, but when paired for ''Fun and Fancy Free'' the designs were simplified and drawn more cartoony.<ref name="fancyfree"/> The script was nearly completed by December 8, 1941, the day after the attack on [[Pearl Harbor]].<ref name="fancyfree"/>

On that same day, the United States military took control of the studio and commissioned Walt Disney Productions to produce instructional and war propaganda films in which pre-production work on ''Bongo'' and early versions of ''[[Alice in Wonderland (1951 film)|Alice in Wonderland]]'' and ''[[Peter Pan (1953 film)|Peter Pan]]'' were shelved.<ref>{{cite book|last=Thomas|first=Bob|title=Walt Disney: An American Original|edition=2nd|year=1994|publisher=Disney Editions|isbn=978-0-786-86027-2|pages=175–177}}</ref> During and after the war, Disney stopped producing single narrative feature films due to costs and decided to make [[anthology film|package films]] consisting of animated shorts to make feature films. He did this during the war on ''[[Saludos Amigos]]'' and ''[[The Three Caballeros]]'' and continued after the war until he had enough money to make a single narrative feature again.

Disney felt that since the animation of ''Bongo'' and ''The Legend of Happy Valley'' (which had been renamed ''Mickey and the Beanstalk'') was not sophisticated enough to be a Disney animated feature film, the artists decided to include the story in a package film.{{sfn|Barrier|1999|p=309}} Throughout the 1940s, Disney had suggested to pair ''Mickey and the Beanstalk'' with ''The Wind in the Willows'' (which was in production around this time) into a package film tentatively titled ''Two Fabulous Characters''.{{sfn|Barrier|1999|p=394}} Ultimately, ''Mickey and the Beanstalk'' was cut from ''Two Fabulous Characters'' and paired with ''Bongo'' instead. By late 1947, ''Wind in the Willows'' was paired with ''The Legend of Sleepy Hollow'' and re-titled ''[[The Adventures of Ichabod and Mr Toad]]''.{{sfn|Gabler|2006|p=458}}

Disney had provided the voice for Mickey Mouse since his debut in 1928, and ''Fun and Fancy Free'' was the last time he would voice the role regularly, as he no longer had the time or energy to do so. Disney recorded most of Mickey's dialogue in the spring and summer of 1941. Sound effects artist [[Jimmy MacDonald (sound effects artist)|Jimmy MacDonald]] would become the character's new voice actor, starting in 1948.{{sfn|Gabler|2006|p=426}} Disney, however, did reprise the role for the introduction to the original 1955–1959 run of ''[[The Mickey Mouse Club]]''.<ref>{{cite AV media|title="Color Titles from 'The Mickey Mouse Club'"|series=''[[Walt Disney Treasures: Wave Three|Walt Disney Treasures: Mickey Mouse in Living Color, Volume 2]]''|medium=DVD|year=2005|publisher=Walt Disney Video}}</ref>

Celebrities Edgar Bergen and Dinah Shore introduced the segments in order to appeal to a mass audience. [[Jiminy Cricket]] from ''[[Pinocchio (1940 film)|Pinocchio]]'' sings "I'm a Happy-Go-Lucky Fellow", a song written for and cut from ''Pinocchio'' before its release.<ref name="fancyfree"/>

==Reception==
===Critical reception===
[[Bosley Crowther]] of ''[[The New York Times]]'' favorably stated that "Within the familiar framework of the Walt Disney story-cartoon, that magical gentleman and his associates have knocked out a gay and colorful show—nothing brave and inspired but just plain happy&nbsp;... And while the emphasis is more on the first part than on the second part of that compound, it's okay."<ref>{{cite web|last=Crowther|first=Bosley|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1947/09/29/archives/-fun-and-fancy-free-a-disney-cartoon-with-bongoescaped-circus-bear-.html|title='Fun and Fancy Free,' a Disney Cartoon, With Bongo, Escaped Circus Bear, Provides Gay and Colorful Show at Globe|newspaper=The New York Times|date=September 29, 1947|access-date=March 28, 2018}}</ref> [[John McCarten]] of ''[[The New Yorker]]'' wrote critically of the film, stating that "Walt Disney, who seems to have been aiming for mediocrity in his recent productions, has not even hit his mark" with this film.<ref>{{cite magazine|last=McCarten|first=John|url=https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/1947/10/04/1947-10-04-085-tny-cards-000023839|title=The Current Cinema|magazine=The New Yorker|page=85|issn=0028-792X|date=October 4, 1947|url-access=subscription}}</ref> ''[[Time (magazine)|Time]]'' was similarly critical of the film, stating that "In spite of the Disney technical skill, it has never been a very good idea to mix cartoons and live actors. With genial showmanship, Mr. Bergen & Co. barely manage to save their part of the show. Most of the Bongo section is just middle-grade Disney, not notably inspired. And once Mickey & friends get involved with Willie, the whole picture peters out and becomes as oddly off-balance and inconsequential as its title."<ref>{{cite magazine|url=https://content.time.com/time/subscriber/article/0,33009,804368,00.html|title=The New Pictures|magazine=Time|page=103|issn=0040-781X|date=October 20, 1947|access-date=April 8, 2018}}</ref> ''[[Variety (magazine)|Variety]]'' called it a "dull and tiresome film", remarking that "all the technical work and all the names in the world can't compensate for [a] lack of imagination."<ref>{{cite news|url=https://archive.org/details/variety167-1947-08/page/n119/mode/2up|title=Film Reviews: Fun and Fancy Free|work=Variety|page=16|date=August 20, 1947|access-date=July 15, 2021|via=[[Internet Archive]]}}</ref>

Barbara Shulgasser-Parker of [[Common Sense Media]] gave the film three out of five stars, praising the [[traditional animation|hand-drawn, frame-by-frame animation]] of the film, and citing it as an example of "the Disney accomplishment and finesse". She recommended the film to children who can handle [[peril]] and [[cartoon violence]].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.commonsensemedia.org/movie-reviews/fun-and-fancy-free/|title=Fun and Fancy Free|author=Barbara Shulgasser-Parker|work=Common Sense Media|date=29 June 2017|access-date=November 12, 2017}}</ref> ''[[TV Guide]]'' gave the film three out of five stars, claiming that the ''Bongo'' portion of the film is "maudlin and overlong", but that the ''Mickey and the Beanstalk'' portion is "highly amusing", praising character actor Billy Gilbert's characterization of Willie, the animation in the film, the live-action footage with Edgar Bergen and his dummies, and Cliff "Ukulele Ike" Edwards's performance as the voice of Jiminy. They noted that the film "is a relatively minor work in the Disney oeuvre", but "still quite entertaining".<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.tvguide.com/movies/fun-fancy-free/review/124027/|title=Fun And Fancy Free|work=TV Guide|access-date=November 12, 2017}}</ref>

Dustin Putman{{importance inline}} reviewed the film with {{frac|2|1|2}} stars out of 4, stating that {{"'}}Bongo' is frequently delightful, but with one caveat: it is glaringly antiquated in its views of romance and gender roles. The parting message—that a couple should say they love each other with a slap—is bizarrely funny for all the wrong reasons." They also described ''Mickey and the Beanstalk'' as "an amiable but forgettable telling of 'Jack and the Beanstalk{{'"}}.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.dustinputman.com/bluray/4947_adventures.htm|title=The Adventures of Ichabod and Mr. Toad/ Fun & Fancy Free (1949/1947)|first=Dustin |last=Putman|access-date=November 14, 2017}}</ref> [[Review aggregator]] website [[Rotten Tomatoes]] reported that {{RT data|score}} of critics gave the film positive reviews based on {{RT data|count|spell=y}} reviews with an average rating of {{RT data|average}}. Its consensus states that "Though it doesn't quite live up to its title, ''Fun and Fancy Free'' has its moments, and it's a rare opportunity to see Mickey, Donald, and Goofy together."<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/fun_and_fancy_free|title=Fun and Fancy Free (1947)|website=[[Rotten Tomatoes]]|publisher=[[Fandango Media|Fandango]]|access-date={{RT data|access date}}}}{{RT data|edit}}</ref>

===Box-office===
By the end of its theatrical run, the film had grossed $3,165,000 in worldwide rentals with $2,040,000 being generated in the United States and Canada.<ref name="Jewell" />

==Music==
{{Infobox album
| name       = Fun and Fancy Free
| type       = Studio album
| artist     = [[Oliver Wallace]], [[Paul Smith (composer)|Paul Smith]], [[Eliot Daniel]] and [[Charles Wolcott]]
| cover      =
| alt        =
| released   = 1947
| recorded   = 
| venue      =
| studio     =
| genre      = 
| length     =
| label      = [[Walt Disney Records|Disneyland Records]]
| chronology   = [[Walt Disney Records discography|Walt Disney Animation Studios]] soundtrack
| prev_title   = [[Make Mine Music#Music|Make Mine Music]]
| prev_year    = 1946
| next_title   = [[Melody Time#Music|Melody Time]]
| next_year    = 1948
}}

===''Bongo''===

{{Track listing
| all_writing     = 
| all_lyrics      = 
| all_music       = 
| extra_column    = Performer(s)

| title1          = Fun and Fancy Free
| writer1         = [[Bennie Benjamin]] & [[George David Weiss]]
| extra1          = [[Cliff Edwards]] & [[The Starlighters]]

| title2          = I'm a Happy-Go-Lucky Fellow
| writer2         = [[Ned Washington]] & [[Eliot Daniel]] 
| extra2          = [[Cliff Edwards]]

| title3          = Lazy Countryside
| writer3         = [[Bobby Worth]]
| extra3          = [[Dinah Shore]] & [[the Dinning Sisters]]

| title4          = Too Good to Be True
| writer4         = [[Buddy Kaye]] & [[Eliot Daniel]]
| extra4          = [[Dinah Shore]]

| title5          = Say It with a Slap
| writer5         = [[Buddy Kaye]] & [[Eliot Daniel]]
| extra5          = [[Dinah Shore]] & The King's Men

| title6          = Too Good To Be True (Reprise)
| writer6         = [[Buddy Kaye]] & [[Eliot Daniel]]
| extra6          = [[Dinah Shore]]
}}

===''Mickey and the Beanstalk''===

{{Track listing
| all_writing     = 
| all_lyrics      = 
| all_music       = 
| extra_column    = Performer(s)

| title1          = My, What a Happy Day
| writer1         = [[Bill Walsh (producer)|Bill Walsh]] & [[Ray Noble]]
| extra1          = Anita Gordon & The King's Men

| title2          = [[Funiculì, Funiculà|Eat Until I Die]]
| writer2         = 
| extra2          = [[Pinto Colvig]] & [[Clarence Nash]]

| title3          = Fee-Fi-Fo-Fum
| writer3         = [[Paul Smith (composer)|Paul J. Smith]]
| extra3          = [[Billy Gilbert]]

| title4          = My Favorite Dream
| writer4         = [[Bill Walsh (producer)|Bill Walsh]] & [[Ray Noble]]
| extra4          = Anita Gordon

| title5          = Fun and Fancy Free (Reprise)
| writer5         = [[Bennie Benjamin]] & [[George David Weiss]]
| extra5          = [[Cliff Edwards]] & [[The Starlighters]]
}}

==Release==
===Home media===
''Fun and Fancy Free'' was first released on [[VHS]] in the United States by [[Walt Disney Studios Home Entertainment|Walt Disney Home Video]] in 1982 for its 35th anniversary.<ref>{{cite book|chapter-url=https://books.google.com/books?id=YtJKDwAAQBAJ&dq=fun+and+fancy+free+1982&pg=PA119|chapter=Fun and Fancy Free|title=100 Greatest American and British Animated Films|author=Thomas S. Hischak|publisher=Rowman & Littlefield|year=2018|page=119|isbn=9781538105696 |quote=The VHS version came out in 1982}}</ref> It was re-released on VHS and [[LaserDisc]] in the United States and Canada on July 15, 1997, in a fully restored 50th anniversary limited edition as part of the Walt Disney Masterpiece Collection. For this release, both home video versions were [[THX]] certified.<ref>{{cite news |last=Clark |first=Mike |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/statesman-journal-overrated-shine-pat/154321662/ |title=Overrated 'Shine' pat but powerful
|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240830221958/https://www.newspapers.com/article/statesman-journal-overrated-shine-pat/154321662/ |date=July 25, 1997 |access-date=August 30, 2024 |archive-date=August 30, 2024 |page=56 |work=Gannett News Service |publisher=[[Statesman Journal]] |via=[[Newspapers.com]] |url-status=live}} {{Open access}}</ref> The film was re-released on VHS and made its DVD debut on June 20, 2000 as part of the Walt Disney Gold Classic Collection.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.laughingplace.com/News-ID10001170.asp|title=Walt Disney Home Video Debuts the "Gold Classic Collection"|publisher=The Laughing Place|access-date=March 28, 2018}}</ref> The film was released in a 2-Movie collection [[Blu-ray]] with ''[[The Adventures of Ichabod and Mr. Toad]]'' on August 12, 2014.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.blu-ray.com/movies/The-Adventures-of-Ichabod-and-Mr-Toad-and-Fun-and-Fancy-Free-Blu-ray/52495/|title=The Adventures of Ichabod and Mr. Toad / Fun and Fancy Free Blu-ray 2-Movie Collection / Blu-ray + DVD|work=Blu-ray.com|access-date=August 25, 2017}}</ref>

==Availability of the shorts as separate features==
Although the two shorts were not individual full-length features, as was the original intention, they did air as individual episodes on [[Walt Disney anthology series|Walt Disney's anthology TV series]] in the 1950s and 1960s.

===''Bongo''===
''Bongo'' aired as an individual episode on a 1955 episode of the Walt Disney anthology series with new introductory segments, which used Jiminy Cricket's narration and singing in lieu of Dinah Shore's. The short was released separately in 1989 in the Walt Disney Mini-Classics VHS line.

===''Mickey and the Beanstalk''===
The short aired as an individual episode on the Walt Disney anthology series twice with new introductory segments, first in 1955, with [[Sterling Holloway]] replacing Edgar Bergen as the narrator after being introduced by Walt Disney. Holloway's narration was released as a stand-alone short in such venues as the 1980s television series ''[[Good Morning, Mickey!]]''. This version also frequently aired alongside ''[[Dumbo]]'' during the 1980s. A brief clip of this version was one of many featured in ''[[Donald Duck's 50th Birthday]]''.

''Mickey and the Beanstalk'' aired as a short film on a 1963 episode of the Walt Disney anthology series with new introductory segments featuring [[Ludwig Von Drake]] (voiced by [[Paul Frees]]).  Von Drake replaces Edgar Bergen as the narrator in the 1963 version, for which he has a ''Bootle-Beetle'' companion named Herman (replacing the sassy comments of Edgar Bergen's ventriloquist dummy Charlie McCarthy). In the short film version of the feature, Ludwig Von Drake reads a book about [[fairy tale]]s in which he shows four pictures and clips from a few of Disney's most well-known animated features, including the [[Evil Queen (Disney)|Evil Queen]] transforming herself into an old hag in ''[[Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs (1937 film)|Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs]]'' (1937) and [[Maleficent]] transforming herself into a dragon in ''[[Sleeping Beauty (1959 film)|Sleeping Beauty]]'' (1959). The Ludwig Von Drake version of ''Mickey and the Beanstalk'' was released separately in 1988 in the Walt Disney Mini-Classics line. This version was then re-released, in 1994, as part of the Disney Favorite Stories collection. The Ludwig Von Drake version of the feature is available as part of the Disney Animation Collection (Volume 1).

A third version of ''Mickey and the Beanstalk'' was featured on the Disney television show "[[The Mouse Factory]]", which aired from 1972 to 1974. This version starred [[Shari Lewis]] and Lamb Chop.

In 2004, the theatrical version of ''Mickey and the Beanstalk'' (with Edgar Bergen's narration) was released as a bonus feature on the [[Walt Disney Treasures]] set ''Mickey Mouse in Living Color, Volume Two''.

==Directing animators==
* [[Ward Kimball]] (Bongo segment: Bongo Meets Lumpjaw)
* [[Les Clark]] (Animation supervision: Bongo)
* [[John Lounsbery]] (Willie the Giant)
* [[Fred Moore (animator)|Fred Moore]] (Bongo Meets Lullabelle, Mickey Mouse)
* [[Wolfgang Reitherman]] (Goofy, Mickey and Donald, Starvation sequence)
* [[Art Babbitt]] (Bongo)

==See also==
* [[1947 in film]]
* [[List of American films of 1947]]
* [[List of Walt Disney Pictures films]]
* [[List of Disney theatrical animated features]]
* [[List of animated feature films of the 1940s]]
* [[List of highest-grossing animated films]]
* [[List of films with live action and animation]]
* [[List of package films]]
* [[List of Disney animated films based on fairy tales]]

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==Bibliography==
{{Refbegin}}
* {{cite book|last=Barrier|first=Michael|title=Hollywood Cartoons: American Animation in Its Golden Age|url=https://archive.org/details/hollywoodcartoon00barr|url-access=registration|year=1999|publisher=[[University of California Press]]|isbn=978-0-520-25619-4}}
*{{cite book|last=Gabler|first=Neal|title=Walt Disney: The Triumph of the American Imagination|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=41e-Ru0wRkEC|year=2006|publisher=Vintage Books|isbn=978-0-679-75747-4}}
{{Refend}}

==Further reading==
* {{cite book |last=Kaufman |first=J. B. |title=The Making of Walt Disney's Fun and Fancy Free |year=2019 |location=[[Orcutt, California|Orcutt]] |publisher=Hyperion Historical Alliance Press |isbn=978-0-578-52744-4}}

==External links==
{{wikiquote}}
* {{Official website|http://movies.disney.com/fun-fancy-free}}
* {{IMDb title|0039404}}
* {{TCMDb title|75826|Fun and Fancy Free}}
* {{Rotten Tomatoes|fun_and_fancy_free}}
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{{TV series and movies set in the Mickey Mouse universe}}
{{Disney theatrical animated features}}
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{{Jiminy Cricket in animation}}
{{Mickey Mouse in animation}}
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{{Goofy in animation}}
{{Hamilton Luske}}
{{William Morgan (director)}}
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[[Category:1947 American animated films]]
[[Category:1940s children's animated films]]
[[Category:1940s English-language films]]
[[Category:1940s musical fantasy films]]
[[Category:1947 films]]
[[Category:1947 musical comedy films]]
[[Category:1940s children's fantasy films]]
[[Category:1947 romantic comedy films]]
[[Category:American anthology films]]
[[Category:American children's animated comedy films]]
[[Category:American children's animated fantasy films]]
[[Category:American children's animated musical films]]
[[Category:American films with live action and animation]]
[[Category:American musical fantasy films]]
[[Category:American romantic comedy films]]
[[Category:Animated films about bears]]
[[Category:Animated films about friendship]]
[[Category:Animated romance films]]
[[Category:Circus films]]
[[Category:Donald Duck films]]
[[Category:Films about giants]]
[[Category:Animated films based on Jack and the Beanstalk]]
[[Category:Films based on multiple works]]
[[Category:Animated films based on short fiction]]
[[Category:Films based on works by Sinclair Lewis]]
[[Category:Films directed by Bill Roberts]]
[[Category:Films directed by Hamilton Luske]]
[[Category:Films directed by Jack Kinney]]
[[Category:Films directed by William Morgan (director)]]
[[Category:Films produced by Walt Disney]]
[[Category:Films scored by Charles Wolcott]]
[[Category:Films scored by Oliver Wallace]]
[[Category:Films scored by Paul Smith (composer)]]
[[Category:Animated films set in fictional countries]]
[[Category:Animated films set in castles]]
[[Category:Animated films set in forests]]
[[Category:Goofy (Disney) films]]
[[Category:Mickey Mouse films]]
[[Category:Animated anthology films]]
[[Category:Walt Disney Animation Studios films]]
[[Category:Disney animated films based on fairy tales]]
[[Category:English-language romantic comedy films]]
[[Category:English-language musical fantasy films]]
[[Category:English-language musical comedy films]]
[[Category:Films with screenplays by Homer Brightman]]
[[Category:Films with screenplays by Lance Nolley]]
[[Category:Films with screenplays by Tom Oreb]]
[[Category:Films with screenplays by Harry Reeves]]
[[Category:Films with screenplays by Ted Sears]]