''It's Tough to Be a Bird'' is a 1969 American animated educational short film directed by
Ward Kimball
Ward Walrath Kimball (March 4, 1914 – July 8, 2002) was an American animator employed by Walt Disney Animation Studios. He was part of Walt Disney's main team of animators, known collectively as Disney's Nine Old Men. His films have been honor ...
and produced by
Walt Disney Productions
The Walt Disney Company, commonly known as Disney (), is an American multinational mass media and entertainment conglomerate headquartered at the Walt Disney Studios complex in Burbank, California. Disney was originally founded on October 1 ...
. The short won the
Academy Award for Best Short Subject, Cartoons in 1970 and was nominated for a
BAFTA Film Award for Best Animated Film in 1971. This was the last animated short film produced by Disney to win an Academy Award until ''
Paperman'' (2012) and thus the final animated cartoon short released by Disney in the
golden age of American animation.
Summary
In the short, a red
bird
Birds are a group of warm-blooded vertebrates constituting the class Aves (), characterised by feathers, toothless beaked jaws, the laying of hard-shelled eggs, a high metabolic rate, a four-chambered heart, and a strong yet lightweig ...
(voiced by
Richard Bakalyan
Richard Bakalyan (January 29, 1931 – February 27, 2015) was an American actor who started his career playing juvenile delinquents in his first several films.
Early life
Richard Bakalyan was born on January 29, 1931, in Watertown, Massachuset ...
) explains how birds have contributed to human culture, even as people often try to kill them. He claims this may be because humans were jealous that birds can fly but people cannot, mentioning the legend of
Icarus and featured films of early unsuccessful flying machines.
In ''Disney's
D-TV
''D-TV'' was a series of music videos created by The Walt Disney Company and produced by Charles Braverman and edited by Ted Herrmann which premiered on May 5, 1984, by taking hit songs of the past and putting them together with various footage of ...
'' in the 1980s, clips from this short were set to
Bobby Day
Robert James Byrd (July 1, 1930 – July 27, 1990), known by the stage name Bobby Day, was an American singer, multi-instrumentalist, music producer, and songwriter. He is best known for his hit record " Rockin' Robin", written by Leon René und ...
's cover of "
Rockin' Robin".
DTV Bobby Day Rockin' Robin by Rayzor-YouTube
/ref>
Cast
* Ruth Buzzi as Soprano
* Richard Bakalyan
Richard Bakalyan (January 29, 1931 – February 27, 2015) was an American actor who started his career playing juvenile delinquents in his first several films.
Early life
Richard Bakalyan was born on January 29, 1931, in Watertown, Massachuset ...
as M.C. Bird
* John Emerson as Bird Fancier
* Jim Swain as Bird Fancier
* Ann Lord as Bird Fancier
* Hank Schloss as Bird Fancier
* Walter Perkins as Bird Fancier
* Rolf Darbo as Bird Fancier
See also
* List of American films of 1969
This is a list of American films released in 1969.
''Midnight Cowboy'' won the Academy Award for Best Picture.
__TOC__
A–B
C–G
H–M
N–S
T–Z
Documentaries and shorts
See also
* 1969 in the United States
External links
19 ...
* Birdwatching
Birdwatching, or birding, is the observing of birds, either as a recreational activity or as a form of citizen science. A birdwatcher may observe by using their naked eye, by using a visual enhancement device like binoculars or a telescope, by ...
* National Audubon Society-featured in the film
* Hinkley, Ohio-featured in the film
* Noah's Ark
Noah's Ark ( he, תיבת נח; Biblical Hebrew: ''Tevat Noaḥ'')The word "ark" in modern English comes from Old English ''aerca'', meaning a chest or box. (See Cresswell 2010, p.22) The Hebrew word for the vessel, ''teva'', occurs twice in ...
References
External links
*
*
''It's Tough To Be A Bird'' on BCDB
{{AcademyAwardBestAnimatedShortFilm 1961–1980
1969 films
Best Animated Short Academy Award winners
1960s Disney animated short films
Disney educational films
1969 animated films
Films directed by Ward Kimball
Films produced by Walt Disney
Films scored by George Bruns
Animated films about birds
Animated films about animals
Noah's Ark in film
1960s English-language films