''Morris the Midget Moose'' is a 1950

Walt Disney Walter Elias Disney (; December 5, 1901December 15, 1966) was an American animator, film producer and entrepreneur. A pioneer of the American animation industry, he introduced several developments in the production of cartoons. As a film p ...

animated short, based on a 1945 picture book published by G.P. Putnam's sons, written and illustrated by Frank Owen, originally released to theaters on November 24, 1950, from

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 ...

, originally released by

RKO Radio Pictures RKO Radio Pictures Inc., commonly known as RKO Pictures or simply RKO, was an American film production and distribution company, one of the "Big Five" film studios of Hollywood's Golden Age. The business was formed after the Keith-Albee-Orphe ...

and then,

Buena Vista Distribution Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures, formerly known as Buena Vista Pictures Distribution, Inc. until 2007, is an American film distribution studio within the Disney Media and Entertainment Distribution division of The Walt Disney Company. It ha ...

for its re-release.

Plot

This cartoon is a two heads is better than one

parable A parable is a succinct, didactic story, in prose or verse, that illustrates one or more instructive lessons or principles. It differs from a fable in that fables employ animals, plants, inanimate objects, or forces of nature as characters, w ...

. The bootle beetle (from

Donald Duck Donald Fauntleroy Duck is a cartoon character created by The Walt Disney Company. Donald is an anthropomorphic white duck with a yellow-orange bill, legs, and feet. He typically wears a sailor shirt and cap with a bow tie. Donald is known fo ...

cartoons, such as Bootle Beetle, The Greener Yard and

Sea Salts ''Sea Salts'' is a 1949 animated short film featuring Donald Duck. It was released by Walt Disney Productions. Plot 'Mac' Bootle Beetle tells the story of the time he and Donald Duck were sole survivors of a shipwreck. The story involves how D ...

) tells two younger beetles, who are fighting to reach a piece of fruit that is out of their reach, the story of Morris, a four-year-old moose, who has not grown beyond the stages of a child and is the laughing stock among the other moose. Morris is a small moose with large antlers, and meets up one day with Balsam, a large moose with embarrassingly small antlers. Morris and Balsam become good friends. Thunderclap the strongest bull moose is constantly challenging and defending his title as head moose. The two defeat Thunderclap with Morris standing on Balsam's back. The combined strength of Morris and Balsam becomes too much for Thunderclap. In the end the sum of the two was greater than the parts & the beetles learn the lesson by standing on each other's shoulders to reach the far hanging fruit.

Production

The film was co-directed by

Jack Hannah John Frederick Hannah (January 5, 1913 – June 11, 1994) was an American animator, writer and director of animated shorts. Biography Hannah was born on January 5, 1913, in Nogales, Arizona. He moved to Los Angeles, California, Los Angeles in ...

and Charles Nichols, the story was adapted by Bill Berg, written by

Eric Gurney Eric Gurney (1910–1992) was a Canadian-American cartoonist and illustrator. He immigrated to the US in 1938 to work with Walt Disney Productions, where he was a story writer and a collaborator on several Disney films. Turning freelance in 194 ...

, Bill de la Torre, produced by

, music by

Oliver Wallace Oliver George Wallace (August 6, 1887 – September 15, 1963) was an English composer and conductor.''Home Front Heroes: A Biographical Dictionary of Americans During Wartime'', Volume 3, ed. Benjamin F. Shearer (Westport, CT: Greenwood Press, 200 ...

, animation by

Jack Boyd John Charles (Jack) Boyd (3 December 19213 March 1985) was an Australian politician and member of the New South Wales Legislative Assembly from 1973 until 1984. He was a member of the Country Party and its successors. Boyd was born in Murwi ...

, Jerry Hathcock, George Kreisl and George Nicholas, layouts by Karl Karpe, the backgrounds by Ray Huffine. It featured the voices of

Clarence Nash Clarence Charles "Ducky" Nash (December 7, 1904 – February 20, 1985) was an American voice actor. He was best known as the original voice of the Disney cartoon character Donald Duck. He was born in the rural community of Watonga, Oklahoma, and ...

and

Dink Trout Francis "Dink" Trout (June 18, 1898 – March 26, 1950) was an American actor, voice artist and radio personality. Early years Trout was born in 1898 in Illinois. He attended the University of Illinois. Radio In 1927, Trout had his own musical ...

Home media

The short was released on December 6, 2005, on '' Walt Disney Treasures: Disney Rarities - Celebrated Shorts: 1920s–1960s''.

References

External links

* * 1950s Disney animated short films 1950 short films Fictional deer and moose 1950 animated films Films directed by Jack Hannah Films directed by Charles August Nichols Films produced by Walt Disney Films scored by Oliver Wallace 1950s English-language films American animated short films Animated films about mammals {{Disney-animation-film-stub