Disney's American Legends

Early 2002 once again saw yet another compilation package film. Disney’s American Legends, put together four Disney shorts featuring American heroes of myth and legend, narrated by James Earl Jones.

The shorts consist of Johnny Appleseed, The Brave Engineer, Paul Bunyan and John Henry.

And… that’s the whole thing.

I was actually sort of looking forward to this, then I watched it. If I haven’t made myself clear, I’m tired of package films put together by a loose frame. In this case, it’s Jones telling us that America has had heroes in the past and that we should look for today’s heroes. That’s a great message, but it could have been an entire film. No. It DESERVED to have been so. This is just completely lazy.

These four shorts are fun to watch and they do well on their own. But the way they’re presented looks like yet another cash grab. 

It's a short review. But there's nothing else to say about it. 

Actually there is. I tolerated package films like Melody Time, Fun and Fancy Free, and Make Mine Music. Why? Because it was the 1940s. Most of Disney's animators were making government propaganda or fighting in the war. At the same time, Disney was mostly starting out. Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs was a smash success, Pinocchio and Fantasia initially lost the company money. Lots of it. 

Those package films made sense because of the monetary limitations and lack of talent. The studio needed to get back on its feet, which it did with Cinderella. 

But in 2002? Straight off the success of the Renaissance? Mediocre packages films like this are inexcusable. The studio didn't need the easy money. There was no staff shortage that necessitated it. By this time, The animation studio had several departments with several dozen animators. 

I can see the desire to put out sequels as they further a finished story. Even if they are subpar cash grabs that honestly don't need to be made, their existence at least makes some sort of sense. 

But these? Disney just wanted easy money and decided to cobble together something even more half-assed than the sequels and release it. Frankly, it's an insult to my intelligence and offends me as a Disney fan.
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