Ferdinand the Bull
Tags: psychedelic

Plot synopsis:
In the beginning, there are a lot of bulls, romping around together and butting their heads. There was only one bull who wasn't doing that, and that was Ferdinand. All he wanted to do was go under a shady cork tree and smell the flowers all day. Then one day his mother noticed that he wasn't playing with the other bulls. His mom asked him why he wasn't butting his head with the other bulls. He replied that all he wanted to do was to sit and smell the flowers. Luckily, his mother was very understanding.
Over the years, Ferdinand grew and grew until he was as big as the tree. The other bulls wanted to accomplish one goal in life: to be in the bullfights in Madrid, Spain, but not Ferdinand. Then one day, five strange-looking men were here to see the bulls. When the bulls noticed them, they fought as rough as possible, hoping that they would get picked, but not Ferdinand, who just went back to smell the flowers. Just as Ferdinand was sitting, he accidentally sat on a bumblebee. It made him go crazy and on a rampage, knocking the other bulls out and crashed into a tree, making it fall down. The five men cheered as they took Ferdinand to Madrid.
There was a lot of excitement when the day of the bullfight came. On posters, they called him Ferdinand the Fierce. At the ring came out banderilleros, picadors and the matador who was being cheered on. When he was bowing, a woman in the audience gave him a bouquet of flowers which landed in his hand. Then the moment came where Ferdinand came out. He was wondering what was he doing there. The banderilleros and picadors were scared and hid, but the matador was scared stiff because Ferdinand was so big and strong. But Ferdinand looked and saw the bouquet of flowers, he walked over, scared the matador away, but just started smelling the flowers The matador was very angry that Ferdinand wasn't charging at him. But Ferdinand was not interested in fighting; he was only interested in smelling the beautiful flowers. Eventually, he was led out of the arena smelling the flowers and taken back home where he continued to sit under the tree and smell the flowers.

Review: Simple, charming, later improved upon.
"Ferdinand" has the same lush art direction and is based on the same kind of sweet parable as a Silly Symphony, and was released while that series was still going (it would end on a high note with "The Ugly Duckling" in 1939), but it's something else altogether: the first of Disney's "storybook" cartoons.
It is, in fact, based on a children's storybook, but that's not the point.
The point is that there is spoken narration, and the drawings ILLUSTRATE the narration, much as they would illustrate the printed text in a picture book.So far as I know this is the first cartoon from ANY studio to attempt this kind of thing.
It's not the best; narration and illustration are too independent of one another.
I'm not saying that Disney should have used any of those old cartoon gimmicks - characters arguing with the narrator, etc.
- which postmodernists delight in as though they weren't half obvious; such gimmicks would not, in a sincere work such as this, have worked.
But words and pictures should partner each other in a subtle dance; each should know when to withdraw and place the narrative burden upon the other.
I can't put it more precisely than this; but watch two "storybook" cartoons that Disney produced later - "Lambert the Sheepish Lion" from 1951, "Pigs is Pigs" from 1954 - to see the dance perfected, resulting in an animated storytelling sessions that FLOW, from beginning to end.To be fair, unqualified successes like these are rare.
Most of Disney's later "storybook" cartoons also get it wrong, some of them are dreadful, and not a single one apart from the two I've named can match the charm of the first..
Disney does justice to an excellent work of children's literature.
Disney has had a reputation (in large part, justifiably so) for taking literary works and making them overly cute, thereby not doing justice to the source (i.e., Bambi), but here do a wonderful job of bringing Ferdinand off the printed page and into glorious, moving color!
This is one of the best shorts Disney ever did and took the Oscar for 1938, beating three other Disney shorts (including a Mickey Mouse) and a Paramount cartoon called Hunky and Spunky.
With remarkable backgrounds and detail, even for a Disney cartoon, this really should be in-print.
It does show on The Ink and Paint Club.
Most joyously recommended!.
Would've been Stratospherically More Poignant and Richer Had Frederic Back Made 'Ferdinand the Bull', but Disney Does Manage to Make the Short Entertaining Enough.
There is some historical significance associated with the story of Ferdinand the Bull as the Spanish Civil War is said to have begun a few months after the story of Ferdinand was written.
The domestic harmless nature of the bull is said to represent pacifistic views towards the situation in Spain.
Munro Leaf may have partly been influenced by the political climate around him while writing about Ferdinand, but this remains uncertain.
The 1938 short by Disney does not consider all this, and is more concerned with showing Ferdinand's love for flowers.
Ferdinand does not care about bull fights unlike his fellow bulls, and prefers reclining under his favorite tree, inhaling the sweet fragrance of the flowers.
His mother, despite being a 'cow' is very considerate and allows him to do as he likes.
But after a bee accident, Ferdinand is thought to be the most ferocious of bulls and is brought to the bull fight.
His name too changes to 'Ferdinand the Fierce' for the event; everyone including the bullfighter is scared of him and they anticipate his grand entry.
What happens after this surprises everyone in the story but now us because we already know how Ferdinand actually is.This story would have been stratospherically more poignant and rich had auteur Frederic Back made it; remember how he beautifully used the chair as a motif while showing the rapid transformation of Quebec society in his brilliant short 'Crac'.
Ferdinand the Bull would have got that flavor of Spain had Back made this film; however, Disney does enough justice to make this film watchable and enjoyable.
Ferdinand the Bull hence does not wow us but it does bring a smile upon our faces, which is Disney's primary aim.
Verdict: Would have been stratospherically more poignant and richer had Frederic Back made 'Ferdinand the Bull', but Disney does manage to make the short entertaining enough.
Great message about being content with the simple things..
Ferdinand is a bull that likes to sit under a tree in the forest and smell the flowers.
He doesn't hang with the other bulls and chooses to be by himself, perfectly content with his independence.
When he was taken into a bull arena to fight a matador, he does not engage in the battle and, instead, smell the flowers that were tossed from the crowd.A great story - reminds you that you can be perfectly content with the simplest things in life and you don't need to be part of the in-crowd or have materialist things to be happy.
You can also be carefree and release yourself of any distractions in life.Grade A.
Ferdinand did not get released quietly..
From a two-page trade-paper ad on November 2, 1938: "WALT DISNEY'S Production of FERDINAND THE BULL.
Never in all motion picture history have any but the most important feature attractions been given such nation-wide plugging!...Stories, articles, art and pictorial layouts, editorials and fashion announcements in magazines whose NET PAID CIRCULATIONS TOTAL 15, 542, 945!
Look at the list already committed: LIFE...PHOTOPLAY...CUE...SCREEN GUIDE...VOGUE...MICKEY MOUSE MAGAZINE...LOOK...McCALLS...HARPER'S BAZAAR...STAGE...YOUNG America...MOVIE LIFE...LIBERTY...WOMAN'S DAY...MOVIE STORY...THEATRE ARTS...SCHOLASTIC...ROCKEFELLER CENTER WEEKLY.Add to this a total of sixty-four licensees signed up for one hundred and two separate articles of merchandise.
Big window displays everywhere.
Big fashion parades in department stores.
A PROMOTIONAL CAMPAIGN THAT CAN BE COMPARED ONLY WITH SNOW WHITE.'" THANKSGIVING WEEK ATTRACTION AT LEADING FIRST RUNS EVERYWHERE.NEXT Disney RELEASES * MERBABIES -Release Date, December 9 * MOTHER GOOSE GOES Hollywood - Release Date, December 23 Mr. Disney knew how to go to market..
A forgotten gem!.
Ferdinand the Bull tells the story of a bull who likes smelling flowers, instead of fighting like a typical bull in a bullring.
Ferdinand himself is a very charming character, and is well drawn.
All of the other characters are well done, with the exception of one or two lifeless backgrounds.
Then Ferdinand is sent to Madrid, where he is expected to fight a toreador, but that isn't what Ferdinand wants to do.
The music is also good, and Don Wilson's narration was very satisfying indeed.
It is such a shame that few people know more about this gem, I don't think it is the best short in the world, but it is certainly entertaining and I would definitely watch it again.
9/10 Bethany Cox..
A wonderful cartoon for all ages..
This is one of my favorite stories from childhood and this Disney cartoon did a wonderful job of capturing the spirit of the classic Muro Leaf story.
The 1939 Oscars were a particularly good year, with Disney receiving 4 of 5 nominations in the category of Best Cartoon and receiving the award for FERDINAND--beating out such Disney classics as THE BRAVE LITTLE TAILOR and GOOD SCOUTS.The film is about a gentle bull in Spain who has no interest in fighting.
Instead, he'd rather just sit and smell the flowers all day.
However, when men come looking for fierce bulls for the bullfighting ring, they think Ferdinand is the meanest bull because he was just stung by a bee.
What happens next you'll need to see for yourself.There is a lot to like about this cartoon.
The artwork, though not exactly in the style of the children's book, is pretty close and is among the better animated shorts Disney did in the era.
If you compare the artwork, music and quality to fare from Fleischer, Warner Brothers and MGM at the same time, it is light-years ahead.
The best cartoons at that time were clearly Disney--with MGM and Warner Brothers still making saccharine-sweet cartoons with second-rate animation until the 1940s (when these two studios became the best maker of cartoon shorts).
This film just screams "quality" throughout and deserved the Oscar.By the way, get a load of the Cork Tree!
All the other little bulls butted their heads around - but not Ferdinand..
This is one of a great amount of Disney shorts called Silly Symphonies.
Overall each one (from what I have seen) is very gorgeous and there are Silly Symphonies to suit all cartoon lovers' tastes.I had the pleasure of finding and watching this cartoon just now, having seen it about 8 years ago or so.
Now, of course (I am younger than you may think I am) I see much more in this cartoon, the sweetness, the good animation - and the slight stereotypes with the donkeys and some of the parade on the bullfight scene.The summary pretty much explains this short.
This cartoon is about a bull called Ferdinand, in Spain, who is very calm and peaceful and does not want to fight.
One day, he sits on a bee and the sting makes him go wild...I like this Silly Symphony because it is incredibly sweet, it is quite funny, it has good, peaceful Disney animation, it has quite amusing slapstick, it possesses the moral that being calm and peaceful will bring you a good life, subtly embedded in this and there is a constant narrator whose voice is calm and peaceful.
Apart from the middle bit of this episode I would recommend this for meditating people.Whether you mainly enjoy watching Looney Tunes (like me) or whether you watch a great deal of Disney shorts anyhow, I recommend this to anyone who likes cartoon stuff.
It is very beautiful, as are a few other Silly Symphonies, such as "Little Hiyawatha" and "The Ugly Duckling".
Enjoy "Ferdinand the Bull"!
the bull who likes flowers.
Munro Leaf's original story comes to life with the pictures of Walt Disney and his artists, who give personality and life to the characters of Ferdinand, his fellow bulls, and the bullfighters.
Ferdinand himself is a sensitive soul, who has no desire to fight and just likes sitting under his favourite tree and smelling the flowers.
The other bulls do nothing but fight and cause a racket, but when the bullfighters come looking for the fiercest bull for their show, guess who by some odd circumstance gets picked?This little cartoon is a joy from start to finish, and Ferdinand is one of the cutest and funniest characters ever created in an animated short.
Highly recommended!.
Disney Invites You to Sit Under The Most Famous Cork Tree In Literature.
A Walt Disney  Cartoon Short.Young FERDINAND THE BULL wants nothing more than to sit under his favorite cork tree, just smelling the flowers.
But he is chosen to fight in the great arena in Madrid, where only the bravest, fiercest bulls have a chance for glory...This splendid cartoon, based on Munro Leaf's 1936 classic paean to individualism, is one of Disney's finest.
The original story has been left basically intact - no animated mice or ducks, no dancing and/or singing trees & flowers needed here.
Robert Lawson's evocative black & white drawings come to life in beautiful color & motion.
The animators did have a bit of sly fun: the banderilleros & picadors are caricatures of the artists; the matador is a spoof of Walt himself (he was not amused).
Don Wilson, Jack Benny's decades-long announcer, is an inspired choice as narrator.
The personality & character of Ferdinand has been a matter of speculation for years, but the truth of the matter is perhaps best left in the privacy of the bull field....
He just wants his calm.
"Ferdinand the Bull" is a Walt Disney cartoon from shortly before World War II.
It won the Oscar in a year where no less than 4 out of 5 nominated cartoons were by Walt Disney.
This one here takes another journey into the wonderful world of animals.
It has to be one of Disney's most harmonic works.
However, I felt that it lacks somehow the emotion of films about the likes of the Ugly Duckling, Lambert or Elmer.
Nonetheless, it's a good watch and has some funny moments such as the bumble-bee who was at the wrong place wrong time.
And so was Ferdinand as he gets taken to the bull-fighting arena.
All the other bulls would have been so happy, but not him.
Another scene I liked was when the bullfighter shows us his naked breast and we see the tattoo and the music implies that maybe the red color will get Ferdinand finally angry and let him attack, but nope.
He is just too peace-loving, so in the end it's back to the green grass for him.
nice to see he wasn't killed as bulls frequently are after fights in the arena.
Entertaining short film, but not among Disney's best..
Just because you're a bull doesn't mean you have to act like one.
Take life easy..
When I first saw this I automatically thought what is perhaps the most obvious, that Ferdinand the flower sniffing bull, was gay!
But on subsequent viewings I don't think that anymore and I see now that it's something just a tad more meaningful than that.
Ferdinand is a peace-loving bull who doesn't want to fight.
He wants to merely sit back and enjoy life.
He's not really all that campy, more sleepy and dopey.
He's definitely a little effeminate, so somebody for whatever reason felt that a mighty bull couldn't be a pacifist without being some kind of sissy one way or the other.
Shame.
If you ask me, if you want to see a real gay Disney character go see the dragon in The Reluctant Dragon.
That guy is out and PROUD!
:::2::: I can't believe this is so old.
1938...it looks great!
The quality of the animation was superb.
My favourite part is when Ferdinand goes on his mad rampage throughout the meadow.
Quite where the bee stung him to arouse such a reaction is one best left to the history books!
I find his movements as he demolishes all in his path and scatters the other bulls like bowling pins to be quite powerful and exceptionally well done.
I think the moral is probably the same as most Disney animations-be yourself!
That it is perfectly fine to be different and like what you like!
There's not terribly much to it, but it's very cute, funny, charming, and beautifully animated besides.