055 Duty and the Beast

Title: Duty and the Beast
Studio: Columbia
Date: 05/28/43
Credits:
Produced by
Dave Fleischer
Direction
Alec Geiss
Animation
Grant Simmons
Music
Paul Worth
Series: Phantasy
Running time (of viewed version): 5:48
Commercial DVD Availability: -

Synopsis: We see the trustworthiness of a hunting dog.




















Comments: Opens with a wordy narration about the gossamer veil of dawn hanging over the meadow. Reminds me of Tex Avery in the narration. (Was the narrator used at MGM or (less likely) WB as well? He's not the Superman narrator is he? Or the Goofy how to narrator? Bah, all the narrators now run together in my head. Unless they are the same guy...). Arrow shaped shadow. The dog betrays his master, not only failing to flush the quail, but feeding the his master's sandwiches (while taking a portion for himself). Is the near lifted from Disney's The Pointer? The proportions are off; it's very small compared to that bear (or Mickey is just very small), but the look is similar. And the bear ends up eating the hunter in the end, with the dog on board. Wow. Dog looks a lot like Goofy in some shots; in others, he looks a lot like a WB dog. The humor comes largely form the disparity between the narration and the visible action. It would be sorely unfunny without the narration.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tebRhO4iCdY