The Reluctant Dragon

• Director: Alfred L. Werker
• AMG Rating:
• Genre: Fantasy
• Main Cast: Robert Benchley, Frances Gifford, Buddy Pepper, Nana Bryant, Claud Allister, Barnett Parker
• Release Year: 1941
• Country: US
• Run Time: 72 minutes

Plot

The very first Disney feature to include live-action footage, this behind-the-scenes documentary about the studio's animation process includes the cartoon short of the title, which in later years was often exhibited separately from this film. Robert Benchley stars as himself, a visitor to the Disney lot, where he intends to pitch an animated version of the children's fairy tale The Reluctant Dragon by Kenneth Grahame to Walt Disney himself. Benchley wanders away from his studio-appointed guide and tours the facilities himself, where he sees various new cartoons in the process of being storyboarded, including a Baby Weems short. Benchley also meets Clarence Nash, the voice of Donald Duck, and a young animator (played by Alan Ladd) before being corralled to Disney's screening room, where he is shown the company's new short, none other than The Reluctant Dragon. ~ Karl Williams, All Movie Guide

Cast

• Robert Benchley - Himself
• Frances Gifford - Doris Studio Artist
• Buddy Pepper - Humphrey
• Nana Bryant - Mrs. Benchley
• Claud Allister - Sir Giles
• Barnett Parker - Dragon

Billy Lee - Little Boy; Florence Gill - Herself; Clarence Nash - Donald Duck; Ward Kimball - Himself; Alan Ladd - Animator; Hamilton MacFadden; Maurice Murphy; Ernie Alexander - Baby Weems's father; Pinto Colvig - Goofy; Jeff Corey - Animator; John Dehner; Lester Dorr - Slim; Frank Faylen - Orchestra Leader; Arthur Gilmore - FDR in Baby Weems; Gerald Mohr - Guard; Raymond Severn - Baby Weems; Frank Churchill - Himself; Walt Disney - Himself; Henry Hall - Studio Cop; Fred Moore - Himself; Val Stanton - Courier in Reluctant Dragon; Edward Marr - Walter Winchell in Baby Weems

Credit

Ken Anderson - Art Director, Gordon Wiles - Art Director, Charles Philippi - Art Director, Hugh Hennesy - Art Director, Jack Campbell - Animator, Ken Anderson - Animator, Ford I. Beebe - Animator, Ward Kimball - Animator, Hamilton Luske - Animator, Joshua Meador - Animator, Fred Moore - Animator, Wolfgang Reitherman - Animator, Harvey Toombs - Animator, Milt Neil - Animator, Claude Smith - Animator, Walt Kelly - Animator, Charles Philippi - Animator, Jim Handley - Animator, Hugh Hennesy - Animator, Erwin Verity - Animator, Jasper Blystone - Animator, Bud Swift - Animator, Alfred L. Werker - Director, Paul Weatherwax - Editor, Earl Rettig - Editor, Frank Churchill - Composer (Music Score), Larry Morey - Composer (Music Score), Bert Glennon - Cinematographer, Winton Hoch - Cinematographer, Ub Iwerks - Special Effects, Joshua Meador - Special Effects, Robert Benchley - Screenwriter, William Cottrell - Screenwriter, Harry Clark - Screenwriter, Larry Clemmons - Screenwriter, Bill Cottrell - Screenwriter, Ted Sears - Screenwriter, Albert R. Perkins - Screenwriter, Kenneth Grahame - Short Story Author