Part cartoon and part documentary, this film offers a humorous look at birds and the ways people perceive them.Part cartoon and part documentary, this film offers a humorous look at birds and the ways people perceive them.Part cartoon and part documentary, this film offers a humorous look at birds and the ways people perceive them.
- Won 1 Oscar
- 1 win & 1 nomination total
- Director
- Writers
- All cast & crew
- Production, box office & more at IMDbPro
Storyline
Did you know
- TriviaIt was the last animated short film produced by Walt Disney Animation Studios to win an Academy Award, until Paperman (2012).
- GoofsThe evolutionary theory of how birds evolved from fish and reptiles (osteoderms, lobe-finned fishes, tetrapods, thecodonts, Proavis, and Archaeopteryx) is practically nonsense. They are separate kinds of animals.
- Quotes
Narrator: I got news for you. We birds were used by your early explorers as navigators because we usually flew into the direction of land. You remember what Columbus said, don't you?
Christopher Columbus: [Italian accent] Follow-a that-a bird.
Narrator: And Leif Erikson?
Leif Erikson: [Scandinavian accent] Follow the bird.
Narrator: Both these boys claimed to be the first to set foot in the New World.
Christopher Columbus, Leif Erikson: *overlapping arguing*
Narrator: But we birds know who was here first.
- Alternate versionsAn extended version aired as an episode of The Magical World of Disney (1954) a year after its initial release.
- ConnectionsEdited into All Because Man Wanted to Fly (1984)
This delightful Disney cartoon, winner of the 1969 Oscar for Best Animated Short, is great fun. It is most enjoyable to see the antique film clips & to be reminded of the old birdie tunes. But beyond the laughs are some important elements dealing with bird biology & preservation.
Ward Kimball, authentic genius, master animator & one of Walt's Nine Old Men, co-authored & directed this short, infusing it with his unique brand of quirky humor. Movie mavens will spot him as the bird watcher holding the tape recorder. Richard Bakalyan does a fine job as the narrator with attitude; that's Ruth Buzzi hilariously warbling `When The Buzzards Return To Hinckley Ridge.' Give yourself a golden goose egg if you can spot Donald Duck.
- Ron Oliver
- Sep 27, 2000
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Details
- Runtime21 minutes
- Aspect ratio
- 1.66 : 1