Peter and the Wolf (1946 film): Difference between revisions

Latest revision as of 18:57, 26 March 2025

Peter and the Wolf is a 1946 animated short film produced by Walt Disney, based on the 1936 musical composition and fairy tale by Sergei Prokofiev. The film was originally released as a segment in Make Mine Music and was narrated by Sterling Holloway. It was later reissued in 1947 as a standalone short accompanying the re-release of Fantasia and subsequently made available on home video in the 1990s.

Background and Production

During Sergei Prokofiev’s tour of the West in 1938, he visited Los Angeles and met Walt Disney. Prokofiev performed a piano version of Peter and the Wolf for Disney, whom he referred to in a letter to his sons as "le papa de Mickey Mouse". Disney was impressed by the composition and considered adapting it for Fantasia (1940). However, World War II interrupted these plans, and Disney did not proceed with an animated version of Peter and the Wolf until 1946.

It remains uncertain whether Prokofiev, who was behind the Iron Curtain by that time, was aware of Disney’s adaptation.

Plot Summary

The story follows young Peter, who ventures out to hunt a dangerous wolf that has been lurking near his village. Along the way, he is accompanied by his animal friends:

Sasha, the songbird
Sonia, the duck
Ivan, the cat

However, their adventure takes a dramatic turn when the wolf appears, leading to a suspenseful chase. Ultimately, Peter and his friends manage to capture the wolf, and in a child-friendly change from Prokofiev’s original story, Sonia the duck is revealed to be alive after a seemingly tragic encounter with the wolf.

Changes from Prokofiev's Original Story

Disney’s version of Peter and the Wolf introduced several key changes to make the narrative more accessible and appealing to children:

The animals are given names:
- Sasha the songbird
- Sonia the duck
- Ivan the cat
Peter and his friends are already aware of the wolf and prepare to catch him at the beginning of the story.
The hunters are given names: Misha, Yasha, and Vladimir.
Peter carries a wooden pop-gun and daydreams about hunting the wolf.
Unlike the original version, Sonia the duck is not eaten by the wolf. Instead, she hides inside a hollow tree, leading Peter and his friends to mistakenly believe she has been devoured. When the wolf is captured, Sonia emerges unharmed, reuniting with her friends.

Music and Narration

Disney retained Prokofiev’s musical composition, where each character is represented by a specific musical instrument:

Peter – String instruments
Sasha (songbird) – Flute
Sonia (duck) – Oboe
Ivan (cat) – Clarinet
The Wolf – French horns
The Hunters – Timpani and bass drum

Narration was provided by Sterling Holloway, whose voice guided the audience through the story. A separate audio recording of this version, with expanded narration, was released on Disneyland Records (DQ-1242).

Home Media Releases

Peter and the Wolf has been included in multiple home media releases:

DVD: Walt Disney Gold Classic Collection – Make Mine Music
DVD: Walt Disney’s It’s a Small World of Fun! Vol. 2
VHS: Belle's Tales of Friendship, featuring an alternative narration by Belle instead of Sterling Holloway
TV Appearance: Featured in House of Mouse

Legacy

Disney’s Peter and the Wolf remains one of the most recognizable adaptations of Prokofiev’s work. Though it deviates from the original darker tone, its humorous and engaging animation, combined with Prokofiev’s iconic score, has made it a beloved classic among Disney’s animated shorts.

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-{{Infobox film
+''Peter and the Wolf'' is a '''1946 animated short film''' produced by '''[[Walt Disney]]''', based on the '''1936 musical composition and fairy tale''' by '''[[Sergei Prokofiev]]'''. The film was originally released as a '''segment in ''Make Mine Music''''' and was '''narrated by Sterling Holloway'''. It was later reissued in '''1947''' as a standalone short accompanying the '''re-release of ''[[Fantasia (1940 film)|Fantasia]]''''' and subsequently made available on '''home video in the 1990s'''.
-| name              = Peter and the Wolf
-| image             = Disney's Peter and the wolf.jpg
-| director          = [[Clyde Geronimi]]
-| producer          = [[Walt Disney]]
-| story             = Eric Gurney <br> Dick Huemer
-| based_on          = {{based on|''[[Peter and the Wolf]]''|[[Sergei Prokofiev]]}}
-| starring          = [[Jimmy MacDonald (sound effects artist)|Jimmy MacDonald]]<br>[[Pinto Colvig]]<ref>{{cite book |last1=Scott |first1=Keith |title=Cartoon Voices of the Golden Age, Vol. 2 |date=3 October 2022 |publisher=BearManor Media |page=262 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=0zGKEAAAQBAJ&pg=PT262 |access-date=29 September 2022 |language=en}}</ref>
-| narrator          = [[Sterling Holloway]]
-| music             = Edward H. Plumb <br>  Kurt Graunke (conductor)
-| animator          = [[Ollie Johnston]] <br> [[Ward Kimball]] <br> [[Eric Larson]] <br> [[John Lounsbery]] <br> George Rowley (effects)
-| layout_artist     = Charles Philippi <br> Hugh Hennessy
-| background_artist = [[Claude Coats]]
-| editing           =
-| studio            = [[Walt Disney Animation Studios|Walt Disney Productions]]
-| distributor       = [[RKO Pictures|RKO Radio Pictures]]
-| released          = {{Film date|1946|08|15|USA}}
-| runtime           = 15 minutes
-| country           = United States
-| language          =
-| budget            =
-| gross             =
-}}
-'''''Peter and the Wolf''''' is a 1946 animated short based on the 1936 [[Peter and the Wolf|musical composition/fairy tale]] by [[Sergei Prokofiev]], produced by [[Walt Disney]] and narrated by [[Sterling Holloway]]. It was originally released theatrically as a segment in ''[[Make Mine Music]]''.<ref>{{cite web|title=Peter and the Wolf (1946) Sparky: Trivia|url=https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0038836/trivia?ref_=tt_ql_2|website=Internet Movie Database|accessdate=24 June 2014}}</ref> It was re-issued the following year accompanying a re-issue of ''[[Fantasia (1940 film)|Fantasia]]'' (as a short subject before the film), then released separately on home video in the 1990s.
-==Background==
+== Background and Production ==
+During '''Sergei Prokofiev’s tour of the West in 1938''', he visited '''Los Angeles''' and met '''Walt Disney'''. Prokofiev performed a '''piano version of ''Peter and the Wolf''''' for Disney, whom he referred to in a letter to his sons as '''"[[le papa de Mickey Mouse]]"'''. Disney was '''impressed''' by the composition and considered adapting it for '''''Fantasia'' (1940)'''. However, '''World War II''' interrupted these plans, and Disney did not proceed with an animated version of ''Peter and the Wolf'' until '''1946'''.
-Prokofiev, while touring the West in 1938, visited [[Los Angeles]] and met [[Walt Disney]]. Prokofiev performed the piano version of ''[[Peter and the Wolf]]'' for "''le papa de'' [[Mickey Mouse]]", as Prokofiev described him in a letter to his sons. Disney was impressed, and considered adding an animated version of ''Peter and the Wolf'' to ''Fantasia'', which was to be released in 1940. Due to the war, these plans fell through, and it was not until 1946 that Disney released his version of ''Peter and the Wolf''. It is not known if Prokofiev, by that point behind the [[Iron Curtain]], was aware of this.<ref>{{cite book|last1=Bartig|first1=Kevin|title=Composing for the Red Screen: Prokofiev and Soviet Film|date=4 April 2013|publisher=Oxford University Press|isbn=9780199967605|page=61|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=dihpAgAAQBAJ&pg=PA61|language=en}}</ref>
+It remains '''uncertain''' whether '''Prokofiev, who was behind the Iron Curtain by that time''', was aware of Disney’s adaptation.
-==Plot==
+== Plot Summary ==
-In Disney's animated adaptation of Prokofiev's masterpiece, in which every character is represented musically by a different instrument. The apparent setting is Russia. A young Peter decides to go hunting for the wolf that has been prowling around the village. Along the way, he is joined by his friends Sasha the songbird, Sonia the duck, and Ivan the cat. All the fun comes to end, however, when the hungry wolf makes an appearance.<ref>{{cite web|last1=Rocher|first1=Jean-Marc|title=Peter and the Wolf (1946): Plot Summary|url=https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0038836/plotsummary?ref_=tt_ql_6|website=Internet Movie Database|accessdate=24 June 2014}}</ref>
+The story follows '''young Peter''', who ventures out to '''hunt a dangerous wolf''' that has been lurking near his village. Along the way, he is accompanied by his animal friends:
-==Differences from the original==
+* '''Sasha''', the songbird
-This version makes several changes to the original story, for example:
+* '''Sonia''', the duck
-* During the character introduction, the animals are given names: "Sasha" the songbird, "Sonia" the duck, and "Ivan" the cat.
+* '''Ivan''', the cat
-* As the cartoon begins, Peter and his friends already know there is a wolf nearby and are preparing to catch him.
-* The hunters also get names at a later point in the story: "Misha", "Yasha", and "Vladimir".
-* Peter day-dreams of hunting and catching the wolf and exits the garden carrying a wooden "[[pop-gun]]" rifle with the purpose of hunting the wolf down.
-* At the end, in a complete reversal of the original (and to make the story more child-friendly), it turns out that the duck, Sonia, has not been eaten by the wolf. (The wolf is shown chasing Sonia, who eventually dives into an old tree's hollow trunk. The wolf sticks his snout in after her and begins to thrash about as feathers stream out from other holes in the tree. He returns in view with some of Sonia's feathers in his mouth, licking his jaws in visible satisfaction. Peter, Ivan, and Sasha tearfully assume that Sonia has been eaten. After the wolf has been caught, Sasha is shown mourning Sonia at the base of the tree. She comes out of the tree trunk at that point and they are happily reunited as they both race to Peter's village).
-==In other media==
+However, their adventure takes a dramatic turn when the '''wolf appears''', leading to a suspenseful chase. Ultimately, '''Peter and his friends manage to capture the wolf''', and in a '''child-friendly change from Prokofiev’s original story''', '''Sonia the duck is revealed to be alive''' after a seemingly tragic encounter with the wolf.
-An audio recording of this version with expanded narration by Sterling Holloway was released on [[Disneyland Records]] (DQ-1242).
-''Peter and the Wolf'' is featured on DVD in the Walt Disney Gold Classic Collection release of ''Make Mine Music'' and in ''[[Walt Disney's It's a Small World of Fun!|Walt Disney's It's a Small World of Fun! Vol. 2]]''. It is also featured on VHS in ''[[Belle's Tales of Friendship]]'', the Disney version of ''Peter and the Wolf'' is featured and narrated by [[Belle (Disney)|Belle]] instead of Sterling Holloway. This version was featured in ''[[House of Mouse]]''.
+== Changes from Prokofiev's Original Story ==
+Disney’s version of ''Peter and the Wolf'' introduced several '''key changes''' to make the narrative more accessible and appealing to children:
-==References==
+* The '''animals are given names''':
-{{reflist}}
+** ''Sasha'' the songbird
+** ''Sonia'' the duck
+** ''Ivan'' the cat
+* Peter and his friends are '''already aware of the wolf''' and '''prepare to catch him''' at the beginning of the story.
+* The '''hunters are given names''': ''Misha'', ''Yasha'', and ''Vladimir''.
+* Peter carries a '''wooden pop-gun''' and daydreams about '''hunting the wolf'''.
+* Unlike the original version, '''Sonia the duck is not eaten by the wolf'''. Instead, she hides inside a '''hollow tree''', leading Peter and his friends to mistakenly believe she has been devoured. When the wolf is captured, Sonia '''emerges unharmed''', reuniting with her friends.
-==External links==
+== Music and Narration ==
-* {{IMDb title|0038836|Peter and the Wolf}}
+Disney retained '''Prokofiev’s musical composition''', where each character is represented by a specific '''musical instrument''':
-{{Peter and the Wolf}}
+* '''Peter''' – ''String instruments''
-{{Disney's Short films}}
+* '''Sasha (songbird)''' – ''Flute''
+* '''Sonia (duck)''' – ''Oboe''
+* '''Ivan (cat)''' – ''Clarinet''
+* '''The Wolf''' – ''French horns''
+* '''The Hunters''' – ''Timpani and bass drum''
+Narration was provided by '''Sterling Holloway''', whose voice guided the audience through the story. A separate '''audio recording''' of this version, with '''expanded narration''', was released on '''Disneyland Records (DQ-1242)'''.
+== Home Media Releases ==
+''Peter and the Wolf'' has been included in multiple home media releases:
+* '''DVD''': ''Walt Disney Gold Classic Collection – Make Mine Music''
+* '''DVD''': ''Walt Disney’s It’s a Small World of Fun! Vol. 2''
+* '''VHS''': ''Belle's Tales of Friendship'', featuring an alternative narration by '''Belle''' instead of '''Sterling Holloway'''
+* '''TV Appearance''': Featured in ''House of Mouse''
+== Legacy ==
+Disney’s ''Peter and the Wolf'' remains one of the most recognizable adaptations of Prokofiev’s work. Though it deviates from the '''original darker tone''', its '''humorous and engaging animation''', combined with Prokofiev’s '''iconic score''', has made it a '''beloved classic''' among Disney’s animated shorts.
 [[Category:1946 films]]
 [[Category:1940s Disney animated short films]]