The Little House

There is so much to love about The Little House, though it might be a touch over-sentimental for some. There is no denying how wonderful the animation is, the backgrounds look so smooth and flow equally so and the colours are very rich. The animation on the house and the increase in size is very inventively done. Also great is the music, not surprising considering that if there is a component that is consistently good in the Disney shorts it is the music. It is beautifully orchestrated while not being syrupy, which it could easily have been, and it is certainly not without energy or driven rhythms either. The Little House's story is very simple but is an involving one and also one of Disney's most emotionally charged. Disney shorts have been known to make me cry, like with Mickey's Good Deed, The Old Mill and The Ugly Duckling and The Little House does that as well. Sterling Holloway's narration is remarkably sensitive and doesn't fall into the trap of explaining too much or being annoying, after hearing narrations in animation that start saying things that we can easily see on screen or are better off shown. The titular character is a sweet one and one that we do feel genuine sympathy for, it is always great to have a lead character to root for all the way and The Little House definitely has that. In conclusion, beautifully drawn, emotionally charged and sweet, one of my favourite Disney shorts of the 50s. 10/10 Bethany Cox