The Tortoise and the Hare
The Tortoise and the Hare
NR | 05 January 1935 (USA)
The Tortoise and the Hare Trailers

The Tortoise and the Hare is an animated short film released on January 5, 1935 by United Artists, produced by Walt Disney and directed by Wilfred Jackson. Based on an Aesop's fable of the same name, The Tortoise and the Hare won the 1934 Academy Award for Best Short Subject: Cartoons. This cartoon is also believed to be one of the influences for Bugs Bunny.

Reviews
Interesteg What makes it different from others?
Myron Clemons A film of deceptively outspoken contemporary relevance, this is cinema at its most alert, alarming and alive.
Calum Hutton It's a good bad... and worth a popcorn matinée. While it's easy to lament what could have been...
Billy Ollie Through painfully honest and emotional moments, the movie becomes irresistibly relatable
Horst in Translation (filmreviews@web.de) This is an 80-year-old cartoon (so the turtle may very well still be alive today!) from Walt Disney that won him his 3rd Academy Award. Sports have not really been frequent in these early cartoon movies, but this one here is proof that Disney can also deliver in that area. And there is not only the race in here, but also all the different ways in which the rabbit impresses the female rabbits. Too bad that he is not as smart as he is fast. Or as smart as he is boastful, which would make him probably the smartest animal on the planet then. Anyway, this is a very enjoyable short film. Of course, it is never really in doubt that the tortoise is going to win, but that's not a problem at all. I was delighted to see that hard-fighting, kind and forgiving turtle win in the end. Or was I delighted to see the arrogant hare lose? Maybe a bit of both. In any case, this was a great watch. The raccoon firing at the turtle to get going was as funny as everybody moving away from the skunks in the audience. I absolutely enjoyed these 8 minutes. Highly recommended and there is a sequel for this one which is pretty decent as well. Good job from Holden, Norton and Wilfred Jackson of course, a really great mind in the world of early animation and cartoons.
Shawn Watson There's not much to say about this cartoon. I guess it's the original underdog tale. It doesn't expand upon the fable and presents the story in its most basic form.A tortoise and a hare have a race, viewed by a large audience. The dull-witted tortoise seems no match for the cocky, over-confident hare. But when the race actually begins the hare is too busy with distractions while the tortoise focuses on winning.It may be a cautionary tale on never straying or deviating from following your dreams. Never accept what is and always chase what can be.Apparently the design of the hare was an inspiration on the design of Bugs Bunny, I character I like much better.
tavm Just watched this Oscar-winning animated short on YouTube. Based on the classic Aesop Fable, the obnoxious hare challenges the shy tortoise to a relay race. If you're familiar with the tale, you know how it goes but this being animated, you get the hare causing some wind to blow as well as him stopping to chat up some feminine admirer fans while the tortoise keeps going. There are some amusing gags but nothing hilarious. Still, this was a pretty exciting cartoon from Walt Disney's Silly Symphonies and it spawned a sequel-Toby Tortoise Returns-that I did think was hilarious. Oh, and it's easy to see why Frank Tashlin thought the hare-eventually called Max in the sequel-was the inspiration for Warner Bros.' Bugs Bunny. So for all that, I highly recommend The Tortoise and the Hare. P.S. I first saw some of these scenes when The Disney Channel presented on their "DTV" program their version of The Doobie Brothers' "It Keeps You Running" with this as well as other Disney cartoon scenes for the music video.
Robert Reynolds While Disney has all too often taken a classic and "cuted" it into inanity, this actually is a very good cartoon that still manages to retain the underlying message (while still being almost too cute for it's own good). Toby Tortoise is every kid who had to fade into the background to avoid being stuffed into a locker and manages to win out as much through being too lightly regarded as through his own determination. This won Disney it's third straight Oscar for Animated Short, a category they maintained a death-grip on until the early 1940's, when another mouse and his cohort started winning. Recommended.
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