Little Hiawatha

Little Hiawatha is a very sweet and entertaining Silly Symphony, about a little Red Indian boy. The cartoon has some truly wonderful music, and wonderful characters, not just Little Hiawatha but the forest animals too. The animation, for 1937, is beautiful, with detailed colourful backgrounds and fluid movements.

There was also some fine narration, and the Silly symphony is constantly entertaining, the highlight being the pursuit of Hiawatha by an angry bear. Another pro was the cute and well written story. Overall, vastly entertaining, and it does bring back so many memories from when I used to watch other Silly Symphonies like Flowers and Trees and Ugly Duckling. 10/10 for Little Hiawatha. Bethany Cox

A small Indian child attempts to go hunting in the forest, but ultimately spares the life of a little bunny rabbit after cornering him. As a result, when he comes under attack by a ferocious bear, the forest animals return the favor and try to save him.

A nice little cartoon about compassion and heroism. It's full of excitement and thrills - a good Silly Symphony from Disney.

Grade A

A Walt Disney SILLY SYMPHONY Cartoon Short.

LITTLE HIAWATHA pilots his canoe into the wilderness in search of big game. He finds more than he bargained for when he awakens the ire of a fierce mother bear...

A colorful cartoon, with very good animation, but an absolute travesty of anything to do with Longfellow's classic poem. The Disney animators seem to think having the tyke's breeches constantly falling off is very funny. It's not.

The SILLY SYMPHONIES, which Walt Disney produced for a ten year period beginning in 1929, are among the most fascinating of all animated series. Unlike the Mickey Mouse cartoons in which action was paramount, with the Symphonies the action was made to fit the music. There was little plot in the early Symphonies, which featured lively inanimate objects and anthropomorphic plants & animals, all moving frantically to the soundtrack. Gradually, however, the Symphonies became the school where Walt's animators learned to work with color and began to experiment with plot, characterization & photographic special effects. The pages of Fable & Fairy Tale, Myth & Mother Goose were all mined to provide story lines and even Hollywood's musicals & celebrities were effectively spoofed. It was from this rich soil that Disney's feature-length animation was to spring. In 1939, with SNOW WHITE successfully behind him and PINOCCHIO & FANTASIA on the near horizon, Walt phased out the SILLY SYMPHONIES; they had run their course & served their purpose.

If you are looking for this short, try the "Disney Timeless Treasures: Volume 3". It's there along with several other seldom-seen cartoon shorts.

I wasn't too thrilled about seeing this short, as I am NOT a huge fan of poetry and I have little interest in the Longfellow poem that inspired this film. However, when it began I was immediately captivated by the wonderful animation--with brilliant colors, amazing backgrounds and top-notch quality throughout. In fact, for a 1930s short, I can't think of one that looked any better than this one. It's also interesting because "Snow White" and "Bambi" debuted just a short time later--and you can really see how this film influenced these two wonderful full-length films. Simply put, the animals looked almost exactly like Snow White's woodland friends and an awful lot like Bambi's pals (but to a lesser extent).

As far as the story goes, it's really NOT the Longfellow poem--and it's only used a tiny bit at the beginning and end. Instead, you see a cute American-Indian boy running about with the animals--trying to be tough. That is, until a big nasty bear nearly gobbles up the kid! And, thanks to the nice (and cute) animals, Little Hiawatha is able to escape--just barely.

All in all, while not among the best of the Silly Symphonies from Disney, it is one of the better ones and is highly enjoyable even 73 years later. A lovely little film.

So many reasons to love it... From the instability of pants to the curiosity and pitty, to the help of animals to the terrible run. And, off course, the beautiful end. A splendid irony gives the precious spice to this admirable short animation, unique for the inspired way to give the essence of childhood.