Johnny Appleseed (film)

The Legend of Johnny Appleseed
Johnny Appleseed in Disney's American Legends
Directed by	Wilfred Jackson
Written by	Winston Hibler Joe Rinaldi Erdman Penner Jesse Marsh
Produced by	Walt Disney
Starring	Dennis Day
Cinematography	Hal Ambro & Harvey Toombs (animators)
Music by	Paul J. Smith
Release date	May 27, 1948 (1948-05-27)
Running time	19 minutes
Country	United States
Language	English

The Legend of Johnny Appleseed is an animated short musical segment from the 1948 film Melody Time. It is narrated by Dennis Day and is based on the American frontiersman John Chapman, better known as Johnny Appleseed.

Synopsis

In 1806, Pittsburgh farmer Johnny Appleseed watches as pioneers depart out west and wishes he could follow. Johnny is inspired by an angel to abandon his farm, go west, and plant apple seeds everywhere he goes. The angel tells Johnny that he has all that he needs to go out West: a bag of seeds to plant, a Bible, and a pot that he can use for a hat. In his travels, Johnny befriends a skunk, and thereafter, all animals instinctively trust him. As Johnny travels, he uses his pot to fry in, and sings a tune " The lard's been good to me." In the end, after walking hundreds of miles and planting apple trees all along the way, Johnny finally rests for the last time under a tree; his angel appears before him, and tells Johnny that it's time to go. Johnny gets up, scared at first upon realizing he's dead, but refuses to go to his final resting place, believing that his work is not done yet. However, the angel tells him that, where they're headed, they're low on apple trees, so Johnny picks up his seed bag and happily agrees to go with him.

Cast

• Dennis Day as Narrator / The Old Settler Johnny Appleseed
• Dallas McKennon as Johnny's Angel

Prior release

The film was originally a sequence in Disney's Melody Time, released May 27, 1948. It was included on the DVD Disney's American Legends, on February 12, 2002.

Further reading

• Brode, Douglas (1 June 2004). From Walt to Woodstock: how Disney created the counterculture. University of Texas Press. p. 199ff. ISBN 978-0-292-70273-8. Retrieved 25 September 2011.
• Brode, Douglas (2005). Multiculturalism and the Mouse: race and sex in Disney entertainment. University of Texas Press. p. 201ff. ISBN 978-0-292-70960-7. Retrieved 24 September 2011.
• Means, Howard (12 April 2011). Johnny Appleseed: The Man, the Myth, the American Story. Simon and Schuster. p. 255ff. ISBN 978-1-4391-7825-6. Retrieved 24 September 2011.
• Pinsky, Mark I. (July 2004). The Gospel according to Disney: faith, trust, and pixie dust. Westminster John Knox Press. p. 113ff. ISBN 978-0-664-22591-9. Retrieved 24 September 2011.
• Price, Nelson (1 March 2001). Legendary Hoosiers: Famous Folks from the State of Indiana. Emmis Books. p. 4. ISBN 978-1-57860-097-7. Retrieved 24 September 2011.
• Watts, Steven (27 June 2002). The Magic Kingdom: Walt Disney and the American Way of Life. University of Missouri Press. p. 264. ISBN 978-0-8262-1379-2. Retrieved 25 September 2011.

External links

• Johnny Appleseed at IMDb