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The Story of Ferdinand

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Poster from the Federal Theatre Project, Work Projects Administration production, 1937

The Story of Ferdinand (1936) is the best known work written by American author Munro Leaf and illustrated by Robert Lawson. The children's book tells the story of a bull who would rather smell flowers than fight in bullfights. He sits in the middle of the bull ring failing to take heed of any of the provocations of the matador and others to fight.

The book was released nine months before the outbreak of the Spanish Civil War, but was still seen by many supporters of Francisco Franco as a pacifist book. It became a target of the right wing, being banned in many countries, and—perhaps because of that suppression—was promoted by many on the left. It was one of the few non-Communist books promoted in Soviet-occupied Poland.

Leaf is said to have written the story on a whim in an afternoon in 1935, largely to provide his friend, illustrator Robert Lawson (then relatively unknown) a forum in which to showcase his talents.

The landscape in which Lawson placed the fictional Ferdinand is more or less real. Lawson faithfully reproduced the view of the city of Ronda in Andalusia for his illustration of Ferdinand being brought to Madrid on a cart: we see the Puente Nuevo ("New Bridge") spanning the El Tajo canyon. The Disney movie added some rather accurate views of Ronda and the Puente Romano ("Roman bridge") and the Puente Viejo ("Old bridge") at the beginning of the story, where Lawsons pictures were more free. Ronda is home to the oldest bullfighting ring in Spain that is still used; this might have been a reason for Lawson's use of its surroundings as a background for the story.

Film

The story was adapted by Walt Disney as a short animated film entitled Ferdinand the Bull in 1938, in a style similar to his Silly Symphonies series (and sometimes considered an unofficial part of that series). Ferdinand the Bull won the 1938 Academy Award for Best Short Subject (Cartoons).

The story was cited by many former critics[who?] of U.S. intervention in World War II after Pearl Harbor to explain their change of heart.[citation needed]

Legacy

The story was set to incidental music in "Ferdinand the Bull" by classical composer Mark Fish. It has been narrated in concert[when?] by David Ogden Stiers and by Emmy award-winner Roscoe Lee Browne. It was also adapted, in 1971, as a piece for solo violin and narrator by the British composer Alan Ridout. [1]

Singer-songwriter Elliott Smith had a tattoo of Ferdinand the Bull, from the cover of Munro Leaf's book, on his right upper arm, which is visible on the cover of his record either/or. Smith's song "Flowers for Charlie" can be seen as a somewhat abstract retelling of the book from Ferdinand's perspective. The rock band Fall Out Boy named their third album From Under The Cork Tree after a phrase in the book.[2]

Richard Horvitz commented that fellow actor and friend Fred Willard performed this story as a 5th grade class play when Fred was a child.

Ferdinand made an appearance in the 1997 film "Strays," a Sundance favorite written/directed/starring a then-unknown Vin Diesel. The story of Ferdinand, the bull who followed his heart and proved that just because you're a bull you don't have to act like one, served as a major influence and spirit of the film's plot. Ferdinand again appeared in the 2009 movie The Blind Side, the story of Michael Oher, with a similar metaphorical message.

According to one scholar, the book crosses gender lines in that it offers a character to whom both boys and girls can relate.[3]

The short film is broadcast in Sweden every year on Christmas Eve as a part of an annual Disney Christmas show.

References

  1. ^ A performance of the piece, by the violinist Ruth Rogers and her mother, Juliet Rogers, formed part of the concert “Musical Bridge: An evening of classical music inspired by Burma” at Christ Church, Spitalfields in London on May 15th, 2010.
  2. ^ "Fall Out Boy—From Under The Cork Tree". The Syndicate. 2005. Retrieved 2007-05-14. When he was a little boy, Fall Out Boy bassist and lyricist Pete Wentz enjoyed reading "Curious George," "Babar" and Richard Scarry, but his favorite children's book was "The Story of Ferdinand" by Munro Leaf. The story (...) was so inspirational to Wentz that he titled the band's breakthrough record From Under the Cork Tree.
  3. ^ Spitz, Ellen Handler (1999). Inside Picture Books. Yale University Press. pp. 176–177. ISBN 0-300-07602-9. {{cite book}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter: |coauthors= (help)

"The Blind Side", Movie starring Sandra Bullock where the coach mentions that the main character would rather stare at balloons than hit someone. Sandra Bullock then replies "Ferdinand the Bull" as they leave the field during football practice.

In the film Pursuit to Algiers, Mrs. Dunham compares Dr. Watson to Ferdinand the Bull because he would rather drink sherry than exert himself by going on a three–mile hike.

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