Uploaded May 2026 | Updated September 2026, 2 weeks ago
The Reluctant Dragon (73 min)
Synopsis: Robert Benchley visits the Walt Disney Studio in Burbank to sell Walt Disney on the idea of making a film of Kenneth Grahame’s book, The Reluctant Dragon. After explorations of an art class, dialogue stage, sound effects stage, multiplane camera department, story and animation departments, he discovers Walt has already finished the cartoon version of his story. In the story department, actor Alan Ladd, portraying a Disney storyman, tells of Baby Weems, a child prodigy whose fame takes him away from his parents until a serious illness makes him a regular baby once more. In the final segment, the audience learns about the poetry-writing dragon who must prove his mettle if he wants to coexist with a neighboring village. He and Sir Giles stage a mock battle in order to show everyone that the dragon really is fierce.
Cast: Robert Benchley (as himself), Walt Disney (as himself), Frances Gifford (Doris - Studio Artist), Buddy Pepper (Humphrey - Studio Guide), Nana Bryant (Mrs. Benchley), Alan Ladd (Al - Baby Weems Story Artist), Florence Gill (as herself), Clarence Nash (as himself, voice of Donald Duck), Norm Ferguson (as himself), Ward Kimball (as himself), Jimmy Luske (Baby Weems Model), Barnett Parker (voice of The Dragon), Claud Allister (voice of Sir Giles), Billy Lee (voice of The Boy), Leone Le Doux (voice of Baby Weems), Ernie Alexander (voice of Mr. Weems), Linda Marwood (voice of Mrs. Weems), John McLeish (Narrator of 'How to Ride a Horse'),
Songs:
Live-Action Director: Alfred Werker
Animation Director: Hamilton Luske
Premiered on June 20, 1941
US Home Media Release Dates: March 9, 1999 (VHS), May 2007 (DVD),
Trivia:
• Begins in black and white and then switches to color.
• For the opening credits, storyman T. Hee prepared clever caricatures of Studio staff.
• Cartoon segments include Casey Jr, Old MacDonald Duck, and How to Ride a Horse.
The Copyright Laws of the United States recognizes a “fair use” of copyrighted content. Section 107 of the U.S. Copyright Act states: “Notwithstanding the provisions of sections 106 and 106A, the fair use of a copyrighted work, including such use by reproduction in copies or phonorecords or by any other means specified by that section, for purposes such as criticism, comment, news reporting, teaching (including multiple copies for classroom use), scholarship, or research, is not an infringement of copyright.”
This video and the “Animation Compendia” YouTube channel in general may contain certain copyrighted works that were not specifically authorized to be used by the copyrighted holder(s), but which we believe in good faith are protected by federal law and the fair use doctrine for one or more of the reasons noted above.
The Reluctant Dragon (73 min)
Synopsis: Robert Benchley visits the Walt Disney Studio in Burbank to sell Walt Disney on the idea of making a film of Kenneth Grahame’s book, The Reluctant Dragon. After explorations of an art class, dialogue stage, sound effects stage, multiplane camera department, story and animation departments, he discovers Walt has already finished the cartoon version of his story. In the story department, actor Alan Ladd, portraying a Disney storyman, tells of Baby Weems, a child prodigy whose fame takes him away from his parents until a serious illness makes him a regular baby once more. In the final segment, the audience learns about the poetry-writing dragon who must prove his mettle if he wants to coexist with a neighboring village. He and Sir Giles stage a mock battle in order to show everyone that the dragon really is fierce.
Cast: Robert Benchley (as himself), Walt Disney (as himself), Frances Gifford (Doris - Studio Artist), Buddy Pepper (Humphrey - Studio Guide), Nana Bryant (Mrs. Benchley), Alan Ladd (Al - Baby Weems Story Artist), Florence Gill (as herself), Clarence Nash (as himself, voice of Donald Duck), Norm Ferguson (as himself), Ward Kimball (as himself), Jimmy Luske (Baby Weems Model), Barnett Parker (voice of The Dragon), Claud Allister (voice of Sir Giles), Billy Lee (voice of The Boy), Leone Le Doux (voice of Baby Weems), Ernie Alexander (voice of Mr. Weems), Linda Marwood (voice of Mrs. Weems), John McLeish (Narrator of 'How to Ride a Horse'),
Songs:
Live-Action Director: Alfred Werker
Animation Director: Hamilton Luske
Premiered on June 20, 1941
US Home Media Release Dates: March 9, 1999 (VHS), May 2007 (DVD),
Trivia:
• Begins in black and white and then switches to color.
• For the opening credits, storyman T. Hee prepared clever caricatures of Studio staff.
• Cartoon segments include Casey Jr, Old MacDonald Duck, and How to Ride a Horse.
The Copyright Laws of the United States recognizes a “fair use” of copyrighted content. Section 107 of the U.S. Copyright Act states: “Notwithstanding the provisions of sections 106 and 106A, the fair use of a copyrighted work, including such use by reproduction in copies or phonorecords or by any other means specified by that section, for purposes such as criticism, comment, news reporting, teaching (including multiple copies for classroom use), scholarship, or research, is not an infringement of copyright.”
This video and the “Animation Compendia” YouTube channel in general may contain certain copyrighted works that were not specifically authorized to be used by the copyrighted holder(s), but which we believe in good faith are protected by federal law and the fair use doctrine for one or more of the reasons noted above.
