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Parents' Guide to

Fun and Fancy Free

By Barbara Shulgasser-Parker, Common Sense Media Reviewer

age 5+

1947 Disney animated classic has some violence.

Movie G 1947 73 minutes
Fun and Fancy Free Poster Image

A Lot or a Little?

What you will—and won't—find in this movie.

  • Fun and Fancy Free Movie: Scene #1
  • Fun and Fancy Free Movie: Scene #2
  • Fun and Fancy Free Movie: Scene #3
  • Fun and Fancy Free Movie: Scene #4

Community Reviews

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age 5+

Based on 3 parent reviews

murphrosa
murphrosa Adult
April 21, 2023
age 7+

Vintage Family Fun!

It may not be the most well-known Disney flick, but “Fancy Free” has plenty of laughs and heart. Mickey fans will adore the Beanstalk short, and “Bongo” is a charming story about a circus bear’s return to life in the wild. A few notes for parents to keep in mind: make sure your kids know the difference between fantasy and reality. The protagonists for each segment face their fair share of adversity, and in Bongo’s case, plenty of comedic violence is used to fend off the bad guys. Fighting isn’t always the best solution in real life, but in the film it’s just played for laughs. The intense scene of Mickey and his friends facing starvation may be too unsettling for little ones, but it can be skipped through on Disney+. Thankfully it’s short, and the next beanstalk scene is clever and fun to watch. Overall, still a great movie option for family night!
Lebron12James3
Lebron12James3 Parent
December 21, 2021
age 2+

The wizard

See all 3 parent reviews

What's the Story?

FUN AND FANCY FREE links together mostly animated stories with figures familiar to 1947 audiences, including the popular Mickey Mouse, Donald Duck, Goofy, and Jiminy Cricket, voiced by Walt Disney, Clarence Nash, and Pinto Colvig, and Cliff Edwards respectively, and live-action performance by the famed ventriloquist Edgar Bergen and his puppets Mortimer Snerd and Charlie McCarthy. Bergen narrates the story of what happens when Happy Valley turns into Gruesome Gulch after a giant steals the magic harp that keeps everyone in the valley so cheerful and prosperous. Bergen spews multisyllabic sentences -- Mortimer doesn't always understand and Charlie mocks his pretension, all of which is meant to entertain both grownups and children at the same time. When Mortimer fears for the poor giant's welfare, Bergen tries to soothe him by explaining that the giant isn't real but rather "a metaphysical phenomenon of your subconscious mind, a phantasmagoria of your mental faculties." The story of a circus bear named Bongo is narrated by the singer Dinah Shore who trills that "When bears are in love, they say it with a slap." The cartoon bears actually slug and wallop each other for comic effect while halos of hearts fly above. Now that the seriousness of domestic violence is a commonplace subject of discussion on every talk show, this "cute" joke about hitting people we love may alarm some parents working to teach their small kids to "use your words" for expressing strong feelings.

Is It Any Good?

Our review:
Parents say (3 ):
Kids say (5 ):

This isn't one of the best Disney works, but the hand-drawn, frame-by-frame animation is a good example of the Disney accomplishment and finesse. The artistic achievement of balancing and bouncing the rubbery Goofy on a huge block of undulating pink Jell-O is easy to appreciate. Kids who can handle the peril and cartoon violence will enjoy Fun and Fancy Free.

Talk to Your Kids About ...

  • Families can talk about whether it's a good idea to show love to anyone by hitting them. Do you think the song in Fun and Fancy Free about hitting those we love is meant to be funny?

  • Bongo longs to escape from the circus but when he breaks out he finds that freedom has problems, too. What are some of the troubles he encounters?

  • Edgar Bergen explains to Mortimer that giants are "figments of the imagination." Do you think giants are real? Do you think it's fun to make up things to be afraid of?

Movie Details

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