Father Noah's Ark is a Walt Disney Silly Symphonies animated film. It is based on the story of Noah's Ark. The short's musical score is an adaptation of the first dance in Ludwig van Beethoven's 12 Contredanses.[1] The cartoon was released on April 8, 1933.[2]

Father Noah's Ark
Directed byWilfred Jackson
Produced byWalt Disney
StarringAllan Watson
J. Delos Jewkes
Lucille La Verne
Walt Disney
The Rhythmettes
Music byLeigh Harline
Animation byChuck Couch
Paul Fennell
Harry Reeves
Color processTechnicolor
Production
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Distributed byUnited Artists
Release date
  • April 8, 1933 (1933-04-08)
Running time
8 minutes
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish

Plot

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The short begins with the building of the Ark. Father Noah makes the plans of the ark and gives commands to its construction. His sons, Ham, Shem and Japheth "build the ark from dawn to dark and make a lot of noise" with some help from the animals, while their wives load up food supplies to see them through the flood and Noah's wife is washing clothes.

Eventually, the storm rolls in and the animals are summoned, two-by-two, to the ark, purposely leaving two skunks behind. The ark is soon buffeted around by the storm and the ark's occupants praise to the Lord. At one point, Noah gets rainwater leaking through the ceiling in his mouth and has to open a porthole to spit it out, whereupon he is chased by a stray lightning bolt, which he lets out through another porthole.

40 days later, the storm recedes and a dove, carrying an olive branch, flies back to Noah and his family to signify that land has been found. They lower the gangway and the animals and their offspring all come back out onto dry land (the ark, in this case, resting atop a tree).

Reception

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The Pomp and Circumstance segment of Fantasia 2000, also based on Noah's Ark, makes minor references to this short.

Home media

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The short was released on December 4, 2001, on Walt Disney Treasures: Silly Symphonies - The Historic Musical Animated Classics[3][1] and on the UK VHS of Dumbo as a bonus feature.

Voice cast

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References

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  1. ^ a b c Merritt, Russell; Kaufman, J. B. (2016). Walt Disney's Silly Symphonies: A Companion to the Classic Cartoon Series (2nd ed.). Glendale, CA: Disney Editions. pp. 124–125. ISBN 978-1-4847-5132-9.
  2. ^ Lenburg, Jeff (1999). The Encyclopedia of Animated Cartoons. Checkmark Books. pp. 135–136. ISBN 0-8160-3831-7.
  3. ^ "Silly Symphonies: The Historic Musical Animated Classics DVD Review". DVD Dizzy. Retrieved February 20, 2021.
  4. ^ Scott, Keith (October 3, 2022). Cartoon Voices of the Golden Age, Vol. 2. BearManor Media. p. 509.
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