GOLIATH II (1960)

GOLIATH II
Directed by Wolfgang Reitherman
Starring the voices of Sterling Holloway and Kevin Corcoran

Boy, these lesser-known Disney shorts sure do all seem to run together, don't they? “Goliath II” is no exception. It tells the story of a very tiny elephant (about 6” tall) who is a shameful mess to his parents until the day he takes on the worst and baddest enemy in the jungle.

This movie feels like the bastard child of “Dumbo” and “The Jungle Book”. They even threw in the crocodile from “Peter Pan”. “The Jungle Book” was made after this movie, but I found out that they took some of the “Goliath II” animation and re-used it for that film. Disney did this kind of thing all the time, but in this case it seems especially blatant.

“Goliath II” doesn't really offer much beyond the standard Disney fare. It's a very bland story and pretty predictable too. Also, I'm kind of wondering why Walt Disney couldn't find anyone other than Sterling Holloway to narrate his short films. He did a fine job, but come on! Even Scorsese took a break from using DeNiro every now and then!

“Goliath II” earned Walt Disney yet another Oscar nomination for Best Short Subject Cartoon. The film lost to “Munro”. Other nominees were “High Note”, “Mouse and Garden”, and “A Place in the Sun”.

This review was written on June 14, 2008