It's Tough to Be a Bird

Winging into action, our feathered host leads us on a short flight into the world of all things avian. After learning about the vital impact - yet sad history - of our little flying friends, we are left with the inescapable conclusion that IT'S TOUGH TO BE A BIRD.

This delightful Disney cartoon, winner of the 1969 Oscar for Best Animated Short, is great fun. It is most enjoyable to see the antique film clips & to be reminded of the old birdie tunes. But beyond the laughs are some important elements dealing with bird biology & preservation.

Ward Kimball, authentic genius, master animator & one of Walt's Nine Old Men, co-authored & directed this short, infusing it with his unique brand of quirky humor. Movie mavens will spot him as the bird watcher holding the tape recorder. Richard Bakalyan does a fine job as the narrator with attitude; that's Ruth Buzzi hilariously warbling `When The Buzzards Return To Hinckley Ridge.' Give yourself a golden goose egg if you can spot Donald Duck.

Ward Kimball was truly a one of a kind artist. His sensibility, on the surface, looked at odds with the Disney sensibility. Yet, Walt really valued him throughout the course of their lives. Kimball contributed a sense if comic flair and wackiness that no one else did. And it really came out after Disney's death.

Kimball had directed Disney cartoons before and they were highly successful, despite Disney himself not being a fan of the aesthetics. This title, similar to the educational featurettes that were put out earlier in the decade blends satire and irreverent humor. The animation looks like a mesh between the Sesame Street characters and Monty Python (both shows coincidentally premiered the same year). All these elements combined feel like a film produced by a studio other than Disney. The template is still there though. And at the same time, Kimball honors his Disney roots by juxtaposing a few clips from some classic Disney cartoons, with birds, with the absurdism.

Not suprisingly, few Disney executives and veterans were not crazy about this film, but the critics praised it and it won an Oscar. Despite the success, this film has fallen into obscurity, never having seen an official media release of any kind. Perhaps the Disney execs are still put off by it? Or perhaps it's too much a product of the late 60s?

A highly unusual Disney film, but one of Kimball's greatest achievements.

For those unaware, Disney's 9 old men were a group of highly dedicated animators at the mouse house that uncle Walt himself delegated the most tasks to due to their loyalty and expanded interests. One of them, Ward Kimball, was arguably the most diversely artistic of the bunch, pushing for a UPA aesthetic against Walt's wishes and opting for very comedic subject matter after making the bold move from lead animator to director to journey storyman. Following Walt's passing in 1966, one of Ward's most prestigious efforts landed him an Oscar. That film was the animated educational short, It's Tough to Be a Bird.

The short is presented by an unnamed red bird (voiced by Richard Bakalyan) as it explains how birds have contributed to human culture. While shown in a quasi-documentary style format, the film lampoons its own subject matter by highly emphasizing the numerous times people have tried to kill all species of birds. By hypothesizing hysterical theories such as humans being jealous of the bird's ability to fly, a lot of humor is shown through mythological beings like Icarus, prehistoric bird ancestors and even recorded footage of unsuccessful flying machines. Although its approach can feel rather dry and sometimes pad out a bit too much for its own good, Bakalyan's amusing performance adds a relatable edge to the picture where it may have felt naked without it. It's hard to say how much creative control Kimball had behind the project, but given how much he embraced the endless possibilities of how birds operate, there's no denying how much fun he and the small crew behind the featurette had in putting this oddball documentary together.

As far as art direction is concerned, the character design and animation is a lot more abstract and crude than the average Disney cartoon, not at all hidden by the infamous Xerox process. However, it works with the content provided by emulating the humorous stab at educational documentaries and the simplicity of the end goal, which is to get its point across briskly without fail. On a side note, the occasional mix of live-action paints a solid contrast of real people analyzing birds of their own free will, almost as if the film is reminding us of how we perceive wildlife. Bird watching doesn't seem to be looked upon too much nowadays, which is a shame because it's such a relaxing hobby for anyone of the right age range. Lastly, the minor albeit harmonious score from veteran Disney composer George Bruns adds a calm cleansing nature to the otherwise hysterical farce of an educational flick. Also, the addition of When The Buzzards Return To Hinckley Ridge marks a delightfully whimsical melody courtesy of comedian / singer Ruth Buzzi; not too long to outstay its welcome either.

It really is tough to be a bird, let alone any animal species for that matter, but it's also tough to make an educational piece this entertaining on them. Despite Ward Kimball largely being known for his animation efforts to classics like Pinocchio, Dumbo and Alice in Wonderland, his directorial efforts should not be overlooked, as they showcase his nutty sense of humor unmatched by anyone else working at Disney at the time. His legacy has left behind so many marvelous treasures just waiting to be rediscovered outside of animation circles, so this one should be no exception. It's not so tough to be curious.

This starts off quite entertainingly with a comedy-poetic narration accompanying an animated look at the many ways humanity tries to do away with our flying friends. Everything from cages to arrows and bullets. Then we pose the question. How did the planet even get birds in the first place? Well, now we are taken on a quirky chronology through the history of ornithology from fish to feathers. Then mankind (and videotape) arrives and when we discover we can't quite emulate their natural skills in the air, we do everything from venerate them to roast them. Did you know the origins of the expression "chicken out"? "Twitchers" love to spend hours watching them and ultimately, more and more of their species are going the way of the dodo so we need to start being kinder to these crucial species that are essential to the survival of all around us. The first five minutes is well paced and good fun, thereafter it's becomes a bit of a stock footage fest that stretches the wit of the writer just a bit too far. Condensed to half it's length, it would have been punchier and probably more effective at delivering it's ultimate message about conservation and the beauty of these creatures (even the buzzards!). Watchable but forgettable, sorry.

This is one of Disney's better efforts (which is quite a compliment!) This shows up occasionally on The Ink and Paint Club, but I think that Disney (and the public) would be well-served if this and some of their other shorts were released in a compilation. This is an excellent example of combining animation with live-action to create at one and the same time a cartoon and a documentary about birds that is informative and entertaining for adults and children. In fact, I have noticed more than a few cartoons that should be in-print that aren't, many of them Disney, but others as well. Highly recommended.