The Truth About Mother Goose

Another of my favorite Disney rarities. And this was a very informative one. Who knew that there were connections to these nursery rhymes that were inspired directly or indirectly by real events, like I heard somewhere that Ring Around The Rosey has something to do with the black plague. I had two books on the nursery rhymes when I was little, one of them was a Disney read-along. Before watching this short months ago on Youtube, I had no idea that there really was more to them than the basics of which I know. One of the most interesting shorts ever made by Disney I think. I recommend this to anybody who'd like to learn more about how the nursery rhymes originated and their history, and how they're linked to their inspirations. By the way, the version that I first saw was a Wonderful World Of Color episode featuring Ludwig Von Drake as narrator and Herman in intervals, which I like more than the original.

I remember this cartoon very well. Of course, it was the version that was in an hour-long episode of a Disney TV show that ran from the 1950s to the '70s. It also had a new narrator - Paul Frees, in the character of Ludwig von Drake. But I was fortunate to watch the original version on YouTube.

In this memorable cartoon, the none-too-cheery stories behind well-known nursery rhymes are revealed. It covers "Little Jack Horner," "Mary, Mary, Quite Contrary," and "London Bridge is Falling Down" with a clever contrast of wonderful animation that reflects the influence of the film "Sleeping Beauty" (which was in production then) and serious narration by John Dehner. Each segment begins with an upbeat performance of the song, followed by a depiction of the historical inspiration, and concludes with a rather sombre rendition of the tune.

So overall, I would say this cartoon is that it's artistically beautiful, fun to watch, and really interesting. I especially loved the segment on "Mary, Mary,...", though her story was so sad.

Most stories, rhymes and fables have some story behind them as to their origin and this short, an Oscar nominee, goes into several of the Mother Goose rhymes and tells what event or action caused its creation. It's really quite fascinating to discover the basis of many of these rhymes we grew up with and to discover how many were actually political in nature. This shows on The Ink and Paint Club on the Disney Channel as well as a free-standing filler itself every once in awhile. Most recommended.

A very good animated documentary that tells us the truth behind the nursery rhymes most all of us know from our childhoods. Like Ring Around the Rosey is about the black plague, the other childhood rhymes have a true story behind them. Worth watching if one is interested in where these Mother Goose stories come from.

10/10.

This is a Disney short describing the back stories about classic nursery rhymes that almost every little kid in the world knows. The only two stories, I actually remember though is the one about "Mary, Mary Quite Contary". Which was about Mary, the Queen of Scotland whom was executed by her cousin, Elizabeth, the Queen of England. the other was the "London Bridge is Falling Down", actually the real London bridge did fall down, and was rebuilt several times. It's basically one of those cartoons, which is more educational than humorous, but it a great example of Disney or shorts made in the 1950s. They used to air on the Disney Channel when I was a child, before Disney changed it's image in the the late 1990s as a contemporary kids channel, but I think you can now find them on DVD.