The Little House (1952)

Simply A Masterpiece

Powerful

Memorable, crazy movie

Let me be very fair here, this is not the best movie in my opinion. But, this movie is fun, it has purpose and is very enjoyable to watch.

There is so much to love about The Little House, though it might be a touch over-sentimental for some. There is no denying how wonderful the animation is, the backgrounds look so smooth and flow equally so and the colours are very rich. The animation on the house and the increase in size is very inventively done. Also great is the music, not surprising considering that if there is a component that is consistently good in the Disney shorts it is the music. It is beautifully orchestrated while not being syrupy, which it could easily have been, and it is certainly not without energy or driven rhythms either. The Little House's story is very simple but is an involving one and also one of Disney's most emotionally charged. Disney shorts have been known to make me cry, like with Mickey's Good Deed, The Old Mill and The Ugly Duckling and The Little House does that as well. Sterling Holloway's narration is remarkably sensitive and doesn't fall into the trap of explaining too much or being annoying, after hearing narrations in animation that start saying things that we can easily see on screen or are better off shown. The titular character is a sweet one and one that we do feel genuine sympathy for, it is always great to have a lead character to root for all the way and The Little House definitely has that. In conclusion, beautifully drawn, emotionally charged and sweet, one of my favourite Disney shorts of the 50s. 10/10 Bethany Cox

This is a little story about a house. It's very small and is made fun of by the fancier and larger houses. However, as the years pass, times change and homes come and go. What will happen with the little house? And, more importantly, does anyone care? Sterling Holloway narrates this extremely sentimental cartoon. It's the sort of thing adults would probably enjoy and kids would find very tedious. While I am an adult, I also found this one a bit too sentimental and lacked the fun I expect in a cartoon. You see it and be the judge. It's well made....but not fun to me and my taste. If you want to see it, it's available on the "Disney Rarities" DVD collection.

What a sweet, beautifully animated and poignant little gem! I especially love the animation of the early scenes where the house is all lonely at night, and the snowy scene on New Year's Eve. When I first watched this and saw the house with a face I thought it was just going to be some silly throwaway short. I couldn't have been more wrong! They do a great job of making you care(and fear!) for the house, and you go on quite the emotional journey for a mere eight minutes. Normally I'd have zero qualms about divulging the plot of something, but this one, I decided is just too precious to spoil, you've really got to see it for yourself. Aw, it almost brought tears to my eyes when the poor dishevelled house was crying and lamenting its sad lonely end... It seemed very much like an elderly person than a house that was being taken away. Simply heartbreaking. I just love how they could make you cry over a cartoon house! I don't mean to demean things by calling the house a cartoon, but this is some really stirring and powerful emotional stuff here! ::: I thought some things about this tale's message could be misconstrued as naive nowadays. Not by me. It's not saying all big cities and human progress is bad, just that some people prefer a more quiet and peaceful life. It's basically trying to say that we can get so caught up in "bigger and better" things, that sometimes we can forget along the way the things which matter the most. Make a Little House in your soul.

THE LITTLE HOUSE sits on a little hill, way out in the country. Even though filled with a loving family, she can't help but notice the relentless approach of the big city coming ever closer to her...This cartoon is a charming adaptation of Virginia Lee Burton's 1942 Caldecott Medal winner. For the few minutes of its duration, the viewer feels deep interest in, and sympathy for, the little house - a tribute to the skill of the Disney artists in giving life to an inanimate object. The film benefits greatly from the expressive narration of Sterling Holloway.