Melody (1953): Besetzung, Handlung & Streaming

Released in 1953, Melody is an animation film directed by Charles A. Nichols, running about 10 minutes. “The Screen´s First Animated Cartoon in 3-Dimension” — that tagline sets the tone.

What it’s about. An owl teaches his class full of birds about melody. It's all around in nature. Only birds and man can sing; man "sings" even when he speaks. We see a quick survey of the stages of life, as captured by songs: the alphabet song for primary school, Here Comes the Bride, The Old Gray Mare, etc. Some inspirations for song are outlined in song: love, sailing, trains, the West, motherhood, etc., but "we never sing about brains." Finally, an example of how a simple melody can be expanded into a symphony: an elaborate version of the simple tune that opened the lesson

Who’s in it. Melody stars Bill Thompson as Professor Owl and Harry Stanton as Bass Singer in Canoe and Ship.

How it landed. With an audience score of 5.6/10, Melody has drawn a solid, mixed-to-positive response.

Where to watch. Streaming options change often. See the full, country-by-country breakdown on our where to watch Melody page.

If you liked it. Fans of Melody tend to enjoy Chihiros Reise ins Zauberland, Your Name. - Gestern, heute und für immer, Die letzten Glühwürmchen and Spider-Man: A New Universe.