The Ugly Duckling (1939)

The Ugly Duckling is an animated short produced by Walt Disney and the final cartoon in the Silly Symphonies series.

The 1939 Technicolor version. Directed by Wilfred Jackson (1931) Jack Cutting (1939) Produced by Walt Disney Animation by Dick Lundy (1931) Distributed by Columbia Pictures (1931) RKO Pictures (1939) Release date(s) December 17, 1931 (black and white) April 7, 1939 (color) Color process Technicolor Running time 6.42 minutes (1931) 8.59 minutes (1939) The Ugly Duckling is an animated film by Walt Disney based on the fairy tale "The Ugly Duckling" by Hans Christian Andersen. In the Andersen tale, a duckling is harassed because of his homeliness. To his delight, he matures into a swan, the most beautiful bird of all, and his troubles are over.

Walt Disney actually produced two Silly Symphonies animated shorts based on the fairy tale, one in 1931 in black and white, and one in 1939 in Technicolor. The color film won the 1939 Academy Award for Best Short Subject (Cartoons).

In this version, the baby swan's sufferings are shortened, as he is found by his family, after only a few minutes of rejection and ostracism, instead of a whole year. This abbreviated version is read by Lilo to Stitch in the 2002 Disney film Lilo & Stitch. The story has a deep impact on Stitch, who sets out to look for his real family.

The Ugly Duckling was Disney's last Silly Symphony.

Synopsis
A remake of an earlier Silly Symphony retells the story of an outcast duckling whose search for a family to accept him leads to constant rejection before learning his true identity as a swan.

Characters

 * Ugly Duckling
 * Mother Duck
 * Father Duck
 * Mother Swan