The Forest Animals are characters featured in the 1937 Silly Symphony short Little Hiawatha. They are a group of forest animals that Hiawatha encounters.
Background[]
At first, the forest animals viewed Hiawatha as a threat to them when he set out to hunt the animals at the forest. When Hiawatha tried to hunt down a rabbit with his bow and arrow, he began to understand that the rabbit has emotions too, so he decides to break his weapon and make peace with the animals. They are also capable in helping Hiawatha escape from a hostile bear that he encountered in the forest and after he escaped, they deemed him as a protector of the animals, praising him altogether.
Appearances[]
Little Hiawatha[]
As Hiawatha sails across the stream, a bluebird and a robin approach him and tell him not to harm them but be kind to them while a salmon leaps out of the stream. As he arrives on shore, Hiawatha sets out to hunt for animals with his bow and arrow, but slips onto the water, causing the beavers, squirrels, rabbits, raccoons, a fawn, and birds to laugh. Hiawatha, furious, arrives at the spot where the animals laughed at him, causing several of them to retreat in fear. Hiawatha attempts to hunt a group of squirrels with his bow and arrow, but stops to look at some unique footprints. The other animals approach Hiawatha and it turns out it was a grasshopper making the same footprints that Hiawatha saw.
Hiawatha follows the grasshopper's tracks, trying to hunt it down, only for it to spit on Hiawatha, causing the other animals to laugh again. Hiawatha approaches the spot where the animals laughed at him, causing all of them to retreat, except for a singular bunny, which Hiawatha found him to be the perfect animal for him to hunt. However, this only made the bunny react in fear and cry, causing all the other animals to react in shock. Hiawatha understands the bunny's emotions, as he decides not to shoot him, just as he shoos him away, which he suddenly finds his family, just as they are happy to see him. Afterwards, Hiawatha breaks his weapon, sparing the rabbit's life, while the animals celebrate that he will no longer hunt them.
Later, Hiawatha sees some bear pawprints leading to a bear cub and as he approaches him, he chases him to a sleeping adult grizzly bear, causing him to wake up in anger for disturbing him. The bear ferociously roars and chases Hiawatha across the woods, which the other animals became aware of the danger. The beavers bang their tails on a log to sound the alarm, causing the other animals to retreat as the bear chases Hiawatha. Three raccoons work together using a vine, causing the bear to trip, followed by three beavers giving Hiawatha a log to help him escape the bear. The beavers then gnaw on the tree that Hiawatha and the bear are hanging on, chopping it down while some opossums and a fawn rescue Hiawatha, while more beavers continue chopping down more trees to block the bear, followed by more rabbits hiding in a pine tree. The fawn takes Hiawatha to safety while some turtles get Hiawatha's raft ready. Just as Hiawatha leaves, the beavers then assist him in helping him get back home while the rabbits, the squirrels, the fawn, and the raccoons watch him leave, deeming him as a mighty chieftain and protector of the animals.
Trivia[]
- A running gag is whenever Hiawatha goes into a minor comeuppance, the forest animals would laugh at him and then Hiawatha would hostilely arrive at the spot where the forest animals were laughing at him.
- Clips of the forest animals from Little Hiawatha were later used in the "Home on the Range" segment in the Disney's Sing-Along Songs volume Little Patch of Haven.
Gallery[]
