This article is about the 1969 short film. For the similarly-named Disney Parks attraction, see It's Tough to Be a Bug!.
It's Tough to Be a Bird is a 1969 American educational animated short film made by Walt Disney Productions. It won the Academy Award for Best Short Subject, Cartoons in 1970 and was nominated for a BAFTA Award for Best Animated Film in 1971. It was animated by Eric Larson and Art Stevens.
In the short, M.C., a red bird, explains how birds have contributed to human culture, even as people often try to kill them. He claims this may be because humans were jealous that birds could fly, but people cannot, mentioning the legend of Icarus and films of early unsuccessful flying machines.
A year after its debut, the short was expanded to an hour as an episode of The Wonderful World of Disney.
On DTV, this short was set to Bobby Day's original version of "Rockin' Robin". Also on DTV, footage of this short was featured in the music video for "You Can Fly".
Cast[]
- Ruth Buzzi as Soprano
- Richard Bakalyan as M.C. Bird
- John Emerson as Bird Fancier
- Jim Swain as Bird Fancier
- Ann Lord as Bird Fancier
- Hank Schloss as Bird Fancier
- Walter Perkins as Bird Fancier
- Rolf Darbo as Bird Fancier
Releases[]
Television[]
- The Wonderful World of Disney, episode #17.11: "It's Tough to Be a Bird"
- The New Mickey Mouse Club, November 7, 1977
- The Ink and Paint Club, episode #1.36: "Award Winners II"