The Grasshopper and the Ants is a Silly Symphony cartoon released on February 10, 1934. It is based on the classic fable, The Ant and the Grasshopper.
Synopsis[]
All summer long, the grasshopper was playing his fiddle, dancing and eating leaves. He notices some ants working hard collecting food. He laughs and calls an ant to him. He tells the ant that there is food on every tree and he sees no reason to work. He dances and sings that The world owes us a living. The ant begins to dance too. The queen ant arrives, carried in a sedan chair, and sees the ant playing instead of working. The ant notices the queen and immediately goes back to work. The angry queen warns the grasshopper that he will change his tune when winter comes and the ground is covered with snow. The grasshopper blithely dismisses the queen's warning, saying that winter is a long way off.
Autumn passes and winter arrives. The grasshopper trudges through the snow, cold and hungry. He finds one withered leaf, but it blows away, and he could not eat it. Meanwhile, the ants are feasting on their stored food. The grasshopper knocks on their door and collapses. The ants carry him inside to feed and warm him up. The queen ant approaches him. He begs to be allowed to stay. She tells him that only those who work may stay, and tells him to take his fiddle. Thinking that he is being dismissed, he starts to leave, but the queen tells him to play his fiddle. While the ants dance, he happily plays and sings I owe the world a living!
Characters[]
- Grasshopper (voiced by Pinto Colvig)
- Queen Ant (voiced by Dorothy Compton)
Trivia[]
- The short was originally titled "Grasshopper and the Ants" during it's original 1934 theatrical release. When this short is later re-released in theaters, it is retitled as "The Grasshopper and the Ants".
- This short contains the song "The World Owes Me a Living", co-written by the Grasshopper's voice actor, Pinto Colvig. The song would later become a recurring theme song for Goofy, also voiced by Colvig.
- One of the book adaptations of this short was read on the PBS series Kino's Storytime as read by the late musician Little Richard.
Releases[]
Television[]
- Disneyland, episode #3.22: "More About the Silly Symphonies"
- The New Mickey Mouse Club, September 30, 1977
- Good Morning, Mickey, episode #39
- Jiminy Cricket: Storyteller
- Donald's Quack Attack, episode #35
- Sing Me a Story with Belle: "Taking the Easy Way Out"
- The Ink and Paint Club, episode #1.38: "Infested Silly Symphonies"
- Treasures from the Disney Vault, December 17, 2015
Home video[]
VHS
- Storybook Classics
DVD
- Walt Disney Treasures: Silly Symphonies
- Walt Disney's Timeless Tales, Vol. 1
- Walt Disney Animation Collection: Classic Short Films, Vol. 5: "The Wind in the Willows"
Blu-ray
Streaming[]
Gallery[]
References[]
