The Tale of a Mouse

The Tale of a Mouse was a cancelled Disney animated film project dating back 70 years.

Plot

In this retelling of Aesop's classic fable, A mouse goes to visit his cousin who lives in the idyllic San Jacinto mountains of California. While there, he finds the surroundings do not bring him the feeling of serenity that they do his cousin and invites the latter to his home in the city. On the night they go, the country mouse becomes enthralled by the enormous banquet that his cousin has to feast on and cannot resist trying everything, which culminates in him downing a glass of wine. Initially enjoying the feeling it gives him, the country mouse eventually succumbs to a drunken hallucination in which everything in the dining room comes to life and berates him for his negligence.  

Songs

• This is Home: The country mouse sings the praises of his natural environment.
• That's the Way to Go: The city mouse's counterpoint to the above song.
• My Compliments to the Chef: The mice remark on all of the delicious foods the banquet has to offer.
• Sometimes There's a Moment: The country mouse's initial feelings about alcohol. 
• Mister Misbehave: The first song in the alcoholic hallucination.
• The Heebie-Jeebie River: The second song in the alcoholic hallucination.

Development

After Walt's death in 1966, Walt Disney Animation Studios, like all other branches of the company, found itself an orphan. It had lost its soul and creativity was put over for a while. Not daring (or unwilling) to stray too far from previous productions to the disappearance of Walt, the studio did, for a time, return to abandoned projects discussed during previous years. Fantasia, The Rescuers, and even Pete's Dragon were initiated. It was during this troubled period that The Tale of a Mouse was developed.

The film was to have been shot in live-action, with dialogue being conveyed in voice over. The singing objects during The Heebie-Jeebie River sequence would have been animated, but production notes never specified which type.

The project was cancelled and shelved due to the resumption of production on The Rescuers. Indeed, two films with a mouse as a hero in a period as close, it would have been inappropriate. In addition, the project in question was less buoyant than The Rescuers, who shot his series of bestselling books and more already addressed before Walt's death. Security has prevailed, and The Tale of a Mouse was never produced and it is a series of conceptual drawings that film pastel artist Mel Shaw made.

Gallery

An appearance by Melvin and Buff from Country Bear Jamboree