The Lord Is Good To Me

With the Fourth of July fast approaching it seemed like a good time to turn our attention to an all-American subject—and what's more as-American-as-apple-pie than Johnny Appleseed, as brought to animated life in Walt Disney's animated anthology Melody Time (1948)? Little Johnny has always been one of my favorites, his animated legend told in delightful song (vocalized by the versatile Dennis Day, who provides all the short's voices, including Johnny Appleseed himself) and Mary Blair-style, with animation by greats such as Ollie Johnston and Milt Kahl. Now the Walt Disney Classics Collection has brought this memorable-but-still-somewhat-obscure Disney animated character to the forefront of our flag-waving consciousness with a superbly crafted sculpture, marking a return of the Walt Disney Collectors Society's star-spangled American Folk Heroes series. To celebrate both July and Johnny, I'll be posting about the sculpture and the character throughout the days ahead. In the meantime, if you want to get this great Johnny Appleseed for yourself, it's available only through March 31, 2009, and is available only to Members of the Walt Disney Collectors Society. See here for more information about becoming a Society Member.