Babes in the Woods

On the Disneyland Paris version of Storybook Land Canal Boats, there is a small gingerbread house, familiar from the fairy tale, Hansel and Gretel.

You may think that Hansel and Gretel are not a Disney story, but you'd (sort of) be wrong.  Just like the Old Mill featured on the same ride, Hansel and Gretel featured in a Silly Symphony short cartoon: this one was titled Babes in the Woods from 1932.

Babes in the Woods takes the story of Hansel and Gretel and spins off in some unique directions.

Hansel and Gretel, dressed like a Dutch boy and girl, head off into a dark forest and stumble across a village of little, bearded men - some sort of dwarf or gnome.  Their joyful lives are interrupted by a witch on a broomstick who lands and invites Hansel and Gretel for a ride on her broom (while the little men run away and hide).  Hansel and Gretel are apparently as thick as two short planks, and happily jump on board.

The witch takes them to her gingerbread house and once inside throws them both in a cell.  Inside her house are numerous cages full of various animals.

The witch grabs Hansel and transforms him into a spider.  At the same time, she turns a cat already held captive into stone.

Before she can transform Gretel, however, the dwarfs arrive and start attacking the witch.  Whilst she is preoccupied, Hansel the spider manages to free Gretel (who had been thrown into the cellar by the witch) and accidentally transforms himself back after bumping into a bottle of potion.  Hansel and Gretel then use more potion to turn the other animals back into children.

Meanwhile the witch is being bested by the dwarfs.  As she plummets to the ground from her broom, the children manage to drag a cauldron of potion from the cottage which she falls into and then turns to stone.

The animation is typical of the time.  It's a little crude and relies on repetitive movement for some scenes, but it's all quite charming.

Of note is the fact the witch is voiced by Lucille La Verne who is better known for providing the voice of the Queen (and Witch) in Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs.  The dwarfs are voiced by Pinto Colvig who has a long list of Disney characters to his name including Goofy, Pluto, Pete, Grumpy, Sleepy, Dopey and Doc as well as various animal characters such as Cleo the goldfish, the Aracuan Bird and the Flamingos (from Alice in Wonderland).

It's a fun, if slightly odd, cartoon.  Quite why the witch has been transforming children into animals is left unanswered.  Hansel and Gretel seem like fools and who the little, bearded men are is unclear.  But as yet another example of Disney's animation history, it's fun to watch.