Lawbolisted Powerful

FuzzyTagz If the ambition is to provide two hours of instantly forgettable, popcorn-munching escapism, it succeeds.

Verity Robins Great movie. Not sure what people expected but I found it highly entertaining.

Zandra The movie turns out to be a little better than the average. Starting from a romantic formula often seen in the cinema, it ends in the most predictable (and somewhat bland) way.

TheLittleSongbird Well, not as neglected as it was but Ben and Me is still one of Disney's most under-appreciated short films. And unjustly, because it is a treasure. It's animated beautifully, all the characters are well drawn, with a couple that are reminiscent of a couple from Disney's Cinderella(like a cat that looks like Lucifer) and it is hard not to admire the sumptuousness of the backgrounds. There is a music score that brims with energy too, and the dialogue has humour that amuses and it educates as well. The story is probably Ben and Me's biggest strength, it is cute without being too cutesy, it is good-natured in its funny parts and very warm-hearted. It is also very educational and there is a great lesson to be learnt without showing any signs of preaching, even at the end when we see how the declaration of independence comes about. The characters have engaging personalities and are in no way superfluous to the story, they are easy to relate to as well. Ben and Me is also brilliantly voiced, particularly by Sterling Holloway as mouse Amos who has the lion's share of the written material as well(considering that the story is told from his viewpoint). His voice-work is warm, witty and moves the storytelling forward rather than trying to over-explain(like a few shorts with Holloway narrating, The Pelican and the Snipe comes to mind). I prefer Hans Conried in villain roles but he is very distinguished here and like Holloway you recognise his voice immediately. Charles Ruggles is very endearing as Ben. So all in all, an animated treasure that ought be better known. 10/10 Bethany Cox

John T. Ryan AMAZING ACCOMLIISHMENTS IN many fields are the legacy of our own "Renaissance Man" of the Colonial & Revolutionary Period, Mr. Benjamin Franklin. Some have said that he did enough in so many divergent fields in such excellence that he must have had help from others. This kids story adapted by Walt Disney & Co., suggests that he also had counsel of a rodentian nature. That would be one Amos Mouse (Sterling Holloway-voice).AS WITH ALL and everything that is Disney, the best is expected and delivered. This includes the animation, character design, the music, the Technicolor and the cast of voice actors. He cast consisting of names like: Sterling Holloway (Mouse), Hans Conreid (Thomas Jefferson), Charlie Ruggles (Ben) and Bill Thompson (Governor).AND WE WELL remember this two reel cartoon opening up with a modern day tour-guide lecturing a group of interested history Buffs before a statue of the Great Philadelphian, himself. While the guy continued spouting his well rehearsed spiel, the camera's eye panned up, bringing our view to the sculpture's three corner hat. There we're privy to a much smaller tour. Being conducted by a mouse tour guide for other interested mice, this scene mirrored the human's; but the emphasis was on the little one's accomplishments and how he was the power behind Ben's throne.DONE MAINLY IN flashback, this story unfolds with the two meeting and befriending each other. One by one, each invention, discovery or accomplishment or idea is revealed as being largely the work of the mouse.THAT WOULD INCLUDE inventing the potbelly stove, flying that kite in the lightning storm and the development of the bifocal lens. A particularly amusing gag unfolds in the scene where the now broken lenses are cut by Amos and joined together using his teeth.THE MOUSE WOULD ride around town in Franklin's hat and remind him of the names of the fine ladies and gentlemen that he met; as poor been apparently had a poor memory.WE DO SEEM to remember some reference to the Contoinental Congress and the Declaration of Independence, but all of that is very shady; this original screening having taken place nearly 60 years ago. This is a good reason for us to either buy a DVD or rent one (you know, for the grandkids)! NOW THEN SCHULTZ, why don't you do the same!

MartinHafer If you are looking for this short, try the "Disney Timeless Treasures: Volume 3". It's there along with several other seldom-seen cartoon shorts.This is the story of a mouse that lived in the Colonies in the 18th century and was a friend to Benjamin Franklin. You'll immediately notice that the mice all look an awful lot like Gus and Jacques from "Cinderella"--which had debuted a few years earlier. Additionally, you'll no-doubt recognize the voice of the narrator. It's Sterling Holloway who was the voice for Winnie the Pooh--and he really did talk like Pooh in real life! Amos the Mouse is a nice fella and friend to Franklin. However, in this version of history, Ben isn't all that bright and it's actually Amos that gives him many of his best ideas--such as the Franklin stove, the volunteer fire department, improving his almanac, the kite experiment about electricity and so forth. However, Ben took advantage of their relationship--prompting Amos to leave. If you think about it, this really is the story that was later re-tooled into "Ratatouille"--about a rat who helped a hopeless aspiring chef to become famous in his craft. And, like in "Ratatouille", Amos does eventually return to help Ben when the Revolution approaches.All in all, a nice way to teach history to kids--albeit a tad inaccurately. However, as only stupid children will really believe a mouse was responsible for Franklin's successes, I guess there's no harm in it! Well animated, cute and clever--this is a pretty good cartoon that manages to make history fun.By the way, although you may not recognize them unless you are a fan of old films, the voice of Franklin was done by Charlies Ruggles and Thomas Jefferson was Hans Conreid (who also played Captain Hook in Disney's "Peter Pan").Oh, and by the way, although the film asserts that Amos helped Jefferson write the Declaration of Independence, it was actually George Mason--whose Virginia Declaration was liberally 'borrowed from' by Jefferson.

Ron Oliver A Walt Disney Cartoon.Amos the Philadelphia church mouse greatly influences Ben Franklin and the founding of the American Republic.Robert Lawson's classic 1939 story BEN AND ME comes to life in this delightful short film. Celebrated children's author Bill Peet penned the script and left in the original's sense of whimsy and good fun, featuring a slightly bumbling Ben and a remarkably astute Amos - whose ideas become some of Franklin's most famous inventions. The voice cast is perfect, with Sterling Holloway as Amos, Charles Ruggles as Ben & Hans Conried as Tom Jefferson.Walt Disney (1901-1966) was always intrigued by pictures & drawings. As a lad in Marceline, Missouri, he sketched farm animals on scraps of paper; later, as an ambulance driver in France during the First World War, he drew comic figures on the sides of his vehicle. Back in Kansas City, along with artist Ub Iwerks, Walt developed a primitive animation studio that provided animated commercials and tiny cartoons for the local movie theaters. Always the innovator, his ALICE IN CARTOONLAND series broke ground in placing a live figure in a cartoon universe. Business reversals sent Disney & Iwerks to Hollywood in 1923, where Walt's older brother Roy became his lifelong business manager & counselor. When a mildly successful series with Oswald The Lucky Rabbit was snatched away by the distributor, the character of Mickey Mouse sprung into Walt's imagination, ensuring Disney's immortality. The happy arrival of sound technology made Mickey's screen debut, STEAMBOAT WILLIE (1928), a tremendous audience success with its use of synchronized music. The SILLY SYMPHONIES soon appeared, and Walt's growing crew of marvelously talented animators were quickly conquering new territory with full color, illusions of depth and radical advancements in personality development, an arena in which Walt's genius was unbeatable. Mickey's feisty, naughty behavior had captured millions of fans, but he was soon to be joined by other animated companions: temperamental Donald Duck, intellectually-challenged Goofy and energetic Pluto. All this was in preparation for Walt's grandest dream - feature length animated films. Against a storm of naysayers, Walt persevered and over the next decades delighted children of all ages with the adventures of Snow White, Pinocchio, Dumbo, Bambi & Peter Pan. Walt never forgot that his fortunes were all started by a mouse, or that childlike simplicity of message and lots of hard work always pay off.