We had a television series in the UK called “Animal Magic” that followed the antics of a zookeeper who would try to humanise some of the animals with his impersonations, and that may well have been inspired by this series of short features. This one follows the creatures living in and around a farm whilst Mel Blanc gives them a few voices to deliver the punchline to some daft quips. It’s easy to see why these films worked well as quite an engaging introduction for city children to a more bucolic life where animals lived. Of course, no mention at all is made of the fact that they are in captivity nor of the fact that many are soon to be food, but for a lot of the urban young at the start of the 1940s it may well have been their only exposure to the animal kingdom. My own personal favourite had to be the owl doing the impersonation of Bing Crosby, but there are other amiable efforts throughout.

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