| The Milky Way | |
|---|---|
&sq=&lang=&file=File:The_milky_way_1940.jpg) Theatrical poster | |
| Directed by | Rudolph Ising |
| Story by | Maurice Day |
| Starring | Bernice Hansen |
| Music by | Scott Bradley |
| Animation by | Jack Zander |
| Color process | Technicolor |
Production companies | |
| Distributed by | Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer |
Release date |
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| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
The Milky Way is a one-reel animated cartoon short subject, produced in Technicolor and released to theatres with the film The Captain Is a Lady in 1940 by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer. The short (produced[2] and directed by Rudolf Ising and co-produced by Fred Quimby with the voice of Bernice Hansen as the kittens and their mother, and musical supervision by Scott Bradley)[2] explores the adventures of the "three little kittens who lost their mittens", as they explore a dreamland where space is made up entirely of dairy products (for example, the Milky Way is made of milk and the Moon is made of green cheese).[1][2] The short won the 1940 Oscar for Best Animated Short Film,[1][2] and was the first non-Disney film to do so. Other shorts nominated in 1940 included A Wild Hare by Warner Bros., introducing Bugs Bunny, and another MGM cartoon Puss Gets the Boot, with Jasper & Jinx, the prototype for Tom and Jerry. This makes 1940 the first time a Disney film wasn’t even nominated for the award.[1] It was added as a bonus feature in the Marx Bros. DVD release of Go West (1940) and Warner Archive Blu-ray release of Broadway Melody of 1940 (1940).
- ^ a b c d Baxter's Breakdowns (November 18, 2015). "Rudolf Ising's 'The Milky Way' (1940)". Cartoon Research.
- ^ a b c d Webb, Graham (2011). The Animated Film Encyclopedia: A Complete Guide to American Shorts, Features and Sequences (1900-1999) (Second ed.). McFarland & Company Inc. p. 229. ISBN 978-0-7864-4985-9.