Nelly's Folly

Nelly's Folly
Title card
Directed byChuck Jones
Abe Levitow
Maurice Noble
Story byChuck Jones
David Detiege
StarringGloria Wood
Mel Blanc
John A. Ford
Ed Prentiss
Narrated byEd Prentiss
Edited byTreg Brown
Music byMilt Franklyn
Animation byKen Harris
Tom Ray
Richard Thompson
Ben Washam
Backgrounds byPhilip DeGuard
Color processTechnicolor
Production
company
Distributed byWarner Bros. Pictures
The Vitaphone Corporation
Release date
  • December 30, 1961 (1961-12-30) (USA)
Running time
7:23
LanguageEnglish

Nelly's Folly is a 1961 Warner Bros. Merrie Melodies cartoon short written and directed by Chuck Jones released on December 30, 1961.[1][2] Like One Froggy Evening the film is about the discovery of a singing animal, with a narrative focus on the animal rather than its human manager.

Plot

In Africa a giraffe named Nelly captivates other animals with her melodious singing. A passing hunter urges her to go professional and offers her a contract.

Leaving behind her jungle home, Nelly ventures to New York City, eager to explore the allure of show business. Initially thrust into the world of advertising and live performances, she eventually becomes a successful singer and fashion icon, epitomizing the glamorous facade of fame. However, as her career flourishes, Nelly grapples with feelings of loneliness and disillusionment, longing for genuine companionship.

Her quest for love leads her to the zoo, where a married giraffe makes a pass at her. She has an affair with the giraffe, resulting in a public scandal and warning from her agent. After one of her shows opens to an empty house, she spirals into obscurity and is rejected by her beau.

Disheartened by the superficiality of fame, Nelly weeps despondently over a bridge railing. The narrator says that her loyal fans hope she made her way home and found peace among her friends. Nelly is shown singing a sad tune in Africa; a male giraffe chimes in, and the two fall in love.

Crew

Music

Accolades

Nelly's Folly was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Animated Short Film in 1962,[3][4][5] but lost out to Surogat.

Home media

DVD:

References

  1. ↑ Lenburg, Jeff (1999). The Encyclopedia of Animated Cartoons. Checkmark Books. pp. 104–106. ISBN 0-8160-3831-7. Retrieved June 6, 2020.
  2. ↑ Beck, Jerry; Friedwald, Will (1989). Looney Tunes and Merrie Melodies: A Complete Illustrated Guide to the Warner Bros. Cartoons. Henry Holt and Co. p. 335. ISBN 0-8050-0894-2.
  3. ↑ Short Film Winners: 1962 Oscars
  4. ↑ 1962|Oscars.org
  5. ↑ "Cartoons Considered For An Academy Award – 1961 -". cartoonresearch.com.