The Ugly Duckling Review

The Ugly Duckling is a 1931 Disney Silly Symphony film. It’s a solid but far from great adaptation.

This is the only Silly Symphony which got a remake as this tale was told twice by Disney. I found the 1939 version much superior to this one because it is more faithful to the original tale and more grounded in reality. This one is quite out there in its story and scenarios which wasn’t my cup of tea.

You still get the heartbreaking drama here and the titular protagonist is lovable and it was sad seeing him get rejected by his mother. The beginning was definitely very good and the ending is sweet. But that waterfall action scene was way too implausible and cartoony and the duckling was too heroic and thus the message was somewhat lost in the process. The animation is solid though and the score is so good and quite moving.

The 1931 Ugly Duckling has its moments and a very good score, but is too implausible and too unfaithful to the source material.