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This 7-minute cartoon from the 70's about greed and racism in America still resonates today

"Freedom River" features the incredible voice of Orson Welles.

via Cartoon Crazys/YouTube

"Freedom River" a 1971 cartoon parable.

An interesting historical document from 1971 has resurfaced online because people believe it is as relevant today as it was 53 years ago. “Freedom River,” a 7-minute cartoon parable, shows that no matter how much time passes, Americans continue to contend with the same destructive forces.

“Freedom River” was directed by Sam Weiss for Bosustow Productions. The cartoon features narration by the great actor-writer-director Orson Welles. Welles directed what many call the greatest film of all time, “Citizen Kane,” as well as other classics such as “A Touch of Evil” and “The Magnificent Ambersons.”

The story of “Freedom River” mirrors that of America’s founding. Settlers from foreign lands find a river that promises liberty and abundance. The settlers fall in love with their new home and a world where they are finally free to pursue their own happiness.

However, the settlers began to take paradise for granted. They exploit the river they love while forgetting what drove them to discover it in the first place.

- YouTubewww.youtube.com

“And so it happened that because they so coveted the river, they barred from it people who looked unfamiliar or talked differently in the false belief that strangers were not deserving – little remembering that not long ago they too were strangers,” Welles’ Narrator says. “And when some among them arose and selfishly took more than their share, the people did not stop them but instead resolved to do the same, instead of helping those that were ill and weak. They despised them and chastised them for their idleness. And even as the river grew weak and muddy, glib leaders said it was strong and clear. The people became confused. They did not know what to do.”

Fifty-three years after “Freedom River” was released, it still resonates with many because America still grapples with destructive greed. The country also has to contend with waves of xenophobia that crop up every time a new group of people attempts to establish themselves in the Land of the Free.

The film also addresses the perils of environmental destruction, a problem that first entered the public consciousness in the late ‘60s and is now one of the most critical issues we face as a species.



Many may feel defeated that America hasn’t overcome the problems of greed and xenophobia over the past 5 decades. However, the parable comes with a powerful solution: these problems can be overcome if we work together.

Ultimately, the Freedom River settlers have a decision to make. They can cower to authority, abandon the river and their freedoms, or clean up their mess, mend their ways, and start again.

“Let us work to make the waters of freedom flow fresh and strong again where it has been fouled by our foolishness,” the cartoon concludes. “It can be made clear by our wisdom where it has grown stagnant from our neglect. It can be kept fresh by our vigilance. And the people listening said, ‘The life or death of the river of freedom is in our hands.’”

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Someone realized these scenes from different Disney movies are identical and you can't unsee it

@fred035schultz/Twitter

Have you ever been watching a Disney movie and had a bit of deja vu? Not just that "Oh, this movie has that familiar Disney look and feel" feeling, but more like, "I swear I've literally seen this exact scene before in another movie"?

If you've watched a lot of Disney films, you actually have seen the same scenes repeated in different movies. People have been pointing out parallel sequences on social media and it's got some folks super freaked out.

Check it out:

Watching that "Jungle Book" and "Winnie the Pooh" sequence, there's no denying it's exactly the same animation template, just with different backgrounds and characters. But how? And why?

Disney has actually been recycling its animation for various movie scenes since it created Dumbo in 1941. Floyd Norman, a veteran Disney animator who has worked on Disney films as far back as Sleeping Beauty in 1959 and as recently as Mulan and Toy Story 2, weighed in on the reason for reusing animation sequences, saying:

"It was done probably to save time, save money. Although I don't think it saved much time and I don't think it saved much money because it was much more of a hassle to go dig this old footage out of the archive. It would've been easier to just sit down and animate a new scene than to go back and try to retrofit all this old stuff to something new. We're looking back to the 1960s and 70s when people weren't thinking how films would change, how media would change, and how people would be able to look at these various films and compare one film against another."

This video by Cartoon Hangovers shares various recycled Disney scenes and explains why they were reused, showing how it all began with animators tracing over live footage of real actors to create more realistic animation in Disney's first full-length feature film, "Snow White."

Every Recycled Disney Shot & Why - Snow White, Frozen, Toy Story, Moana and More - Cartoon Hangoveryoutu.be

Despite the eventual mega-success of the Disney empire, the company's beginnings were not so rosy. "Snow White" was a surprise box office hit, but follow-up films "Pinocchio," "Bambi," and "Fantasia" went way over budget and were considered losses for the studio. "Dumbo" was a success, but then WWII hit. That's when Disney really got started with resuing animation.

The main reason was purportedly to save time and money. According to Floyd Norman, Walt Disney himself probably never even knew or noticed that animators were recycling scenes. He was focused more on the big picture and not so concerned with the technical processes of the animators.

The practice of reusing scenes continued, with "The Sword in the Stone" and "The Jungle Book" in particular snagging lots of scenes from previous Disney projects. But there are lots of well-known examples, including "The Aristocats" reusing scenes from "101 Dalmations," and "Robin Hood" stealing scenes—and even parallel characters—from "The Jungle Book" (Ever notice how similar Little John and Baloo are?) and other Disney films.

These Disney films from the 60s, 70s, and 80s can trace their recycled animation primarily back to one director–Woolie Reitherman. He's not the only one to utilize the reuse of animation, but he's best known for it. He basically didn't see a reason to reinvent the wheel.

However, the practice didn't necessarily save time or money. Floyd Norman has pointed out that it's a lot of work to go through old footage, find what you want, and remake it into a new animation. In some ways, it would be easier just to animate from scratch.

Even newer Disney movies have reused scenes, though more often not, those serve as an homage to the original films that made the newer films possible. Such is the case with the dancing scene at the end of "Beauty and the Beast," which mirrors the one at the end of "Sleeping Beauty."

So no, it's not your imagination—there is no shortage of Disney scenes that are repeated in different Disney films. No one is complaining, of course, with Disney having made dozens of beloved productions enjoyed by billions of people. Perhaps recycling scenes is even part of what gives us a sense of familiarity when we watch a Disney movie.

At the end of the day, animators are magicians. Whatever tools they use to make the magic happen, so be it.

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A 5-foot-tall artist makes adorable cartoons on the perks of being short

via Three Under The Rain / Instagram

Brisa is the the illustrator of Three Under the Rain, a comic series on Instagram about her relationship with her fiance Joan and Marley, her five-year-old Labrador.

She never really considered herself an artist, but all that's changed since September 2017 when she first posted a few comics on Instagram. The first batch were called Short People Problems, about the funny situations she has to deal with as a five-foot-tall woman.

"I started with the series Short People Problems since I thought it would be fun to laugh a bit about the small daily struggles that short people have to face," she told Bored Panda.

"They were super well-received, but in the comments, there were always people saying how they didn't like being short, or how that made them feel less confident or feel that being short is a problem itself," she continued.

RELATED: An artist built seesaws into the US-Mexico border and invited kids to play on them

So Brisa got to work on a series of illustrations touting the positive side of being pint-sized, called the Perks of Being Short. The comics aren't just a way to appease her fans, she's actually learned to love her stature.

"Now in my late twenties, I'm totally fine with my height of 152 cm, it's who I am, and I like it, but there was a time when that was not like that," she said. "So I thought it could be great to make a parallel series, focused on the perks that being below average height have."

Her illustrations have become pretty popular on Instagram, earning her over 280,000 followers and she's even launched an online store with Joan where they sells prints, clothing, and stickers featuring her artwork.

Here is the entire series of 15 Perks of Being Short that'll either help you love your height or appreciate the vertically challenged people in your life.

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Dogs are the best. These 9 hilarious comics remind us why.

'Home is where the dog hair sticks to everything but the dog.'

If you have a dog, you already know about the limitless source of joy they can bring.

Dogs are so much more than four-legged animals living in our house. They're also our family. They're our best friends. We can count on them to provide us with the best kind of unconditional love.

And that's why Lingvistov.com illustrator Landysh Akhmetzyanova drew these delightful comics.

These nine adorable funny-'cause-they're-true illustrations celebrate all that our beloved pooches have to offer — the good, the bad, and the funny:

1. They're only too happy to be our guinea pigs.

All food must go to the lab for testing. Illustrations via Lingvistov, featured with permission.

2. What is that secret language? What are they trying to tell us?

Dogs bark at nothing. Keep telling yourself that.

3. As pet parents, our days revolve around potty time. But, hey — we signed up for it.

Agenda for the day: Let the dog in. Let the dog out.

4. We can learn A LOT from our dogs.

No matter what life brings you, kick some grass over that and move on.

5. This applies to any and all types of food.

I see you have pizza ... I also like pizza.

6. So much truth it's ridiculous.

Home is where the dog hair sticks to everything but the dog.

7. This unspoken rule sounds about right. Would you agree?

There's an unspoken rule that when your pet is sleeping on you, you don't move.

8.  It's like they need to make sure that we're paying attention.

Let me in. I need to go back out again.

9. We've all had days like this. And that's OK.

Leave me alone. I'm only speaking to my dog today.

Dogs keep us busy, and they rarely let us down when we need comfort.

Our furry friends don't always get the credit they deserve for being such important figures in our lives. But these simple yet heartwarming comics are a hilarious tribute to all that they are and all they mean in our lives.

"They are loyal. They are awesome friends; they will definitely keep you busy and always be there for you when you need them," the artist says. "Dogs are the best security system."

Now go and give your pet a great big hug (and peel more of that dog hair off your black jeans).

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