''Munro'' is a 1960 Czechoslovak-American

animated Animation is a filmmaking technique whereby image, still images are manipulated to create Motion picture, moving images. In traditional animation, images are drawn or painted by hand on cel, transparent celluloid sheets to be photographed and e ...

short film A short film is a film with a low running time. The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS) defines a short film as "an original motion picture that has a running time of not more than 40 minutes including all credits". Other film o ...

directed by

Gene Deitch Eugene Merril Deitch (August 8, 1924 – April 16, 2020) was an American illustrator, animator, comics artist, and film director who was based in Prague from the 1960s until his death in 2020. Deitch was known for creating animated cartoons ...

, written by

Jules Feiffer Jules Ralph Feiffer ( ; January 26, 1929 – January 17, 2025) was an American cartoonist and author, who at one time was considered the most widely read satirist in the country. He won the Pulitzer Prize in 1986 for Pulitzer Prize for Editori ...

, and produced by William L. Snyder. ''Munro'' won an

Oscar Oscar, OSCAR, or The Oscar may refer to: People and fictional and mythical characters * Oscar (given name), including lists of people and fictional characters named Oscar, Óscar or Oskar * Oscar (footballer, born 1954), Brazilian footballer ...

for

Best Animated Short Film The Academy Award for Best Animated Short Film is an award given by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS) as part of the annual Academy Awards, or Oscars, since the 5th Academy Awards (with different names), covering the year 1 ...

in 1961. It was the first short composed outside of the United States to be so honored. The

Academy Film Archive The Academy Film Archive is part of the Academy Foundation, established in 1944 with the purpose of organizing and overseeing the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences' educational and cultural activities, including the preservation of mot ...

preserved ''Munro'' in 2004.

Plot

The title character is a rebellious little boy who is accidentally drafted into the

United States Army The United States Army (USA) is the primary Land warfare, land service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is designated as the Army of the United States in the United States Constitution.Article II, section 2, clause 1 of th ...

. No matter which adult he tells, "I'm only four", they all fail to notice his age. Eventually, the harshness of army life makes Munro cry, which causes the general to realize that he really ''is'' a little boy. He is discharged and becomes a hero... and whenever he misbehaves, Munro is reminded of his stint in the army.

Production

Screenwriter Feiffer, who adapted his own story from his book ''Passionella and Other Stories'', and provided the storyboards, said the tale was a reaction to his time serving in the

U.S. Army The United States Army (USA) is the primary land service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is designated as the Army of the United States in the United States Constitution.Article II, section 2, clause 1 of the United Stat ...

: Munro's voice is provided by Gene Deitch's young son Seth Deitch (later a writer and artist in his own right), while Deitch's wife Marie Deitch does the female voices.

References

External links

* ''

Munro A Munro (; ) is defined as a mountain in Scotland with a height over , and which is on the Scottish Mountaineering Club (SMC) official list of Munros; there is no explicit topographical prominence requirement. The best known Munro is Ben Nevi ...

'' at

Internet Archive The Internet Archive is an American 501(c)(3) organization, non-profit organization founded in 1996 by Brewster Kahle that runs a digital library website, archive.org. It provides free access to collections of digitized media including web ...

* *
Entire short on Rembrant Films' official YouTube channel
{{AcademyAwardBestAnimatedShortFilm 1941–1960 1960 films 1960 animated short films 1960s American animated films 1960s Czech films Best Animated Short Academy Award winners English-language Czech films Czech animated short films Films about military personnel Films about the United States Army Animated films based on short fiction Films directed by Gene Deitch Military comedy films Paramount Pictures short films Rembrandt Films short films Czech animated comedy films American animated comedy films American animated short films 1960 independent films American independent films Czech independent films Animated films about children