| Susie the Little Blue Coupe | |
|---|---|
 Title Card | |
| Directed by | Clyde Geronimi |
| Story by | Bill Peet (story & adaptation) Don DaGradi (adaptation) |
| Produced by | Walt Disney |
| Starring | Stan Freberg Clark Lagerstrom Bob Jackman[1] |
| Narrated by | Sterling Holloway |
| Music by | Paul J. Smith[a] |
| Animation by | Bob Carlson Ollie Johnston Hal King Cliff Nordberg George Rowley (effects) |
| Layouts by | Hugh Hennesy Don Griffith |
| Backgrounds by | Ralph Hulett |
Production company | |
| Distributed by | RKO Radio Pictures |
Release date |
|
Running time | 7:36 |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
Susie the Little Blue Coupe is ananimatedshort film produced byWalt Disney Productions and originally released byRKO Radio Pictures on June 6, 1952.[2][3] The eight-minute film was directed byClyde Geronimi and based on an original short-story byBill Peet. The story was adapted for the screen by Peet andDon DaGradi.
.png)
Susie is a small bluecoupe on display in a dealer showroom. She eventually is bought by a well-to-do man who is instantly smitten with her. Thrust into high society, she finds herself surrounded by much larger, faster and more luxurious cars, but eventually makes do. Her owner treats the car well but neglects to maintain her, and after years of wear and tear, the car stops running properly; the man, informed by his mechanic that Susie will need a massive overhaul, abandons her for a new vehicle. At a used car lot, Susie is purchased again, but the new owner, a cigar-smoking drunk who lives in a seedier part of town, does not treat the car with the same fondness as the first owner and leaves her on the curbside at night.
One night, the coupe is stolen, chased by the police and crashed; presumed "dead", she is sent to ajunkyard. Susie is sad and broken down, but she shows stirrings of life, even in her wrecked state. A young man notices and buys her at a bargain price. With the help of his friends, the young man completely restores and revives Susie as a brand newhot rod. An overjoyed and like-new Susie rides off.[4]
The DVD release ofThe Love Bug featured this short as a special feature.[5]The Adventures of Ichabod and Mr. Toad DVD also features the short as a bonus episode on the DVD's trivia section.[6]
It also appeared on theIt's A Small World of Fun Vol. 2 DVD.[7]
Susie made cameo appearances in theHouse of Mouse episode, "Max's New Car" and in the 2023animated short filmOnce Upon a Studio.[8]
The film's method ofanthropomorphizing the cars, using the windshield for the eyes and eyelids, served as a stylistic inspiration for the Disney-PixarCars franchise.[9]
While the animated film's copyright was not renewed, the music within it was.[10] Effectively, this means that the film's images arepublic domain, but the short in full will not enter the public domain until 2048 under currentUnited States copyright law.
