Ben and Me

Ben and Me is a 20-minute animated short based on the book of the same name by Robert Lawson. It was released on November 10, 1953 alongside The Living Desert.

Synopsis

Ben and Me opens with two tour groups simultaneously visiting a statue of Benjamin Franklin. The human tour group discusses Franklin's life and achievements, while the leader of a mouse tour group reveals the contributions of a mouse, Amos, to Franklin's career.

Narrated by Amos, through his memoirs, the mouse recalls how he first met and befriended Benjamin Franklin, eventually aiding in his publishing, inventions, and political career. Amongst Amos' contributions were bifocals, inspiring Franklin to build the stove, and changing the format of Poor Richard's Almanac to an event-oriented newspaper. After Ben's experiments with electricity endanger Amos' life, Amos leaves Ben and moves back in with his family. Franklin is sent to England as part of a colonial attempt to reason with the king, but the mission is a failure. Franklin says, "The King was unreasonable. He wouldn't listen." Amos, seeing this- and the confusion and anger of the colonists- realizes he could help, but initially refuses. Amos and Franklin finally resolve their disagreements in the midst of the American Revolution, and Amos plays a key but little-known role aiding Thomas Jefferson with the drafting of the Declaration of Independence.

Deleted scenes

Some prints of this cartoon are missing scenes telling about Amos Mouse's family. These sequences were created for the short's presentation in "The Liberty Story ";

1. Christopher Mouse is chased by a fat cat (resembling Lucifer from Cinderella) while gathering flour in a bakery on Fleet Street.

2. Arrowdus Mouse sails through Thames River in a teacup.

3. Aloycius Mouse working as a painter.

4. Jason Mouse fighting for the mice's rights.