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This story about a singing whale is one of the strangest ever told. Yet, every word of it, and every note of it is vouched for by one of the Whale's closest friends, a seagull. The Whale's name was Willie, and his big ambition was to appear at the met. Now, many big things have hit the met from time to time, why not a whale? Not just a whale of a singer, but a singing whale. Willie was three times as interesting as an ordinary singer, because he could sing in three different voices. Not just one at a time, but all at once. How did he do it? Well, there's not much of a secret about it, anybody with three separate voices can do it. It's as easy as saying Jack Robinson [Repeats "Jack Robinson in three voices] See what I mean? Of course, you might not be able to start right off with grand operatic selections, but you can begin with a simple round. And it'll sound like this. [sings "Three Blind Mice" in a round with three voices] Now I've had quite a lot of experience with this sort of thing myself. By studying the Willie the Whale method, I too am able to sing with three voices at once. That's why I was chosen to tell you the story. I not only do all the singing, but I do all the talking, too. And every once in a while, you'll notice that I interrupt my own songs to take different parts and to describe the action.
―Nelson Eddy


Willie the Operatic Whale, also known as The Whale Who Wanted to Sing at the Met, is an animated short released in 1946. It was produced by Walt Disney, and Nelson Eddy provided the voice of both the narrator and various characters. It was released theatrically as a segment in Make Mine Music, then re-issued the following year accompanying a re-issue of Fantasia (as a short subject before the film), then separately on home video in the 1990s. The short was also reissued on August 17, 1954.

Plot[]

News comes to the music and science world of a whale that can sing opera. The news is met with disbelief and jeers from the musical and science communities. One person who may have a different theory about the whale's reputed musical abilities is opera showman Tetti-Tatti. He believes that Willie the Whale has swallowed an opera singer and is holding him prisoner in his belly. Hiring an expedition, the showman heads for the North Pole to kill Willie. But the whale tries to show the impresario that he can really sing opera. Some time after, we, the viewers, see a montage of what would be Willie's performances in the Metropolitan Opera House (montage sequences include Pagliacci, Tristan and Isolde, and Mephistopheles). After the montage, however, despite all of Willie's efforts, Tetti Tatti shoots his spear gun and kills Willie.

However, even though Willie is long-gone, his spirit lives on in Heaven, singing in a hundred voices, forever.

Characters[]

Trivia[]

  • Aside from the performances by Willie, other operatic leitmotifs are heard through the short, including three notable ones by Richard Wagner: the "Ride of the Valkyries" and the "Magic Fire Music" from Die Walküre and the motif of the Ring from the four-opera "Ring cycle". (which included Die Walküre among its works)

Gallery[]


v - e - d
Make Mine Music Logo
Media
Make Mine MusicCasey Bats AgainHouse of MouseVideo

Segments: The Martins and the CoysBlue BayouAll the Cats Join InWithout YouCasey at the Bat Two SilhouettesPeter and the WolfAfter You've GoneJohnny Fedora and Alice Blue BonnetWillie the Operatic Whale

Disney Parks
Games of the BoardwalkLe Pays des Contes de FéesWonderful World of Animation

Restaurants: Casey's Corner

Characters
Henry CoyGrace MartinEgret CoupleCaseyLadies from the StandTeenagersPeterSashaSoniaIvanPeter's GrandfatherMisha, Yasha, and VladimirWolfClarinetJohnny FedoraAlice Blue BonnetWillie the WhaleWhiteyTetti-TattiTetti-Tatti's Sailors
Locations
Ocean • New York CityRussia
Songs
Make Mine MusicThe Martins and the CoysBlue BayouAll the Cats Join InWithout YouCasey (The Pride of Them All)Two SilhouettesJohnny Fedora and Alice Blue Bonnet
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