utgard14 Disney cartoon about American folk hero John Henry, a former slave who worked on a railroad driving spikes into the rails. When a steam drill threatens to replace the workers, John Henry challenges that he can do a better job than the machine. An enjoyable cartoon that was originally released on a direct-to-video anthology of Disney shorts about American legends. Most of them were older cartoons like Paul Bunyan and The Brave Engineer. It's since been released again as part of a collection of modern Disney shorts. The voice work and music are good. The animation is decent, but not a style I particularly like. The skies are full of lines, for example, and I just found that unattractive. Anyway, it's a nice cartoon that's not quite as polished as the classics it was originally released with but it's far from an embarrassment.

MartinHafer The traditional story of John Henry is brought to life in this very unusual Disney short. I like some of the unusual qualities...one in particular I didn't. The quilt-like look and colors were great--and really eye-catching. I also liked the nice spiritual style of the music which dominates the film. What I wasn't so fond of was the unfinished look that the animators deliberately used--with pencil marks appearing and disappearing throughout the film--like they forgot to erase them. Stylish? Perhaps...but I thought it made an otherwise good film look unfinished. As for the story, it's pretty much the familiar folk tale--about an ex-slave named John Henry who does battle against a steam-powered machine and wins...at a big cost. Worth seeing but it just missed the mark.

littleblu33 This is another amazing animation from Disney. The unfinished look the cartoon has is very appealing, and the character design is very Disney. John Henry is a man who was once a slave, until the Emancipation Proclamation freed him and his love, who immediately get married. They go to strike it out and John Henry famously works on the railroad to get his wife and himself some land so they can be independent. The short is fairly emotional and tackles some heavier themes for Disney (slavery, death), but does it nicely, in such a way that I could see young children be able to watch it without a qualm from parents. The music is very flavorful, being in the style of black gospel singers or backup singers. I could listen to this music for a while and not get tired of it. It's nice and fun for the kiddies to see, with some good messages about determination.

Abbott_and_Costello_Fan I read about this film being made and that it would be released to theaters to play in front of Disney films released during the year. Well I never did see it and had forgotten about it when I saw that it would be included on a special DVD with several of the other Disney Tall Tale classics, Paul Bunyan, Johnny Appleseed and Casey Jones.John Henry is an excellent short and it deserves a much higher rating. As mentioned the animation is made to look unfinished and rough. This only adds to the charm of the film. The music is also outstanding and the story is touching. I hope more people will check out John Henry as well as the other shorts on the DVD.