Michael_Elliott Lambert the Sheepish Lion (1952)*** 1/2 (out of 4) Delightful Disney short has a stork accidentally dropping off a lion cub to a group of sheep. At first the sheep laugh at the lion who they name Lambert but soon they come to need him when a hungry wolf shows up. This Disney short is probably one of the best remembered films that the studio ever did because from the time it was released to today, it seems like it's been all over the place. I remember watching it at least twice a week when I was a kid and it appears everyone knows the tale of the lion who got dropped off to the sheep. As you'd expect, the animation is extremely good and there's no doubt that the story itself is quite clever. I think one thing that fails to get enough attention is the vocal work of Sterling Holloway who is simply wonderful and adds a lot to the material.

Shawn Watson The stork from Dumbo delivers a flock of baby lambs to some sheep on a quiet grass plain (as this is how you explain procreation to children), only a lion cub has gotten mixed in with the rest of them. The cub immediately cuddles up to a lonely ewe and grows up believing that it is a sheep, but finally becoming a lion when the flock is threatened by wolf.As most of the short is set at night there is a lot of nice, dark animation and background which are quite atmospheric, especially with the glowing full moon beaming down. This short was edited together with The Old Mill (1937) to create a Blueberry Hill music video for the Disney Channel back in the 90s, which is where I was first introduced to it.Definitely one of my fave Disney toons.

Polaris_DiB Three words: Hooray for DVD! DVD has allowed us to have access to things that were previously forgotten in remarkable ways. I ended up seeing this fun little Disney short as an extra on the Fox and the Hound DVD (by the way, The Fox and the Hound is one of my favorite Disney movies, but that's for a different review).This short tells the tale of Lambert, the sheepish lion... the lion that's sheepish cowardly, and lives with a family of sheep, so is sheepish. Get it? It's actually pretty funny, as Lambert tries to fit in only to learn that he has a stronger ability on his side, eventually to earn the admiration of the flock.It's like an ugly duckling story with a twist, one where the duckling rejoins the flock and is appreciated for his difference. Such shorts are always useful to children as they learn to appreciate uniqueness in individuality. This short's presence on The Fox and the Hound is complimentary because it helps reinforce the theme of accepting difference and removing prejudice.--PolarisDiB

didi-5 One of the award-winning shorts produced by Disney in the studio's heyday, this charming cartoon is the tale of a lion who is accidentally placed by the stork (shades of Mr Stork from 'Dumbo' here) with a flock of sheep along with the new lambs. He grows up to be a figure of fun for his sheep cousins who tease him for being unable to baa like them and for not being either a lamb or a lion. Of course, Lambert saves the day by being a real lion when he has to be and becomes the hero of his flock. The baby Lambert is a little cute thing who grows up to be a slightly dumb looking lion, always hiding behind his 'mother'. The piece is narrated by Sterling Holloway, who had the perfect voice for this kind of thing, and has a catchy little title tune which recurs throughout.