Remember that Unca Walt was an animator for Walt Disney, and learned the art from Ward Kimball himself. When he saw what Chuck Jones had done (which, let’s be honest, was pretty darn good for television animation in 1969) I can’t imagine him not being disappointed.

Selby was selling DVD’s of this shortly before she herself died. I don’t think OGPI is offering them any longer, either. It’s just so good to see this work, finally.

It’s also worth noting, for those who didn’t know: at this stage in the animation process (this was just test footage, a lot of it no more than what we might call animatics today, with intermediary work still to be done) Walt himself did all the voices. I think another version exists with other voices and/or music, but this one is superb just because we get to hear how Walt imagined the Swamp folk sounding.

Supposedly Kelly began production of this animation as a result of the Chuck Jones-directed “Pogo Special Birthday Special,” which Kelly hated.