FuzzyTagz
If the ambition is to provide two hours of instantly forgettable, popcorn-munching escapism, it succeeds.
Lachlan Coulson
This is a gorgeous movie made by a gorgeous spirit.
Candida
It is neither dumb nor smart enough to be fun, and spends way too much time with its boring human characters.
Edgar Allan Pooh
. . . of their Bitter Rivals comprising Warner Bros.' Animated Shorts Seers division (aka, The Looney Tuners), Walt Disney assigns his own scribblers to look forward into Football's Super Bowl Era with LAMBERT THE SHEEPISH LION. Since the Motor City Lions were capturing "World Championships" left and right when LAMBERT came out in the 1950s amid Football's Weak "Tag--you're It!" Era, Disney's doodlers thought that they had "easy pickings" in closing LAMBERT with Motown's Victory Parade for the Lions triumphing over the Predators as they win Super Bowl I. This, of course, resulted in the famous "Disney Curse;" that is, more than half a century of Kitty Kat Lions, culminating with the 2008 squad setting the ultimate mark for NFL futility: completing a win-less season at 0 -- 16! The Lion's remain the lone "original" team NEVER to appear in the Super Bowl during its 50-year plus history. If Predators starting dragging away the Lions' moms in Real Life (as happens toward the close of LAMBERT THE SHEEPISH LION), these feckless felines doubtless would rush to get the Predators knives, forks, and napkins! At least the Chicago Cubs could quantify their futility, thanks to a Series Championship in 1908. Guess who they beat W-A-A-A-Y back then? (Hint: It starts with "D," ends with "T," and is followed by the name of the Lion's deplorable litter box mates.)
Horst in Translation (filmreviews@web.de)
This 8-minute cartoon from over 60 years ago is a definite contender for my favorite cartoon film from the 1950s. I will elaborate a bit on my favorite scenes. First of all, the crying mother early on is pretty moving. She wanted her own lamb so bad. Next, the mix-up with lamb and Lambert is actually fairly hilarious. And it is interesting to see the reference that storks deliver babies. So this one already existed back in the 1950s. Pixar just took it up a while ago as well in their short movie "Partly Cloudy". Okay next: the wolf. He looked exactly like he should have. First, he is a raging monster and in the end he is so full of fear. Nice animation. He is also a good example on how this short film was primarily for children. Of course he did not die in the end. It's all good, even if the narrator made a joke about him possibly starving. Oh yeah, the narrator. It's obviously the same voice as from the stork: Sterling Holloway and he was perfect for the part. The way he narrates Lambert's transformation at the end is a true thing of beauty just like the whole scene. One of my favorite moments in animation of all time.Lambert was so cute as a cub and the moment we saw him as a grown-up lion was maybe the funniest of the film because of his priceless face expression. I just hoped that early on, they did not accidentally deliver a sheep to Lambert's parents. Oh and finally I would like to add that maybe the charm to the character of Lambert is also because his character only appears in this one short film. They did not make more cartoons. No feature film, no television series, he is just in here and that's fine. It#s a bit of a shame that the excellent work by everybody involved with this project was not awarded with an Oscar. I mean Tom and Jerry are fun as well, but Hannah, Peet, Wright, Banta, Holloway and Foray would so so deserved this honor. Excellent 8 minutes. Great music, great story, great cartoon. Highly recommended.
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.
TheLittleSongbird
I loved this when I was a kid, and as you have already guessed, I adore Disney and all the Silly Symphonies and shorts they did. Lambert the Sheepish Lion is narrated excellently by Sterling Holloway who also narrated the 1946 classic Peter and the Wolf. The short features an amusing title song, has beautiful animation and tells an Ugly Duckling-like story of a lion who can't fit in with his sheep family, as they tease him for being different. The short also has a wolf, who is very similarly designed to the wolf in Peter and the Wolf, and while not as terrifying, has a roar that made my hair stand up. Thank goodness Lambert saves the day and finally gets accepted. Overall, a wonderful jewel, that deserves a 10/10. Bethany Cox.
