Johnny Appleseed (film)

In 1806, Pittsburgh farmer Johnny Appleseed watches as pioneers depart out west and wishes he could follow, but doesn't believe he would be able to survive in the unknown wild. Johnny is inspired by an angel to abandon his farm, go west, and plant apple seeds everywhere he goes. The angel tells Johnny that he has all that he needs to go out West: a bag of seeds to plant, a Bible, and a pot that he can use for a hat. In his travels, Johnny befriends a skunk, and thereafter, all animals instinctively trust him. As Johnny travels, he uses his pot to fry in, and sings a tune "The Lord Is Good to Me."

In the end, after walking hundreds of miles and planting apple trees all along the way, Johnny finally rests for the last time under a tree; his angel appears before him, and tells Johnny that it's time to go. Johnny gets up, scared at first upon realizing he's dead, but refuses to go to his final resting place, believing that his work is not done yet. However, the angel tells him that, where they're headed, they're low on apple trees, so Johnny picks up his seed bag and happily agrees to go with him.

The story ends with the narrator saying that the clouds in the sky aren't really clouds at all: they're apple blossoms in Johnny's heavenly orchard.

• The Lord is Good to Me
• Get on the Wagon Rolling West (Pioneers song)
• There's a Lot of Work out there to do
• Apple Feast

• Dennis Day - Narrator, The Old Settler, Johnny Appleseed, Johnny's Angel
• Dallas McKennon - Additional voices

The film was originally a sequence in Melody Time, released May 27, 1948, and was then reissued as a stand-alone short on Christmas of 1955. It was included on the DVD releases of Disney's American Legends, on February 12, 2002; Volume 3 of Walt Disney's It's a Small World of Fun! On February 2007; and Volume 6 of Walt Disney Animation Collection: Classic Short Films on May 12, 2009.

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• Johnny Appleseed at IMDb