Susie the Little Blue Coupe
Encyclopedia
Susie the Little Blue Coupe is an animated short film released theatrically by Walt Disney Studios
on 6 June 1952. The eight-minute film was directed by Clyde Geronimi
and based on an original short-story by Bill Peet
. The story was adapted for the screen by Peet and Don DaGradi
.
The film's method of anthropomorphizing
the cars, using the windshield for the eyes and eyelids, served as a stylistic inspiration for the 2006 Disney-Pixar
animated feature, Cars
, it's 2011 sequel, Cars 2
, and the TV short films A Cars Toon
.
The DVD release of The Love Bug
featured this short as a special feature. The Adventures of Ichabod and Mr. Toad
DVD also features the short as a bonus episode on the DVD's trivia section.
on display in a dealer showroom who is bought by a well-to-do man who is taken with her. Thrust into high-society, she finds herself surrounded by much larger, more luxurious cars but eventually makes do. She is pampered, but time takes its toll on her, mechanically and cosmetically; eventually, her owner trades her in. A second man buys her but her new life is much less pampered, being left outside in the cold and being poorly-maintained. One night, she is stolen, chased by the police and totaled in the resulting wreck. Rotting in a junkyard, all looks hopeless for Susie when a young man notices her, buys her, and with the help of his friends, completely restores and revives her into a brand new hotrod.
The Walt Disney Company
The Walt Disney Company is the largest media conglomerate in the world in terms of revenue. Founded on October 16, 1923, by Walt and Roy Disney as the Disney Brothers Cartoon Studio, Walt Disney Productions established itself as a leader in the American animation industry before diversifying into...
on 6 June 1952. The eight-minute film was directed by Clyde Geronimi
Clyde Geronimi
Clyde "Gerry" Geronimi was an Italian-American animation director. He is best known for his work at Walt Disney Productions....
and based on an original short-story by Bill Peet
Bill Peet
Bill Peet , was an American children's book illustrator and a story writer for Disney Studios...
. The story was adapted for the screen by Peet and Don DaGradi
Don DaGradi
Don DaGradi was a Disney writer who started out as a layout artist on 1940s cartoons including "Der Fuehrer's Face" in 1943. He eventually moved into animated features with the film Lady and the Tramp in 1955. He also worked as a color and styling or sequence consultant on many other motion...
.
The film's method of anthropomorphizing
Anthropomorphism
Anthropomorphism is any attribution of human characteristics to animals, non-living things, phenomena, material states, objects or abstract concepts, such as organizations, governments, spirits or deities. The term was coined in the mid 1700s...
the cars, using the windshield for the eyes and eyelids, served as a stylistic inspiration for the 2006 Disney-Pixar
Pixar
Pixar Animation Studios, pronounced , is an American computer animation film studio based in Emeryville, California. The studio has earned 26 Academy Awards, seven Golden Globes, and three Grammy Awards, among many other awards and acknowledgments. Its films have made over $6.3 billion worldwide...
animated feature, Cars
Cars (film)
Cars is a 2006 American animated family film produced by Pixar and directed by John Lasseter and co-directed by Joe Ranft. It is the seventh Disney·Pixar feature film, and Pixar's final, independently-produced motion picture before its purchase by Disney...
, it's 2011 sequel, Cars 2
Cars 2
Cars 2 is a 2011 American computer-animated action film produced by Pixar, and it is the sequel to the 2006 film, Cars. In the film, race car Lightning McQueen and tow truck Mater head to Japan and Europe to compete in the World Grand Prix, but Mater becomes sidetracked with international espionage...
, and the TV short films A Cars Toon
Cars Toons
Mater's Tall Tales is an American animated short television series by Pixar featuring the characters Mater and Lightning McQueen from the film Cars. The series' first broadcast was on October 27, 2008, on Toon Disney, Disney Channel and ABC Family...
.
The DVD release of The Love Bug
The Love Bug
The Love Bug is the first in a series of comedy films made by Walt Disney Productions that starred an anthropomorphic pearl-white, fabric-sunroofed 1963 Volkswagen racing Beetle named Herbie...
featured this short as a special feature. The Adventures of Ichabod and Mr. Toad
The Adventures of Ichabod and Mr. Toad
The Adventures of Ichabod and Mr. Toad is a 1949 animated feature produced by Walt Disney. The film was released to theaters on October 5, 1949 by RKO Radio Pictures and is the eleventh animated feature in the Walt Disney Animated Classics series...
DVD also features the short as a bonus episode on the DVD's trivia section.
Plot
Susie is a small blue coupeCoupé
A coupé or coupe is a closed car body style , the precise definition of which varies from manufacturer to manufacturer, and over time...
on display in a dealer showroom who is bought by a well-to-do man who is taken with her. Thrust into high-society, she finds herself surrounded by much larger, more luxurious cars but eventually makes do. She is pampered, but time takes its toll on her, mechanically and cosmetically; eventually, her owner trades her in. A second man buys her but her new life is much less pampered, being left outside in the cold and being poorly-maintained. One night, she is stolen, chased by the police and totaled in the resulting wreck. Rotting in a junkyard, all looks hopeless for Susie when a young man notices her, buys her, and with the help of his friends, completely restores and revives her into a brand new hotrod.
Appearances in other Disney culture
- Susie makes an appearance in an episode of House of Mouse, called, "Max's New Car". She is seen in a parking lot parked between a pair of light cycles from TronTron (franchise)The Tron franchise began in 1982 with the Walt Disney Pictures film Tron. It was followed by various film tie-ins, a comic series and the 2010 sequel Tron: Legacy...
and HerbieHerbieHerbie is an anthropomorphic Volkswagen Beetle, a character that is featured in several Disney motion pictures starting with the 1968 feature film The Love Bug. He has a mind of his own and is capable of driving himself, and is a serious contender in auto racing competitions...
The Love Bug. (Susie's eyes are closed.) See it here.
- A book entitled "The Auto Biography of Susie the Little Blue Coupe" is on a shelf in Mickey'sMickey MouseMickey Mouse is a cartoon character created in 1928 by Walt Disney and Ub Iwerks at The Walt Disney Studio. Mickey is an anthropomorphic black mouse and typically wears red shorts, large yellow shoes, and white gloves...
garage at his house at Mickey's Toontown Fair in the Magic KingdomMagic KingdomMagic Kingdom Park is one of four theme parks at the Walt Disney World Resort located near Orlando, Florida. The first park built at the resort, Magic Kingdom opened Oct. 1, 1971. Designed and built by WED Enterprises, the park's layout and attractions are similar to Disneyland in Anaheim, California...
at Walt Disney WorldWalt Disney World ResortWalt Disney World Resort , is the world's most-visited entertaimental resort. Located in Lake Buena Vista, Florida ; approximately southwest of Orlando, Florida, United States, the resort covers an area of and includes four theme parks, two water parks, 23 on-site themed resort hotels Walt...
in Orlando, FloridaOrlando, FloridaOrlando is a city in the central region of the U.S. state of Florida. It is the county seat of Orange County, and the center of the Greater Orlando metropolitan area. According to the 2010 US Census, the city had a population of 238,300, making Orlando the 79th largest city in the United States...
. The book also has a picture of Susie on its cover.