FERDINAND THE BULL (1938)

Ferdinand the Bull is a classic queer-coded character from Disney’s early days, featured in the 1938 animated short of the same name and based on Munro Leaf’s 1936 children’s book “The Story of Ferdinand.”

Today’s post was selected/written by film historian and author Lee Gambin (@leegambin79 on Instagram) and features an excerpt from his Diabolique Magazine article, “Such Interesting Lives: Celebrating the Cartoon Queer – Part One.”

“In FERDINAND THE BULL, young calf Ferdinand is not at all interested in roughhousing with his peers. Instead, this gentle beast with his long feminine eyelashes and swishy demeanour prefers to smell the flowers and disassociates himself from the masculine antics of his counterparts.  This behavior is something he never outgrows, as the cartoon skips a few years and we find him exactly the same – a nice acute commentary on the ideology that this is something children will not “grow out of”.

A major theme regarding sissyhood is the inability to run with the pack or the anguish caused by difference. There is a perpetual narrative device where the odd horse is not able to fit in or live up to expectations – straight expectations.”

Be sure to check out Gambin’s full Diabolique Magazine article for more on Ferdinand, the sissy character, and queer depictions in cartoons:

FERDINAND THE BULL

1938. USA.

Director: Dick Rickard

Based on: “The Story of Ferdinand” (1936) by Munro Leaf

Featuring: Don Wilson, Walt Disney and Milt Kahl

You can find the full short streaming on Disney+ - It’s also available for free on YouTube and Dailymotion.