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Need help trying to ID an animated movie I think from the 1960s

p51

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I’m hoping somebody here might know about this, so here goes. When I was a kid, I remember seeing in school a animated movie from probably the 60s about (I think a boy, maybe a girl) a kid who played a harmonica and at some point, paired up with a caterpillar who danced to the tunes. They became very popular, and the caterpillar had products endorsed )I specifically recall a tube of toothpaste looking like it) by the two and huge fan base everywhere they went (with shade of what the Beatles were dealing with, at one point the pair leaving via helicopter and fans hanging onto the skids). In the end, the caterpillar turns up missing and the whole it torn up looking. The kid eventually finds it turned into a butterfly, and loving it so much, the kid let it fly off. Very sad stuff for a little kid, I guess. Anyway, I was talking about this recently to someone when we talked about the films they used to show in schools, and he recalled seeing it as well but couldn’t recall it any better than I had. The movie was very 60s-ish stylized, I recall even then I thought it was an older film (this would have been in the early to mid 1970s). It had no talking that I can recall so it might have been originally from another country. It seemed pretty long to me at the time. But probably was very short in time. Now that I’ve got to thinking about this, I’d really like to see it again to see if I remembered it correctly.
 

DavidVillaJr

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Does this sound familiar?

"Caterpillar (20 min.) VHS

Learning Corporation of America, 1971.The inevitability of change is revealed to a little boy in this animated tale of the caterpillar who danced. One day a little boy playing his harmonica, discovers a caterpillar who dances to his tunes. An entrepreneur discovers both the boy and the bug, and soon the dancing bug and the boy become big business all over the world. Suddenly, one day the caterpillar disappears. The boy searched everywhere, but could not find his friend. Then spring comes, and then one day a beautiful butterfly appears, dancing to the boy's tune. The boy decides to set the butterfly free. Primary to intermediate."

I found the above at the Nebraska Library Commission Library Development Services website about half-way down the page.

http://www.nlc.state.ne.us/libdev/SummerReading/2008ctrb_ChildrensVideoList.html

Now you know what the title is and can drive yourself crazy looking for a copy.

dv
 

Subvet642

A-List Customer
There is a live action version of the same movie starring Cary Grant. "Once Apon A Time" (1944) A Broadway producer finds fame with his new act -- a dancing caterpillar. Cast: Cary Grant, Janet Blair, James Gleason. Dir: Alexander Hall. BW-88 mins, TV-G. It was on TCM this past Sunday.
 

Carlisle Blues

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Caterpillar (20 min.) VHS

Learning Corporation of America, 1971.The inevitability of change is revealed to a little boy in this animated tale of the caterpillar who danced. One day a little boy playing his harmonica, discovers a caterpillar who dances to his tunes. An entrepreneur discovers both the boy and the bug, and soon the dancing bug and the boy become big business all over the world. Suddenly, one day the caterpillar disappears. The boy searched everywhere, but could not find his friend. Then spring comes, and then one day a beautiful butterfly appears, dancing to the boy's tune. The boy decides to set the butterfly free.
 

p51

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THANK you for posting that! I watched it and it was almost as I remembered. I recalled as a kid how sad the ending was. Still is, in a way. Thank you for showing me that, I hadn't seen that in probably at least 30 years...
As a kid I always thought it painfully sad at the end (seriously, what was the lesson behind this filmn, anyway?), and just as much so today.
 
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