Ferdinand the Bull
Ferdinand only wants to stop and smell the flowers.
1938 • 8 min • Animation · Comedy · Family
Synopsis
This Oscar-winning short tells of a bull who preferred to sit under trees and smell flowers to clashing horns with his fellow animals. As luck would have it, an untimely bee reveals Ferdinand's ferocious side via pained howls and wild stomping. This lands him in the bull-fighting arena amidst characters based on Walt's animators with a matador reportedly modeled after Walt himself.
Our family guide
Best from age 3- 100 Reviewers · 2 · 51%
- 67 Audience · 219 · 49%
This charming Oscar-winning short follows Ferdinand, a gentle bull who prefers smelling flowers to fighting. A comical bee sting leads to him being mistaken for a fierce fighter, landing him in the bullring. However, his true nature ultimately prevails.
- Violence & peril
- 1/10
- Language
- 0/10
- Drinking, drugs & smoking
- 0/10
- Romance & sensuality
- 0/10
- Scary moments
- 1/10
Heads up
- A brief, comical bee sting causes pain to the bull.
- Ferdinand is taken to a bullring, but no actual fighting occurs.
What it models well
- Embracing individuality
- Peacefulness
- Kindness to animals
Talk about it after
- Why Ferdinand didn't want to fight.
- How it's okay to be different.
- The matador's reaction when Ferdinand wouldn't fight.
Written by the Movie Knight editorial team for Ferdinand the Bull. Our own words, our own scoring — always double-check against your family's standards.
Where to watch
Stream
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Top billed cast
Director: Dick Rickard
Trailers & clips
Ferdinand the Bull - full short film
Reviewer notes
RecommendedTrusted family reviewersIn a world that often demands brute force and pushes aggressive stereotypes, it’s surprising to find the answer to true courage in an animated short from almost a century ago. "Ferdinand the Bull" isn't just a forgotten gem from Disney's golden age; it’s a timeless manifesto on the right to be vulnerable and the liberating power of embracing who we truly are.…
RecommendedTrusted family reviewersAll poor old “Ferdy” wants to do is sit in peace and enjoy his flowery pasture, but when he gets stung by a bee he runs rampage and that impresses the local bigwigs who conclude he’d be a terror at the next bullfight. With posters everywhere depicting this terrifying and horned beast, he arrives in the ring only to have reverted to his old, gentle, self.…
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Gallery
Details
- TMDB audience
- 6.7/10 (219)
- Age rating
- G
- Status
- Released
- Budget
- $66,260
- IMDb
- tt0030128
Keywords
