During my childhood, I would watch iconic Disney movies, especially the classic ones. I am talking about ones that were released between the 1930s and 1970s, such as Snow White and the Seven Dwarves, Bambi, Pinocchio, Alice in Wonderland and Robin Hood.
Aside from the classic Mickey Mouse cartoon series, one particular classic series that I still enjoy watching to this day is the "Silly Symphony" series. I remember downloading almost every cartoon (and labeling the year each cartoon was released) from YouTube and keeping a video library in my computer, which I still have today.
"Silly Symphonies" consisted of 75 cartoons, which were produced between 1929 and 1939 by Walt Disney Productions. Each cartoon was a standalone production, with the exception of the Three Little Pigs. "The Tortoise and the Hare" and "Three Orphan Kittens" also had respective sequels.
A comprehensive list of all 75 Silly Symphony cartoons is here. For now, let's discuss the most iconic and important cartoons.
The first entry of the "Silly Symphony" series was "The Skeleton Dance," released in 1929. In this cartoon, four skeletons come alive at the stroke of midnight for some lively dancing and music. The cartoon ends with the skeletons frantically rushing back to their graves as the sun begins to rise.
"Flowers and Trees," released in 1932, was the first cartoon to be released in color. In this cartoon, the trees, mushrooms and flowers perform their daily musical dance number. Then, a mean hollow tree competes with a younger tree for the attentions of an attractive female tree, with the former starting a forest fire in the process. The cartoon was selected to be preserved in the 2021 National Film Registry by the Library of Congress for its "cultural, historic or aesthetic importance."
The last cartoon to be filmed in black-and-white was "Bugs in Love," which was released in 1932.
"The Three Little Pigs," released in 1933, became one of the most successful cartoons of the "Silly Symphony" series. It based on the classic fairy tale of the same name, which is about a trio of pigs who construct their houses out of straw, sticks and bricks to shelter themselves from the Big Bad Wolf. The famous "Who's Afraid of the Big Bad Wolf" song was first featured in this cartoon and would be reused in the sequels of "The Three Little Pigs." In 1934, the cartoon won the Academy Award for Best Animated Short Film. "The Three Little Pigs" was selected to be preserved in the 2007 National Film Registry by the Library of Congress for its "cultural, historic or aesthetic importance."
Three sequels were produced in the "Silly Symphony" series, which include "The Big Bad Wolf" (1934), "Three Little Wolves" (1936) and "The Practical Pig" (1939).
One particular cartoon, "The Wise Little Hen," released in 1934, marked the debut of Donald Duck. In this cartoon, Mrs. Hen has a basket full of corn and looks for someone to help her plant the corn for the winter. She tries to ask Peter Pig and Donald Duck for help, but they fake tummy aches in order to avoid working. As a result, Mrs. Hen and her chicks decide to teach Donald and Peter the value of hard work.
The 75th and last entry of the "Silly Symphony" series was "The Ugly Duckling," which was released in 1939. Disney had earlier produced a 1931 cartoon under the same name, making "The Ugly Duckling" the only entry in the entire series to produce a remake. The cartoon is based on the fairytale by Hans Christian Andersen where a duckling is persecuted for being different and eventually matures into a beautiful swan.
The cartoons gave Walt Disney and his animators the opportunity to push the limits of animation at that time, as well as develop and learn new, innovative ways to improve future animations.
Thanks to the success of "Silly Symphonies," numerous imitators emerged, which included "Merrie Melodies," "Looney Tunes" and "Happy Harmonies" from MGM. Some of these would later become major Disney competitors.
Nearly a decade after "Silly Symphonies" ended its run, Disney continued to produce cartoons that resemble a typical Silly Symphony cartoons known as specials. These shorts consisted of a narration, usually by Disney legend Sterling Holloway.
The specials included "The Little House" (1952), "Lambert the Sheepish Lion" (1952), "Paul Bunyan" (1958) and "The Saga of Windwagon Smith" (1961).
All in all, "Silly Symphonies" is a classic cartoon series that is definitely worth watching so that you can learn about how animation was done back in time. In addition, the cartoons provide a good source of entertainment if you have time to relax.
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