Watching the sequels before the originals is one of the fun parts of experiencing this reverse chronological viewing of the Silly Symphonies. Today’s Silly Symphony, Toby Tortoise Returns, features Toby Tortoise and Max Hare squaring off in a boxing ring. This is one of a handful of Disney shorts that really created the template for cartoons another studio would use with their own rabbit character. Leigh Harline’s score is lively and fun and underscores the almost manic animation directed by Wilfred Jackson.
Today’s Silly Symphony is a mash-up (before there was such a term as “mash-up”). In this 1936 short, directed by David Hand, Disney combines Three Blind Mice and The Three Musketeers to an oddly satisfying end. While these characters don’t appear in another short, Disney would revisit the Musketeers story in a live-action film in 1993, and in a long-form animated film in 2004 starring Mickey, Donald, and Goofy. And of course, the members of the Mickey Mouse Club would be referred to as Mouseketeers.
Today’s Silly Symphony is another Academy Award winner (in all, 7 Silly Symphonies won the Best Animated Short Subject Oscar). The Country Cousin tells the simple story of a mouse from “Podunk” who visits his cousin in the big city. Leigh Harline’s score stars next to an wonderful and often hilarious pantomime (the City Mouse never speaks with his country cousin, lest they wake the cat).
Almost all of the Silly Symphonies featured characters who were unique to the series. Even Donald Duck, one of the “Fab Five”, had his debut in a Silly Symphony. One exception is Pluto, Mickey Mouse’s beloved dog pal. In this charming short directed by David Hand, Pluto finds himself in charge of a group of newly hatched chicks. Leigh Harline’s musical score adds a layer of whimsy to this exceptional Silly Symphony.
Sometimes sequels are clever and expand on the ideas in the original, and sometimes they’re just cute. More Kittens, the sequel to the Academy Award-winning Three Orphan Kittens, doesn’t break any new ground, but is a charming little cartoon. Directed by David Hand and Wilfred Jackson, with a score by Frank Churchill, More Kittens lives up to its title.
Pure jazz. This incredible and rarely-seen 1937 Silly Symphony features the most jazzy score ever from Leigh Harline, and director Wilfred Jackson turned out some of the most lively and exciting animation to match it.
Today’s Silly Symphony is Little Hiawatha. Directed by David Hand, who was also the supervising director for Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs and Bambi. Loosely based on the poem by Longfellow, this Silly Symphony is pure Disney. Delivering pathos and humor in a few short minutes with a beautiful score by Albert Hay Malotte, Little Hiawatha was a fan favorite. The character went on to be featured in Disney comics for many years.
Sometimes, technological breakthroughs and art go hand in hand. When you ask most Disney fans to tell you about The Old Mill, they’ll say that it was the first short to employ the famous multi-plane camera, resulting in a sense of depth never before achievable in a cartoon. This Academy Award winning short, directed by Wilfred Jackson and scored by Leigh Harline, is also one of the most captivating 9 minutes of animation ever you’ll ever see.
Today’s Silly Symphony is either #69 or #70, depending on how you account for premiere dates. Either way, Moth and The Flame is a gorgeous piece of animation that deserves revisiting. It was directed by Burt Gillett, with another great score by Albert Hay Malotte. What Disney feature do the backgrounds remind you of?
Directed by Graham Heid with music by Leigh Harline, Wynken, Blynken & Nod is an example of the amazing effects work that the Disney animators were capable of. Some shots in this 1938 gem were originally considered for the “Some Day My Prince Will Come” sequence from Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, which had its premiere several months prior.
