Directed by Jack Cutting with music by Leigh Harline, today’s Silly Symphony is a series of vignettes of farm animals set to a score that includes many familiar classical themes. Some Disney fans see this short as a precursor to Fantasia.

It’s the weekend! If you missed the first three shorts, no problem! Just grab a bowl of cereal and get caught up. How long has it been since you enjoyed Saturday morning cartoons?

 
Today’s Silly Symphony holds a unique distinction. It’s the only one produced by a different studio (you’ll have to read the Silly Symphonies book for details). Additionally, in the 1957 episode of the Disneyland TV show entitled More About The Silly Symphonies, this short is shown after Walt Disney introduces Water Babies. Disney remedied this when the introduction was matched with the correct short on the Silly Symphonies DVD. 

Today’s Silly Symphony is Mother Goose Goes Hollywood from Christmas 1938. It was directed by Wilfred Jackson, with music by Ed Plumb, who would go on to write the score for Bambi.

More than 76 years later, so many of the stars parodied by Disney are still recognizable today. Can you name them all?

Pigs. As in Three Little. The country loved them, and Disney delivered. The Practical Pig was the 4th Silly Symphony to feature these beloved characters and once again presented the hit song “Who’s Afraid of the Big Bad Wolf?” Released on February 24, 1939. Directed by Dick Rickard. Music by Frank Churchill and Paul J. Smith.

The in-person pre-order for The Silly Symphony Collection will take place at Disney’s D23 Expo in Anaheim, CA from August 14-16. If you’re coming down for the Expo, it’s just one of the amazing things that will be presented – so buy your tickets today!

The online pre-order will start on August 17th, the day after the D23 Expo concludes – and the counter on the site will serve as reminder.

With under 75 days to go and 75 Silly Symphonies, I thought it would be fun to count them down from the last (The Ugly Duckling from 1939) to the first (The Skeleton Dance from 1929).

I’ll be watching the shorts every day – so if you want to play along, I encourage you to seek the Silly Symphonies out and watch them too. Post your comments here or share it on Facebook. Let’s enjoy some Disney history!

Today’s short is The Ugly Duckling. Directed by Jack Cutting, with music by Albert Hay Malotte. It was released on April 7, 1939, and won the Academy Award for Best Short Subject (Cartoons).