Silly Symphonies
About Silly Symphonies
The Disney Silly Symphonies animated film series are more than simply cartoons synchronized to music. From the beginning, this series was looked at as the place to try new things. And try they did- the first color cartoon, the first realistic human form, the multi-plane camera- the "Silly Symphonies" shorts were no platform for the company's famous recurring characters, but instead was all about experimenting with new techniques and styles of animation.
Despite this experimentation, the Disney Silly Symphonies animated film series proved to be very popular with audiences of the time, and soon most of the other animation studios produced a similar series... such as Warner Bros' "Merrie Melodies", MGMs' "Happy Harmonies" and Fleischers' "Screen Songs."
With the release of Snow White And The Seven Dwarfs in 1937, this series had about run it's course for the Disney studios, and the series came to an end. But the technology and the techniques pioneered here are still in use today.
Cartoons
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The Skeleton Dance
A group of skeletons dance the night away in this classic short.
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El Terrible Toreador
El Terrible Toreador vies with a Mexican officer for the affections of a comely barmaid in a cantina, against a backdrop of Latin music.
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Springtime
Flowers, ladybugs, centipedes, birds, and frogs dance (and then proceed to eat each other!) to the tune of classical music.
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Hell's Bells
The denizens of Hell gather together for a mad frolic in a wild party that only the likes of Satan can (or would want!) to throw. A giant cow gives flaming milk for Satan's feast.
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The Merry Dwarfs
The story of a day in the life of a village of dwarfs as they dance and play through their day. Aside from dancing, the cartoon figures -- here bearded elves with pointed hats -- participat…
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Summer
In the summer, we see the smaller forest citizens out for a dance and frolic- the insects take center stage!
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Autumn
Bears, beavers, squirrels and other mammals rush to store up food for the winter.
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Cannibal Capers
A group of cannibals gather together for a tribal dance. In the middle of their gala, they are interrupted by a ferocious lion!
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Frolicking Fish
All the fish from under the sea join together in dance, until the festivities are interrupted by a "scary" octopus.
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Arctic Antics
Polar bears cavort in the midnight sun, joined by walruses, seals and penguins of all shapes and sizes who sing and dance. A change of pace from Disney's usual farm-based animal themes, thi…
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In A Toy Shop
In the middle of the night, a poor spider seeks shelter from the cold inside an old toy store. There, he discovers the toy's secret: they come alive after midnight. The hairy spider gets in…
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Night
When the full moon appears over the old mill pond, the plants and animals take to very bad singing.
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Monkey Melodies
A musical menagerie of monkeys and apes swing through the trees.
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Winter
The animals frolic in the new fallen snow and skate on an icy lake to tunes which include "Jingle Bells" and "The Skater's Waltz."
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Playful Pan
The Greek God Pan comes to Earth, coaxing music and dance out of the flora and fauna. Lightning strikes start a fire that nearly burn everything. Pan uses his music to lure the flames into…
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Birds Of A Feather
A flock of birds are out, just having a good time singing and dancing. As the flock takes flight, they are attacked by a hawk who steals one of the baby birds. All of the birds join togethe…
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Mother Goose Melodies
Various storybook characters come to life in song and dance, to the amusement of Old King Cole.
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The China Plate
The designs on a china plate come to life and tell us the story of two star-crossed lovers and the problems caused them by a Mandarin and a fire-breathing dragon.
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The Busy Beavers
The beavers work on a marvelous dam. But when the floods come, all that work looks like it has gone to waste.
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The Cat's Out
A Cat- being a cat, makes trouble for the birds. But in his dreams later that night, the birds come back for their revenge.
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Egyptian Melodies
When a curious spider makes his way into the tomb of an ancient Egyptian, he discovers the strange wall paintings (and Mummies) have come to life for him.
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The Clock Store
A lone lamplighter walks down the street lighting the streetlamps as he goes. He stops outside a clock store where, inside, the products perform their various alarms and dances. A fight bre…
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The Spider And The Fly
The idyllic lives of the houseflies are interrupted by a black spider. They unite with other insects to defeat the spider.
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The Fox Hunt
Just your typical fox hunt, until the hunters trap a skunk instead of their prey. Turns out that Mr. Fox and Mr. Skunk may be in collusion?
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The Ugly Duckling
Though based on the classic Hans Christian Andersen tale of the misplaced egg raised by the ducks, there are important differences, too. This duckling is really a duck (and not a swan) and…
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The Bird Store
When a cat tries to catch a bird in the pet shop, the birds turn the tables as they band together against the cat.
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The Bears And Bees
Two bear cubs foraging for food run afoul of a swarm of honeybees as they stake a claim to their honey. An older bear tries to steal their prize, but gets the bees instead, leaving the hone…
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Just Dogs
Two of the dogs at the city dog pound mastermind an escape from the pound.
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Flowers And Trees
An idyllic dance of flora until an wretched old tree stump tries to cut in the dance. Rebuffed, he proceeds to set the woods on fire!
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King Neptune
The King of the Sea becomes enraged when lustful pirates threaten violence and rapine against his innocent mermaids. Creatures of the deep rise to do Neptune's bidding, and soon, the pirate…
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Bugs In Love
The insects turn a junkyard into an amusement park. But when the crow shows up, their fun is cut short.
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Babes In The Woods
A loose retelling of Hansel and Gretel: two children, lost in the woods, stumble upon a dwarf village. They're lured into a candy house by a witch with horror-fying results.
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Santa's Workshop
Santa is assigned by his elves in preparation for the famous sleigh ride on Christmas Eve. As Santa reads off the list of good or bad boys and girls, the elves go about constructing the toy…
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Birds In The Spring
The birds rejoice over the hatching of their three eggs and mark the arrival of spring in the woods.
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Father Noah's Ark
A musical retelling of the Biblical story of Noah and his ark, with a boatload of animals setting sail on the most famous voyage of all.
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Three Little Pigs
Three little pigs set off to the great wide world; their first step, to build a house. They each have their own life philosophies, which govern their lives, and they types of houses they ma…
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Old King Cole
The Merry Old Soul throws a jazz party for the citizens of Storyland, featuring hepped-up renditions of everything from "Three Blind Mice" to "Peter, Peter, Pumpkin Eater."
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Lullaby Land
A baby falls asleep. The little one and his stuffed puppy visit Lullaby Land, filled with everything that a baby needs. He dreams of a land where powder puffs and pacifiers grow on trees. B…
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The Pied Piper
The people of Hamlin, overrun with rats, offer a bag of gold to anyone who can rid them of their plague. A mysterious piper comes to town, and proceeds to rid them of their rat infestation…
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The Night Before Christmas
In a loose adaptation of Clement C. Moore's famous poem, St. Nick is seen delivering the toys that he made in 1932's "Santa's Workshop" to a house full of sleeping children. The toys come a…
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The China Shop
After the doors close at the China Shop, the pieces come to life in dance and song.
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The Grasshopper And The Ants
A grasshopper fiddles and plays through his day, tempting some of the worker ants to play with him, unaware that winter is coming and food will soon be scarce.
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Funny Little Bunnies
This short explores the mysteries of the Easter Rabbits and how they get ready for Easter, making chocolate eggs and rabbits, decorating eggs, and weaving and filling baskets.
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The Big Bad Wolf
Two of the Pigs decide to help Red Riding Hood through the dangers of the forest to Grandma's house.
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The Wise Little Hen
The Wise Hen needs help to plant corn for herself and her chicks. But Donald and Peter are totally unwilling to help out.
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The Flying Mouse
A little mouse dreams to have his own set of wings. He saves a butterfly from a spider's web. The butterfly turns out to be a fairy who gives the mouse one wish: to be able to fly. But his…
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Peculiar Penguins
A dance piece from the South Pole. Peter catches a fish to show his love for Polly. The fish expands when she eats it, making her look fat, and Peter foolish. Along comes a shark out to end…
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The Goddess Of Spring
The myth of Persephone and her abduction to the underworld.
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The Tortoise And The Hare
A retelling of Aesop's fable. Max Hare and Toby Tortoise are having a foot race. Max has much more style, and is generally cocky. He pauses for a short nap, to chat up the bunnies outside a…
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The Golden Touch
Greedy King Midas loves gold so much, he convinces the magical elf Goldie to give him the power to turn whatever he touches into gold. But everything means everything?
