For the longest time, I didn't really like the Silly Symphonies cartoons. I respected them for helping to advance the art of animation. It wasn't until recently that I began to truly appreciate their artistry and brilliance. I've picked out a few of my favorites.
Who Killed Cock Robin? (1935)
This is a cartoon masterpiece. It has a brilliant story structure, with a great sense of biting satire. This cartoon also contains the phenomenal animation of Jenny Wren by Hamilton Luske. You truly feel her weight and she exudes a personality. You truly feel that she has thoughts and feelings.
Toby Tortoise Returns (1936)
One of the funniest Disney cartoons ever!!! Lots of risque jokes and cartoony animation. Extremely entertaining film.
Woodland Cafe (1937)
This film is extremely entertaining. Lots of great animation, lively music, and great visual storytelling. Apart from the unfortunate racial stereotypes, it's fantastic.
Mother Goose Goes Hollywood (1938)
It's a parody of Mother Goose using 1930s Hollywood celebrities. Nuff said!
And finally,
Ferdinand The Bull (1938)
Okay, this isn't a Silly Symphony, but I had to include it, because it's a brilliant short subject. I loved the book, and apart from the caricatures of the staff for the bullfighting staff, the film stays very true to the look of book's illustrations.
I hope you've enjoyed these.
Happy Trails
4 comments:
I'll check all of these cartoons whenever my internet starts working again. Thanks, Eric. It's a crying shame that the modern Disney company doesn't make any of the older Treasures sets anymore though. If they started producing them again, it would be a lot easier for young folks like me to get a hold of these cartoons, especially the Goofy and Donald Duck shorts. Oh well, YouTube will do for now, and the B&W Mickey set I ordered as well. Hopefully, if the economy starts getting somewhat better, I might proceed with the Oswald set.
Pardon me if I submitted this comment twice. My internet connection went bad for a moment.
I heard that when 'Who Killed Cock Robin?' was in production, it was the height of its animator's indepedence to do features!!
Thanks to Ham Luske's caricature of Mae West playing Jenny Wren.
I love when you introduce me to stuff like this. I really enjoy them! <3
These were all good Silly Symphonies. They really had that Disney feel to them. Later on in the 40's, they had more of a Warner Bros feel to them, but you can still tell there's that little Disney magic to them.
Also, there's a good caricature of Walt Disney in "Ferdinand". He's the Matador. Ward Kimball also had a cameo as the little guy with the swords.
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