Walt Disney Treasures - Silly Symphonies

Our DVD Price: £5.99 RRP: £21.99 Save £16.00 (72%)   Availability This product should be despatched within 4 days.  This product will be dispatched from Guernsey. Delivery times   Earn 25 Bonus Points when you buy this product. More info

Film Description

31 uncensored cartoons and musical shorts that were a proving ground for emerging technology, new musical styles and experimental forms. A magical glimpse of early Disney animation.

Film Information

DVD Extras

Two discs; Tin Box; An Overview by Richard M Sherman; Silly symphonies souvenirs; Gallery.

Technical Details

Reviews & Articles

Share your thoughts and opinions - write a review

Review by Graeme Hobbs on 10th March 2005

fter Disney's successful introduction of synchronised sound to the Mickey Mouse cartoon Steamboat Willie in 1928, musical director Carl Stalling hit upon the inspired idea of making a cartoon subservient to music instead of the other way round. Thus the “Silly Symphonies” were born, with 75 short cartoons following between 1929-39.
Such is the conviction of both the characters and the hand-painted backgrounds that it's almost impossible to take your eyes from them once they start. There's also an improvisatory freedom inherent in them that makes them so joyful. As well as favourites such as The Three Little Pigs, other stand-outs are Skeleton Dance, the first Technicolour cartoon Flowers and Trees, and Music Land, in which the characters are musical notes and a Bridge of Harmony is built across the Sea of Discord between the sedate Land of Symphony and the jumping Isle of Jazz.
Any doubt about the sheer amount of work behind the apparently effortless animation in these cartoons is quickly dispelled on viewing one of the treats of the companion collection Mickey Mouse in Living Colour, that of three full cartoons of the original pencil drawings, presented in such clear detail that you can actually see the watermark of the paper on which they are drawn. These drawings also include annotations on colour and movement and are priceless work records. GH

View more reviews by Graeme Hobbs

Browse all Film Reviews

See Also...

Hand-picked recommendations of related films

Walt Disney Treasures - Mickey Mouse In Living Colour Dir: Various / Animation A great collection of 26 early colour Mickey Mouse cartoons from 1935-38, along with fascinating background mate... More >

Looney Tunes Golden Collection Dir: Various / Animation Over six hours of Looney Tunes! All the favourites are here - Bugs Bunny, Daffy Duck, Porky Pig and the rest of ... More >

Walt Disney Treasures - Chronological Donald Dir: Various / Animation More treasures from the Disney vaults. Donald Duck gets an outing this time with a retrospective of his short fi... More >

Collections & Lists

This film is part of the following Film Collections

We've Been Watching

Including: Beckett On Film (Box Set), Crumb, Das Boot, David, Doctor Jekyll And Mr Hyde (1932 And 1941 Versions), Dracula - Pages From A Virgins Diary, Elephant, Grave of the Fireflies, In This World, Julien Donkey-Boy.

View all collections

Create your own Film List!

Customers who bought this also bought...

Recommendations from fellow customers

Walt Disney Treasures - Mickey Mouse In Living Colour

by Various / Animation

Méliès The Magician

by Jacques Meny

L'Age dOr / Un Chien Andalou

by Salvador Dali / Luis Buñuel

The Adventures of Prince Achmed

by Lotte Reiniger

Piccadilly

by E A Dupont

Other films by...

More films directed by Various / Animation

My Little Pony - The Quest For The Golden Horseshoe

Disney Classics - Animals

Bucky O Hare (Vol 1)

Dan Dare

Aardmans Darkside

View more >

For questions or assistance, call us on (+44) 0844 776 0900 or email on enquiries@moviemail-online.co.uk

© 2004-2007 MovieMail, Ltd., All Rights Reserved. Find out more about MovieMail