Fun with Silly Symphonies
Although I disappeared for a while, I suppose I wasn’t entirely idle. I created several lenses dedicated to some of Disney’s Silly Symphony cartoons. They were partly inspired by the lyrics lens format… which is somewhat fitting, since music is a dominating force in many of the Silly Symphony cartoons. Especially the early ones.
What makes Silly Symphonies special is that the series was a training ground for Disney’s animators. This was where they developed their animation and storytelling skills. It was in Silly Symphony cartoons that Disney experimented with groundbreaking technology at the time, such as Technicolor and the multiplane camera. Disney was all about innovation. If Walt Disney were still living, I believe he would have been one of the first to embrace CG animation. (Ditching 2D animation altogether, though, I’m not so sure about…)
Silly Symphony lenses so far:
The Skeleton Dance - The very first Silly Symphony cartoon.
Flowers and Trees - The first ever Technicolor animated film.
The Wise Little Hen - Donald Duck’s debut.
The Pied Piper - A charming rendition of a popular tale.
The Old Mill - Disney’s first use of the multiplane camera for achieving depth and realism. The Snow White film was just over the horizon.
3 Comments »
poddys said :
August 15, 2008 at 9:27 am
Great idea, I grew up on these too.
It’s still hard to believe how old they are - I thought that growing up in the 50’s that they were new, and they were 20 years old already.
Some are very aged now, but others have stood the test of time.
I hope they do well for you.
victorianeely said :
August 20, 2008 at 5:19 pm
Hi Poddys - I remember that when I was a little kid, I didn’t know or care how old these cartoons were. I just thought the Skeleton Dance was neat… we watched it all the time.
john said :
November 26, 2008 at 3:12 am
bingo is best with entertainer
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