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WALT DISNEY TREASURES: SILLY SYMPHONIES

Sadly, when I demonstrated just how susceptible a DVD was to being broken in half, they were forced to choose otherwise. After those discs also failed the breaking test, the little girl, Cindy, suggested we watch one of her dad's flicks, which were stored in a locked cabinet in his room. A quick pry with a screwdriver and the cabinet was opened, and OH MY GOD, I don't know if MRS. SQUEELER AND THE PIG is legal, but... well hell, it can't be legal.

Anyway, while rummaging through titles such as LUBRICATED LISA and THE SEVEN DEADLY SUCKS looking for something, anything to redeem the dad, I heard a voice cry. "Mr. Regan, Mr. Regan!" (Like I'd use my real name.) "How about this movie! It's my mom's! It's called WALT DISNEY TREASURES: SILLY SYMPHONIES." I turned around and screamed, "WHAT DID YOU SAY?!" Little Greg, the boy and speaker, was taken aback and tears welled up in his eyes. He started to speak, but I interrupted him. "Did you say Disney? Cause where I come from (bitter uninformed liberal land) that's like saying *$%^ %* *(*#*(% @#*%( *&*& @**&*. Well no matter, let's try the break test." After paying me ten bucks not to do the break test, the kids and I started what I was positive would be the worst five hours and five minutes of my life.

As the DVD cued up and ads for other WALT DISNEY TREASURES played, Cindy said, "Mr. Regan, Mom says that there were 75 of these SILLY SYMPHONIES in all, made between 1929 to 1939. She says she's not sure but she thinks that Carl W. Stalling, the guy who writes the music for the Bugs Bunny cartoons, helped originate the idea along with Walt Disney. I think the idea was to have cartoons that were less narrative driven, more like mood pieces I guess, and a lot of experimentation was done in these shorts! Like one of the first Technicolor cartoons, "Flowers and Trees," was a SILLY SYMPHONY! Eventually narrative did rear its head, but oh what a splendid head it was! Why, some of Disney's finest narrative driven stories are SILLY SYMPHONIES, like "Three Little Pigs" and "The Tortoise and the Hare," whose hare is thought to be the inspiration for Bugs Bunny. I love Bugs Bunny. I wrote a song about Bugs Bunny. It goes like this:

La la la Bunny

La la la Bugs

La la la Bugs Bunny

La la la Bunny Bugs

La la la Bugs Bunny Bugs"

"SHUTUP!"

More tears.

Well, I guess even the grumpiest critic can be won over by quality goods, and brother let me tell you I was won over. Yeah, I used to think that Disney was nothing more then a bunch of corporate bastards trying to drain the same tired formula for all it was worth (singing candlesticks my dk), while also removing 42^nd Street of all the theatres I would have enjoyed, but that's today. Yesterday, well my goodness, did they know how to animate! And surprisingly the pieces are not just crappy, innocuous pabulum. Nope, this is high quality fare that will appeal to both the adults the images are practically works of art, and the stories/moods remarkably mature and often dark and the children, with their magical wonderlands of beautiful images, loveable characters and sing/hum-a-long songs (though expect some nightmares; actually, expect a billion if they see the short "Lullaby Land" in which a baby is tormented by sharp objects, fire and the boogeyman).

Disney in those days wasn't afraid to add some spook to the sauce and there's a strong macabre undertone to many of the cartoons. Witches, skeletons, and all others sorts of nighttime nasties pop up from time to time, not to mention that demonic Big Bad Wolf. (Actually, the short "The Three Little Wolves" is particularly interesting in that the wolf sings his pig eating song in a German accent... well, that's interesting to me.) Of course it's not just nightmares these shorts contain, there's low stereotype comedy ("Who Killed Cock Robin?"), beautiful lullabies (the breathtaking "Wynken, Blynken and Nod") and the ugly being redeemed ("The Ugly Duckling," both the 1931 and 1939 versions). It was all so gloriously wonderful that I turned to Greg and Cindy and said, "Children, I have been redeemed by your wonderful video. I will no longer travel on the dark paths in life, but head off into the sunny pastures where joy beyond description awaits."  Cindy responded, "Is that you or the heroin talking?"

"It's the heroin, but you're not supposed to find that out till after the end credits."

While every cartoon in this collection is not perfect, the production value alone will keep you spellbound, and history has a way of making yesterday's mistakes seem like today's masterpieces. Take for example "The Golden Touch," one of the few Disney cartoons to be directed by Walt himself and considered in its day to be the nadir of the company's releases. Seen with modern eyes it's actually a rather enjoyable little spin on the King Midas legend that stands up well in comparison to the other shorts featured on this collection.

One of the most impressive aspects of this release is that these little gems are being released uncut (unlike quite a few other Disney releases. Can anybody say FANTASIA?) and for many of the titles this is the first time they've appeared on DVD. While the picture quality is good throughout, many of these shorts still suffer from pops on the soundtrack and color fades from time to time, but never anything too distracting.

Unfortunately, out of 75 SILLY SYMPHONY shorts only 37 are available on this limited edition two-disc compilation. Why Disney didn't opt for a full collection is anybody's guess. Maybe this is simply a market test to see public response, or it may be that the other cartoons contain offensive imagery and couldn't be released uncut without seriously damaging the company's reputation, or it may be a billion other possible reasons. Whatever it is, their exclusion is the only black mark on an otherwise stellar set.

Possibly expecting these WALT DISNEY TREAURES sets (there are three other collections available that focus on other aspects of Disney history) to appeal to a more DVD savvy crowd, the DVD is filled with Easter eggs hiding additional cartoons. These feature introductions by Walt Disney himself. Yes, Walt is present, covered in decaying flesh, his eye sockets filled with maggots and a puppeteer has to reach his hand into the putrefying corpse's head to activate the mouth. Children will scream at the sight of this and grown men will burst out vomiting.

Actually, it's old Disney show clips, and Walt is in grand PR mode, giving out educational tidbits and/or history before the presentation.

For supplementary material there are several features hosted by Leonard Maltin. "The Song of the Silly Symphonies" (on disc two) has Leonard talking with Richard Sherman (one of the composers for MARY POPPINS) about the music. "Silly Symphonies Souvenirs" has Leonard talking to Dave Smith from the Walt Disney archives who flashes a lot of SILLY SYMPHONIES inspired merchandise that is now worth hundreds, if not thousands, of dollars. Leonard himself introduces a few select cartoons in the "Leonard's Picks" section (available on both discs) and really doesn't add much more than two sentences of info for these titles. Rounding out the extras is a gallery of images and other paraphernalia from, or related to, the shorts.

For those who need to know, here's a breakdown of the discs:

Disc One:

"Mother Goose Melodies"

"Babes in the Woods"

"Lullaby Land"

"The Tortoise and the Hare"

"The Flying Mouse"

"The Robber Kitten"

"The Golden Touch"

"The Country Cousin"

"Elmer Elephant"

"The Grasshopper and the Ants"

"Who Killed Cock Robin?"

"Water Babies"

"Wynken, Blynken and Nod"

"Three Little Pigs"

"The Big Bad Wolf"

"The Three Little Wolves"

"The Wise Little Hen" (featuring Donald Duck's debut)

"Toby Tortoise Returns"

"Practical Pig"

Disc Two:

"The Skeleton Dance"

"The China Plate"

"Egyptian Melodies"

"Flowers and Trees"

"The Cookie Carnival"

"Music Land"

"Woodland Café"

"Farmyard Symphony"

"Birds of a Feather"

"The Busy Beavers"

"Just Dogs"

"Father Noah's Ark"

"Funny Little Bunnies"

"Peculiar Penguins"

"Mother Pluto"

"The Old Mill"

"The Ugly Duckling" (1931)

"The Ugly Duckling" (1939)

For more information on Walt Disney's SILLY SYMPHONIES and other Disney cartoons, be sure to check out The Encyclopedia of Disney Animated Shorts at this web address: http://www.teemings.com/shorts/disney/index.html.