Toon Talk: Walt Disney Treasures: Silly Symphonies
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NATURE ON THE SCREEN:
Birds of a Feather
February 3, 1931. Directed by Gillett. Black and white.
Summary: Birds, birds! Everywhere!
Behind the Scenes: Love the crows flying in "V"-attack formation.
The Busy Beavers
June 30, 1931. Directed by Jackson. Black and white.
Summary: Those beavers sure are busy, building a damn that is threatened by a raging flood.
Behind the Scenes: Three cheers for the underdog ... underbeaver?
Just Dogs
July 30, 1932. Directed by Gillett. Black and white.
Summary: With the help of a resourceful bull terrier, a dog pound-full of canines escapes.
Behind the Scenes: Early solo appearance of Pluto.
Father Noah's Ark
April 8, 1933. Directed by Jackson.
Summary: A musical retelling of the Biblical story of Noah and the ark.
Behind the Scenes: The first Disney version of Noah, later reprised in the 1959 stop-motion short Noah's Ark and with Donald Duck in the Pomp and Circumstance sequence of Fantasia 2000.
Funny Little Bunnies
March 24, 1934. Directed by Jackson.
Summary: The title characters are hard at work painting eggs, carving chocolate and creating other tasty Easter-time treats.
Behind the Scenes: The only Easter-themed Disney short, includes the first work of famed animator and future director Wolfgang Reitherman.
Peculiar Penguins
September 1, 1934. Directed by Jackson.
Summary: Playful penguins cavort on the ice and outwit a menacing shark.
Behind the Scenes: The two lovebirds are named Peter and Polly.
Mother Pluto
Summary: Pluto unwittingly becomes a parent to a nest-full of baby chicks.
Behind the Shorts: Typical Pluto short, oddly released as a Silly Symphony.
The Old Mill
November 5, 1937. Directed by Jackson.
Summary: The woodland inhabitants of a dilapidated windmill must weather out a terrific thunderstorm.
Behind the Shorts: The first film to use the revolutionary new Multi-Plane camera, which enabled realistic dimensions in animation. An Oscar-winner for Best Cartoon Short Subject, as well as a special technical award for the development of the Multi-Plane.
Easter Egg: From the "Nature on Screen" menu, click on the star that appears on the bunny's face. Walt discusses the significance of this short and the Multi-Plane camera; includes rare pencil animation footage
The Ugly Duckling
December 17, 1931. Directed by Jackson. Black and white.
Summary: A baby duck whose egg accidentally made it's way into a hen's nest tries desperately to gain his chicken mother's approval.
Behind the Shorts: Based on the Hans Christian Andersen story, it was remade in color eight years later ...
The Ugly Duckling
April 7, 1939. Directed by Cutting.
Summary: The title character is ostracized by his duck parents, but makes a wonderful discovery on his quest for acceptance.
Behind the Shorts: A more faithful adaptation of the Anderson tale, this version won the Oscar and was the last Silly Symphony produced.