Toon Talk: Walt Disney Treasures: Silly Symphonies - Dec 13, 2001

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.