Frolicking Fish

The animals dance and make music at the bottom of the sea: at seat, a fish rides on a seahorse, while another fish plays with a huge anchor. A group of fish dance around a chest. An angry octopus comes out of the chest and tries to catch the fish, but they escape. Then the octopus comes out of the chest. Near a boat a fish dance takes place, led by two sea lobsters. In another orchestra, a fish leads three fish, who play bucios and a fish skeleton with its maracas. A lobster plays a harmonica. Starfish and clams (located behind the stars) also dance in a line. A group of fish jump on the stomach of a larger fish, one at a time, causing the fish to expel a bubble for each fish that jumps on it. The fish, once they leave the big fish behind, play with the bubbles. The octopus pops the bubbles. A bubble encloses a fish that was playing with it. The octopus plays with the bubble, but the fish manages to get out of it and the octopus chases it. The fish pushes a boat anchor and it crushes the octopus.

The Film Daily (September 28, 1930): "An undersea exhibition that keeps the patrons chuckling all the way. All sorts of fantastic fish are put through a dizzy series of dances, drills and whatnot, in tune to some unusually fitting music. The chief amusement is provided by a villainous octopus chasing a fish, but the wicked one is given the k.o. in the end when the smart little fish drops an anchor on him from a sunken vessel. One of the best in the Silly Symphonies series".{{cite journal |title=Reviews of Sound Shorts |journal=The Film Daily |date=September 28, 1930 |page=11 |url=https://archive.org/details/filmdailyvolume55354newy/page/900/mode/2up |access-date=February 23, 2020}}

Motion Picture News (September 27, 1930): "This Walt Disney cartoon packs all the stuff you've seen time after time with fishes instead of delirium tremens animals, dancing, talking, singing and cavorting about. Didn't get a chuckle out of a New York audience. The public is fed up on this type of stuff".{{cite journal |title=Short Subjects |journal=Motion Picture News |date=September 27, 1930 |page=43 |url=https://archive.org/details/motionpic42moti/page/42/mode/2up |access-date=February 23, 2020}}

Variety (September 24, 1930): "Entertaining musical cartoon comedy. Scenes are all under water, with the cartoon characters all fish. Fish dance and sing and are given comedy musical synchronization. Octopus is the villain and gets his at the end, when he chases a fish through a sunken ship. Anchor falls and squashes him".{{cite journal |title=Talking Shorts |journal=Variety |date=September 24, 1930 |page=23 |url=https://archive.org/details/variety100-1930-09/page/n247/mode/2up |access-date=February 23, 2020}}

The short was released on December 19, 2006, on Walt Disney Treasures: More Silly Symphonies, Volume Two.

{{reflist}}

• {{IMDb title|0020906|Frolicking Fish}}

{{Silly Symphonies}}

{{Burt Gillett}}

Category:1930 films

Category:1930s Disney animated short films

Category:Silly Symphonies

Category:Films directed by Burt Gillett

Category:Films produced by Walt Disney

Category:Columbia Pictures animated short films

Category:Columbia Pictures short films

Category:Animated films about animals

Category:Animated films about fish

Category:Animated films without speech

Category:1930s American films

Category:American animated black-and-white films

Category:1930 animated short films

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