Silly Symphony

{{Infobox film

| image = Silly Symphony letters.png

| distributor = Columbia Pictures (1929–32)
United Artists (1932–37)
RKO Radio Pictures (1937–39)

| country = United States

| language = English

}}

Silly Symphony (also known as Silly Symphonies) is an American animated series of 75 musical short films produced by Walt Disney Productions from 1929 to 1939. As the series name implies, the Silly Symphonies were originally intended as whimsical accompaniments to pieces of music.{{Cite book |last1=Merritt |first1=Russell |title=Walt Disney's Silly Symphonies: A Companion to the Classic Cartoon Series |last2=Kaufman |first2=J. B. |publisher=Disney Editions |year=2016 |isbn=978-1-4847-5132-9 |edition=2nd |location=Glendale, CA}} As such, the films usually did not feature continuing characters, unlike the Mickey Mouse shorts produced by Disney at the same time (exceptions to this include Three Little Pigs, The Tortoise and the Hare, and Three Orphan Kittens, which all had sequels). The series is notable for its innovation with Technicolor and the multiplane motion picture camera, as well as its introduction of the character Donald Duck, who made his first appearance in the Silly Symphony cartoon The Wise Little Hen in 1934. Seven shorts won the Academy Award for Best Animated Short Film.

Many of the shorts were adapted into print mediums. Starting in 1932, a Silly Symphony newspaper comic strip was distributed by King Features Syndicate, as well as a Dell comic book series and numerous children's books.

The Silly Symphonies returned to theaters with its re-issues and re-releases, and tied with Joseph Barbera and William Hanna's Tom and Jerry{{'}}s record for most Oscar wins for a cartoon series in the Academy Award for Best Animated Short Film category.

The first five Silly Symphony shorts entered the public domain on January 1, 2025.{{Cite web |title=Public Domain Day 2025 {{!}} Duke University School of Law |url=https://web.law.duke.edu/cspd/publicdomainday/2025/ |access-date=2025-01-01 |website=web.law.duke.edu |language=en}} The same will happen to subsequent shorts from 1930, 1931, 1932, and 1933 in 2026, 2027, 2028, and 2029 respectively.

Production

File:Silly Symphony poster 1935.png

While Walt Disney and Carl Stalling, a theatre organist from Kansas City, were in New York to add sound to the Mickey Mouse shorts The Gallopin' Gaucho, The Barn Dance and Plane Crazy, Stalling suggested the idea of making a series of musical animated shorts that combined the latest sound technology with storytelling. At first Walt did not seem interested, but when they returned to New York in February to record the sound for a fifth Mickey Mouse cartoon, The Opry House, they also recorded the soundtrack for The Skeleton Dance, the type of short that Stalling had suggested and the first Silly Symphony cartoon.{{Cite book |last=Davis |first=Amy M. |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=xRrnBgAAQBAJ&dq=%22During+their+time+in+New+York%2C+Stalling+had+suggested+to+Walt+the+idea%22&pg=PA80 |title=Good Girls & Wicked Witches: Women in Disney's Feature Animation |date=20 February 2007 |publisher=Indiana University Press |isbn=9780861969012 |access-date=2021-11-19 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211119014433/https://books.google.no/books?id=xRrnBgAAQBAJ&pg=PA80&dq=%22During+their+time+in+New+York,+Stalling+had+suggested+to+Walt+the+idea%22&hl=no&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwjXmvi2pqP0AhUUzIsKHe-XA74Q6AF6BAgCEAI#v=onepage&q=%22During%20their%20time%20in%20New%20York%2C%20Stalling%20had%20suggested%20to%20Walt%20the%20idea%22&f=false |archive-date=2021-11-19 |url-status=live}}

Within the animation industry, the series is known for its use by Walt Disney as a platform for experimenting with processes, techniques, characters, and stories in order to further the art of animation. It also provided a venue to try out techniques and technologies, such as Technicolor, special effects animation, and dramatic storytelling in animation, that would be crucial to Disney's plans to eventually begin making feature-length animated films.

Shortly after the switch to United Artists, the series became even more popular. Walt Disney had seen some of Dr. Herbert Kalmus' tests for a new three-strip, full-color Technicolor process, which would replace the previous two-tone Technicolor process. Disney signed a contract with Technicolor which gave the Disney studio exclusive rights to the new three-strip process through the end of 1935, and had a 60% complete Symphony, Flowers and Trees, scrapped and redone in full color.{{citation needed|reason= this has been a long-repeated myth which is not true. Flowers and Trees was planned and produced in colour and monochrome versions from the beginning!|date=February 2023}} Flowers and Trees was the first animated film to use the three-strip Technicolor process,{{Cite book |last=Robertson |first=Patrick |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=2TEEaCrPiWsC |title=Robertson's Book of Firsts |date=2011 |publisher=Bloomsbury |isbn=9781608197385 |location=London |access-date=24 May 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200729182144/https://books.google.com/books?id=2TEEaCrPiWsC |archive-date=29 July 2020 |url-status=live}} and was a phenomenal success. Within a year, the now-in-Technicolor Silly Symphonies series had popularity and success that matched (and later surpassed) that of the Mickey Mouse cartoons. The contract Disney had with Technicolor would also later be extended another five years as well.{{Cite web |title=Glorious Technicolor 1932-1955 |url=http://www.widescreenmuseum.com/oldcolor/technicolor5.htm |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151002055014/http://www.widescreenmuseum.com/oldcolor/technicolor5.htm |archive-date=2015-10-02 |access-date=2018-03-14 |publisher=Widescreenmuseum.com}}

The success of Silly Symphonies would be tremendously boosted after Three Little Pigs was released in 1933 and became a box office sensation; the film was featured in movie theaters for several months and also featured the hit song that became the anthem of the Great Depression, "Who's Afraid of the Big Bad Wolf".{{Cite web |title=Three Little Pigs at the Disney archives |url=http://disney.go.com/vault/archives/movies/pigs/pigs.html |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071006224626/http://disney.go.com/vault/archives/movies/pigs/pigs.html |archive-date=2007-10-06 |access-date=2007-11-27}} Several Silly Symphonies entries, including Three Little Pigs (1933), The Grasshopper and the Ants (1934), The Tortoise and the Hare (1935), The Country Cousin (1936), The Old Mill (1937), Wynken, Blynken, and Nod (1938), and The Ugly Duckling (1939, with an earlier black-and-white version from 1931), are among the most notable short films produced by Walt Disney.

Due to problems related to Disney's scheduled productions of cartoons, a deal was made with Harman and Ising to produce three Silly Symphonies: Merbabies, Pipe Dreams, and The Little Bantamweight. Only one of these cartoons, Merbabies, ended up being bought by Disney, the remaining two Harman-Ising Silly Symphonies were then sold to MGM who released them as Happy Harmonies cartoons.{{Cite book |last=Lenburg |first=Jeff |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=FVShFCjVzvIC&q=%22Merbabies+%281938%29%2C+along+with+Pipe+Dreams+%281938%29%2C+and+The+Little+Bantamweight+%281938%29.%22&pg=PA154 |title=Who's Who in Animated Cartoons: An International Guide to Film and Television's Award-Winning and Legendary Animators |year=2006 |publisher=Hal Leonard Corporation |isbn=9781557836717 |access-date=2018-03-14}} Disney ceased production of Silly Symphonies in 1939.{{Cite web |date=1929-05-10 |title=Silly Symphonies at |url=http://www.toonopedia.com/sillysym.htm |url-status=live |archive-url=https://archive.today/20120915090552/http://www.toonopedia.com/sillysym.htm |archive-date=2012-09-15 |access-date=2018-03-14 |publisher=Toonopedia.com}}

Distribution

The series was first distributed by Pat Powers from 1929 to 1930 and released by Celebrity Productions (1929–1930) indirectly through Columbia Pictures. The original basis of the cartoons was musical novelty, and the musical scores of the first cartoons were composed by Carl Stalling.{{Cite web |title=The Birth of the Silly Symphonies, by Russell Merritt and J.B. Kaufman |url=http://disney.go.com/disneyatoz/familymuseum/exhibits/articles/sillysymphonies/index.html |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110520114702/http://disney.go.com/disneyatoz/familymuseum/exhibits/articles/sillysymphonies/index.html |archive-date=2011-05-20 |access-date=2018-03-14 |publisher=Disney.go.com}}

=Columbia Pictures=

After viewing "The Skeleton Dance", the manager at Columbia Pictures quickly became interested in distributing the series, and gained the perfect opportunity to acquire Silly Symphonies after Disney broke with Celebrity Productions head Pat Powers after Powers signed Disney's colleague Ub Iwerks to a studio contract. Columbia Pictures (1930–1932) agreed to pick up the direct distribution of the Mickey Mouse series on the condition that they would have exclusive rights to distribute the Silly Symphonies series; at first, Silly Symphonies could not even come close to the popularity Mickey Mouse had. The original title cards to the shorts released by Celebrity Productions and Columbia Pictures were all redrawn after Walt Disney stopped distributing his cartoons through them. Meanwhile, more competition spread for Disney after Max Fleischer's flapper cartoon character Betty Boop began to gain more and more popularity after starring in the cartoon Minnie the Moocher. By August 1932, Betty Boop became so popular that the Talkartoon series was renamed as Betty Boop cartoons.

=United Artists=

In 1932, after falling out with Columbia Pictures, Disney began distributing his products through United Artists. UA refused to distribute the Silly Symphonies unless Disney associated Mickey Mouse with them somehow, resulting in the "Mickey Mouse presents a Silly Symphony" title cards and posters that introduced and promoted the series during its five-year run for UA. United Artists also agreed to double the budget for each cartoon from $7,500 to $15,000.{{Cite book |last=Mosley |first=Leonard |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=eaKoZtJqPc0C&q=fifteen+thousand+dollars&pg=PA135 |title=Disney's World |date=1990 |publisher=Scarborough House |isbn=9781589796560 |page=135 |access-date=9 December 2017}} The first short released by United Artists was The Bears and Bees.{{Cite book |last1=Merritt |first1=Russell |title=Walt Disney's Silly Symphonies: A Companion to the Classic Cartoon Series |last2=Kaufman |first2=J. B. |publisher=Disney Editions |year=2016 |pages=108–109| isbn=978-1-4847-5132-9 |edition=2nd |location=Glendale, CA}}

=RKO Radio Pictures=

In 1937, Disney signed a distribution deal with RKO Radio Pictures to distribute the Silly Symphony cartoons, along with the Mickey Mouse series. RKO would continue to distribute until the end of the series in 1939.

=Home media=

Several Symphonies have been released in home media, most of the time as bonus shorts that relate to something within various Disney films. For instance, the original Dumbo VHS included Father Noah's Ark, The Practical Pig and Three Orphan Kittens as bonus shorts to make up for the film's short length. In the UK, several Silly Symphonies were released in compilations under Disney Videos' "Storybook Favourites" brand. The three "Storybook Favourites Shorts" volumes released included among others, The Three Little Pigs, The Tortoise and the Hare and the remake of The Ugly Duckling.

On December 4, 2001, Disney released "Silly Symphonies" as part of its DVD series "Walt Disney Treasures". On December 19, 2006, "More Silly Symphonies" was released, completing the collection and allowing the cartoons to be completely available to the public.

Some Disney Blu-ray discs include Silly Symphonies as high definition special features.{{Cite web |title=Blu-ray Forum - View Single Post - List of Disney Animated Shorts on Blu-ray |url=https://forum.blu-ray.com/showpost.php?s=5511151b750cca7c4770fcc51aaea37c&p=4448831&postcount=3 |access-date=2021-02-24 |website=forum.blu-ray.com}} Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs includes six, Beauty and the Beast and Dumbo both contain two and Pixar's A Bug's Life contains one.

The Silly Symphony shorts originally aired on Turner Classic Movies' period program block "Treasures from the Disney Vault".

Some Silly Symphony shorts are viewable on Disney+.

List of films

The Silly Symphonies are listed here in production order:

class="wikitable sortable" margin:auto;"
width="30"\|# ! style="width:200px;"\|Film ! style="width:150px;"\|Original release date ! style="width:150px;"\|Director ! style="width:150px;"\|Music ! style="width:450px;" class=unsortable\|Notes ! style="width:40px;"\|Running time (minutes) ! style="width:40px;"\|Based on
1 \| {{sort\|Skeleton\|The Skeleton Dance}} \| {{dts\|1929\|8\|22}} \| rowspan="2" \| {{sort\|Disney\|Walt Disney}} \| rowspan="7" \| {{sort\|Carl\|Carl Stalling}} \| First entry in the Silly Symphony series. The soundtrack was recorded in February 1929 in New York. public domain \|5:31 \|
2 \| El Terrible Toreador \| {{dts\|1929\|9\|26}} \| The first Silly Symphony to have its soundtrack recorded in Los Angeles. public domain \|6:14 \|
3 \| Springtime \| {{dts\|1929\|10\|24}} \| rowspan="2" \| {{sort\|Iwerks\|Ub Iwerks}} \| Scenes from this film appeared in the 1961 film One Hundred and One Dalmatians. public domain \|6:14 \|
4 \| Hell's Bells \| {{dts\|1929\|11\|21}} \|public domain \|5:49 \|
5 \| {{sort\|Merry\|The Merry Dwarfs}} \| {{dts\|1929\|12\|19}} \| {{sort\|Disney\|Walt Disney}} \|public domain \|5:57 \|
6 \| Summer \| {{dts\|1930\|1\|16}} \| rowspan="2" \| {{sort\|Iwerks\|Ub Iwerks}} \| \|5:51 \|
7 \| Autumn \| {{dts\|1930\|2\|13}} \| The last Silly Symphony to be completed before Ub Iwerks and Carl Stalling left the studio. Their sudden departures caused delays in production. \|6:24 \|
8 \| Cannibal Capers \| {{dts\|1930\|3\|20}} \| {{sort\|Gillett\|Burt Gillett}} \| rowspan="9" \| {{sort\|Bert\|Bert Lewis}} \| Production on this and several other Silly Symphonies were delayed due to the sudden departures of Ub Iwerks and Carl Stalling. The version that aired on The Mickey Mouse Club was cut short at the end. The version that is on the "More Silly Symphonies" DVD includes the original ending along with the cut ending. \|6:15 (5:56 cut) \|
9 \| Night \| {{dts\|1930\|7\|31}} \| {{sort\|Disney\|Walt Disney}} \| Originally released with blue tinting.{{Cite book \|last1=Layton \|first1=James \|title=The Dawn of Technicolor 1915–1935 \|last2=Pierce \|first2=Davis \|date=February 24, 2015 \|publisher=George Eastman Museum \|isbn=978-0-935398-28-1 \|location=Rochester, New York \|page=269}} Due to production delays, this film was postponed from its original announced release date of April 10. \|6:53 \|
10 \| Frolicking Fish \| {{dts\|1930\|6\|21}} \| {{sort\|Gillett\|Burt Gillett}} \| Originally released with green tinting. It was on this film that animator Norm Ferguson discovered the "follow-thru" animation technique that allowed for characters to move more naturally. Due to production delays, this film was postponed from its original announced release date of May 8. \|6:02 \|
11 \| Arctic Antics \| {{dts\|1930\|6\|26}} \| {{sort\|Gillett\|Ub Iwerks (Possibly)}} Burt Gillett (Possibly){{Clarify\|reason=\|date=August 2020}} \| The animators' draft lists Ub Iwerks as the director, even though he left the studio before animation began. Due to production delays, this film was postponed from its original announced release date of June 5. \|7:00 \|
12 \| Midnight in a Toy Shop \| {{dts\|1930\|8\|16}} \| {{sort\|Jackson\|Wilfred Jackson}} \| Due to production delays, this film was postponed from its original announced release date of July 3. \|7:34 \|
13 \| Monkey Melodies \| {{dts\|1930\|9\|26}} \| rowspan="5" \| {{sort\|Gillett\|Burt Gillett}} \| Due to production delays, this film was postponed from its original announced release date of August 10. \|7:00 \|
14 \| Winter \| {{dts\|1930\|10\|30}} \| \|6:53 \|
15 \| Playful Pan \| {{dts\|1930\|12\|27}} \| \|6:59 \|
16 \| Birds of a Feather \| {{dts\|1931\|2\|3}} \| \|8:04 \|
17 \| Mother Goose Melodies \| {{dts\|1931\|4\|16}} \| {{sort\|Burt\|Bert Lewis}} Frank Churchill \| \|8:10 \| Mother Goose
18 \| {{sort\|china\|The China Plate}} \| {{dts\|1931\|5\|23}} \| {{sort\|Jackson\|Wilfred Jackson}} \| rowspan="7" \| {{sort\|Frank\|Frank Churchill}} \| \|7:32 \|
19 \| {{sort\|busy\|The Busy Beavers}} \| {{dts\|1931\|6\|30}} \| {{sort\|Gillett\|Burt Gillett}} \| \|7:07 \|
20 \| {{sort\|cat\|The Cat's Out}} \| {{dts\|1931\|7\|28}} \| rowspan="8" \| {{sort\|Jackson\|Wilfred Jackson}} \| The film's working title was The Cat's Out, and the current vault print features that title in its credits. However, it was copyrighted and released as The Cat's Nightmare. \|7:20 \|
21 \| Egyptian Melodies \| {{dts\|1931\|8\|27}} \| \|6:20 \|
22 \| {{sort\|clock\|The Clock Store}} \| {{dts\|1931\|9\|28}} \| \|7:12 \|
23 \| {{sort\|Spider\|The Spider and the Fly}} \| {{dts\|1931\|10\|23}} \| \|7:14 \|
24 \| {{sort\|Fox\|The Fox Hunt}} \| {{dts\|1931\|11\|20}} \| \|6:22 \|
25 \| {{sort\|Ugly31\|The Ugly Duckling}} \| {{dts\|1931\|12\|17}} \| {{sort\|Bert\|Bert Lewis}} Frank Churchill \| This short would be remade in color in 1939, also titled "The Ugly Duckling". \|7:11 \| The Ugly Duckling
26 \| {{sort\|bird\|The Bird Store}} \| {{dts\|1932\|1\|16}} \| rowspan="2" \| {{sort\|Frank\|Frank Churchill}} \| The last Silly Symphony to be distributed by Columbia Pictures. \|6:52 \|
27 \| {{sort\|bears\|The Bears and Bees}} \| {{dts\|1932\|2\|15}} \| The first Silly Symphony to be distributed by United Artists. \|6:18 \|
28 \| Just Dogs \| {{dts\|1932\|5\|16}} \| rowspan="5" \| {{sort\|Gillett\|Burt Gillett}} \| {{sort\|Bert\|Bert Lewis}} \| The first appearance of Pluto without Mickey Mouse. \|7:13 \|
29 \| Flowers and Trees \| {{dts\|1932\|7\|30}} \| {{sort\|Bert\|Bert Lewis}} Frank Churchill \| Winner of the inaugural Academy Award for Best Animated Short Film. The first film to be produced in three-strip Technicolor. \|7:49 \|
30 \| Bugs in Love \| {{dts\|1932\|10\|1}} \| rowspan="3" \| {{sort\|Bert\|Bert Lewis}} \| The last Silly Symphony to be produced in black-and-white. \|7:04 \|
31 \| King Neptune \| {{dts\|1932\|10\|15}} \| \|7:11 \|
32 \| Babes in the Woods \| {{dts\|1932\|11\|19}} \| The last Silly Symphony to be recorded with Cinephone. \|8:14 \| Hansel and Gretel
33 \| Santa's Workshop \| {{dts\|1932\|12\|10}} \| {{sort\|Jackson\|Wilfred Jackson}} \| {{sort\|Frank\|Frank Churchill}} \| The first Silly Symphony to be recorded with RCA Photophone. \|6:37 \|
34 \| Birds in the Spring \| {{dts\|1933\|3\|13}} \| {{sort\|Hand\|David Hand}} \| {{sort\|Bert\|Bert Lewis}} Frank Churchill \| \|7:32 \|
35 \| Father Noah's Ark \| {{dts\|1933\|4\|8}} \| {{sort\|Jackson\|Wilfred Jackson}} \| {{sort\|Leigh\|Leigh Harline}} \| \|8:24 \| Noah's Ark
36 \| Three Little Pigs \| {{dts\|1933\|5\|25}} \| {{sort\|Gillett\|Burt Gillett}} \| {{sort\|Frank\|Frank Churchill}} Carl Stalling \| Winner of the 1932–33 Academy Award for Best Animated Short Film. From this film came the Disney studio's first hit song, "Who's Afraid of the Big Bad Wolf?". Originally had a scene where after Practical Pigs asks "Who's there?" then cuts to the Wolf (disguised as a Jewish peddler) saying "I'm the Fuller Brush Man...I'm giving a free sample!" in a Yiddish accent. This scene was edited in 1948 and changed the Wolf's disguise along with the dialog. This is the version that's on home releases (the R2 release of "Walt Disney Treasures - Silly Symphonies" DVD includes the original animation with the altered dialogue.{{citation needed\|date=August 2022}}) \|8:41 \| Three Little Pigs
37 \| Old King Cole \| {{dts\|1933\|7\|29}} \| {{sort\|Hand\|David Hand}} \| {{sort\|Frank\|Frank Churchill}} Bert Lewis \| \|7:28 \| Old King Cole
38 \| Lullaby Land \| {{dts\|1933\|8\|19}} \| rowspan="6" \| {{sort\|Jackson\|Wilfred Jackson}} \| {{sort\|Frank\|Frank Churchill}} Leigh Harline \| \|7:22 \|
39 \| {{sort\|Pied\|The Pied Piper}} \| {{dts\|1933\|9\|16}} \| rowspan="4" \| {{sort\|Leigh\|Leigh Harline}} \| \|7:32 \| Pied Piper of Hamelin
40 \| {{sort\|Night\|The Night Before Christmas}} \| {{dts\|1933\|12\|9}} \| Was originally supposed to be released after The China Shop, but production was moved ahead in order to have it ready for a Christmastime release. As a result, both films were given each other's production numbers. \|8:27 \| A Visit from St. Nicholas
41 \| {{sort\|china\|The China Shop}} \| {{dts\|1934\|1\|13}} \| \|8:23 \|
42 \| {{sort\|Grasshopper\|The Grasshopper and the Ants}} \| {{dts\|1934\|2\|10}} \| The song featured in the film, "The World Owes Me a Living", would become a recurring theme for Goofy. Coincidentally, Pinto Colvig, the voice of Goofy, also voiced the Grasshopper in this film. \|8:24 \| The Ant and the Grasshopper
43 \| Funny Little Bunnies \| {{dts\|1934\|3\|24}} \| {{sort\|Frank\|Frank Churchill Leigh Harline}} \| Its 1950s reissue was distributed by RKO Radio Pictures. Was originally supposed to be released after The Big Bad Wolf, but production was moved ahead in order to have it ready for an Easter release. As a result, both films were given each other's production numbers. \|7:10 \|
44 \| {{sort\|big\|The Big Bad Wolf}} \| {{dts\|1934\|4\|14}} \| {{sort\|Gillett\|Burt Gillett}} \| {{sort\|Frank\|Frank Churchill}} \| A sequel to "Three Little Pigs". \|9:21 \| Little Red Riding Hood
45 \| {{sort\|Wise\|The Wise Little Hen}} \| {{dts\|1934\|5\|3}} (Carthay Circle Theatre){{Cite web \|last=Kaufman \|first=J.B. \|author-link=J.B. Kaufman \|date=June 8, 2020 \|title=When's Your Birthday? \|url=https://cartoonresearch.com/index.php/whens-your-birthday/ \|url-status=live \|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201001185624/https://cartoonresearch.com/index.php/whens-your-birthday/ \|archive-date=October 1, 2020 \|access-date=September 26, 2020 \|website=Cartoon Research}} {{dts\|1934\|6\|7}} \| {{sort\|Jackson\|Wilfred Jackson}} \| {{sort\|Leigh\|Leigh Harline}} \| The debut appearance of Donald Duck. Was originally supposed to be released after The Flying Mouse, but production was moved ahead for reasons unknown. As a result, both films were given each other's production numbers. \|7:43 \| The Little Red Hen
46 \| {{sort\|Flying\|The Flying Mouse}} \| {{dts\|1934\|7\|14}} \| {{sort\|Hand\|David Hand}} \| {{sort\|Frank\|Frank Churchill}} Bert Lewis \| \|9:17 \|
47 \| Peculiar Penguins \| {{dts\|1934\|9\|1}} \| rowspan="3" \| {{sort\|Jackson\|Wilfred Jackson}} \| rowspan="2" \| {{sort\|Leigh\|Leigh Harline}} \| \|9:21 \|
48 \| {{sort\|Goddess\|The Goddess of Spring}} \| {{dts\|1934\|11\|3}} \| \|9:48 \|
49 \| {{sort\|Tortoise\|The Tortoise and the Hare}} \| {{dts\|1935\|1\|5}} \| rowspan="3" \| {{sort\|Frank\|Frank Churchill}} \| Winner of the 1933–34 Academy Award for Best Animated Short Film. \|8:36 \|The Tortoise and the Hare
50 \| {{sort\|Golden\|The Golden Touch}} \| {{dts\|1935\|3\|22}} \| {{sort\|Disney\|Walt Disney}} \| The last film directed by Walt Disney. \|10:34 \|King Midas
51 \| {{sort\|Robber\|The Robber Kitten}} \| {{dts\|1935\|4\|20}} \| {{sort\|Hand\|David Hand}} \| Based on the book of the same name by Robert Michael Ballantyne.{{cite web\|access-date=2020-07-17 \|title=Walt Disney’s “The Robber Kitten” (1935) \|url=https://cartoonresearch.com/index.php/walt-disneys-the-robber-kitten-1935/ \|work=cartoonresearch.com}} \|7:48 \|
52 \| Water Babies \| {{dts\|1935\|5\|11}} \| {{sort\|Jackson\|Wilfred Jackson}} \| rowspan="2" \| {{sort\|Leigh\|Leigh Harline}} \| \|8:17 \| The Water-Babies
53 \| {{sort\|cookie\|The Cookie Carnival}} \| {{dts\|1935\|5\|25}} \| {{sort\|Sharpsteen\|Ben Sharpsteen}} \| This short is in the public domain, because it had an invalid copyright renewal \|8:00 \|
54 \| Who Killed Cock Robin? \| {{dts\|1935\|6\|29}} \| {{sort\|Hand\|David Hand}} \| {{sort\|Frank\|Frank Churchill}} \| Nominated for the 1935 Academy Award for Best Animated Short Film. Named one of the ten best films of 1935 by the National Board of Review. Scenes from this film appeared in the 1936 film Sabotage. \|8:30 \| Cock Robin
55 \| Music Land \| {{dts\|1935\|10\|5}} \| {{sort\|Jackson\|Wilfred Jackson}} \| {{sort\|Leigh\|Leigh Harline}} \| \|9:34 \|
56 \| Three Orphan Kittens \| {{dts\|1935\|10\|26}} \| {{sort\|Hand\|David Hand}} \| {{sort\|Frank\|Frank Churchill}} \| Winner of the 1935 Academy Award for Best Animated Short Film. \|8:55 \|
57 \| Cock o' the Walk \| {{dts\|1935\|11\|30}} \| {{sort\|Sharpsteen\|Ben Sharpsteen}} \| {{sort\|Frank\|Frank Churchill}} Albert Hay Malotte \| \|8:23 \|
58 \| Broken Toys \| {{dts\|1935\|12\|14}} \| {{sort\|Sharpsteen\|Ben Sharpsteen}} \| {{sort\|Albert\|Albert Hay Malotte}} \| Was originally intended to follow Elmer Elephant and Three Little Wolves, but production moved ahead to have the film ready for a Christmastime release. As a result, this and the latter film switched production numbers. \|7:53 \|
59 \| Elmer Elephant \| {{dts\|1936\|3\|28}} \| {{sort\|Jackson\|Wilferd Jackson}} \| {{sort\|Leigh\|Leigh Harline}} \| \|8:29 \|
60 \| Three Little Wolves \| {{dts\|1936\|4\|18}} \| {{sort\|Hand\|David Hand}} \| {{sort\|Frank\|Frank Churchill}} \| \|9:26 \| The Boy Who Cried Wolf
61 \| Toby Tortoise Returns \| {{dts\|1936\|8\|22}} \| {{sort\|Jackson\|Wilfred Jackson}} \| {{sort\|Leigh\|Leigh Harline}} \| \|7:34 \|
62 \| Three Blind Mouseketeers \| {{dts\|1936\|9\|26}} \| {{sort\|Hand\|David Hand}} \| {{sort\|Albert\|Albert Hay Malotte}} \| \|8:43 \|
63 \| {{sort\|country\|The Country Cousin}} \| {{dts\|1936\|10\|31}} \| {{sort\|Hand\|David Hand}} Wilfred Jackson \| rowspan="2" \| {{sort\|Leigh\|Leigh Harline}} \| Winner of the 1936 Academy Award for Best Animated Short Film. \|9:15 \|
64 \| Mother Pluto \| {{dts\|1936\|11\|14}} \| {{sort\|Jackson\|Wilfred Jackson}} \| Originally designated part of the Mickey Mouse series, it was reclassified as a Silly Symphony just before release, with its original production number going to Don Donald. \|8:35 \|
65 \| More Kittens \| {{dts\|1936\|12\|19}} \| {{sort\|Hand\|David Hand}} \| {{sort\|Frank\|Frank Churchill}} \| The film's production number was originally assigned to the Donald Duck short Don Donald. \|8:11 \|
66 \| Woodland Café \| {{dts\|1937\|3\|13}} \| {{sort\|Jackson\|Wilfred Jackson}} \| {{sort\|Leigh\|Leigh Harline}} \| \|7:37 \|
67 \| Little Hiawatha \| {{dts\|1937\|5\|15}} \| {{sort\|Hand\|David Hand}} \| {{sort\|Albert\|Albert Hay Malotte}} \| The last Silly Symphony to be distributed by United Artists. \|9:12 \| The Song of Hiawatha
68 \| {{sort\|Old\|The Old Mill}} \| {{dts\|1937\|11\|5}} \| {{sort\|Jackson\|Wilfred Jackson}} \| rowspan="4" \| {{sort\|Leigh\|Leigh Harline}} \| The first Silly Symphony to be distributed by RKO Radio Pictures. Winner of the 1937 Academy Award for Best Animated Short Film. First use of the multiplane camera. \|8:42 \|
69 \| Moth and the Flame \| {{dts\|1938\|4\|1}} \| {{sort\|Hand\|David Hand}} Burt Gillett Dick Heumer \| \|7:45 \|
70 \| Wynken, Blynken and Nod \| {{dts\|1938\|5\|27}} \| {{sort\|Heid\|Graham Heid}} \| \|8:20 \|Wynken, Blynken, and Nod
71 \| Farmyard Symphony \| {{dts\|1938\|10\|14}} \| {{sort\|Cutting\|Jack Cutting}} \| \|8:11 \|
72 \| Merbabies \| {{dts\|1938\|12\|9}} \| {{sort\|Ising\|Rudolf Ising}}, Vernon Stallings \| {{sort\|Scott\|Scott Bradley}} \| Production was outsourced to the Harman-Ising Studio, as part of an agreement that included the studio loaning some of its artists to Disney's to help complete Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs. \|8:37 \|
73 \| Mother Goose Goes Hollywood \| {{dts\|1938\|12\|23}} \| {{sort\|Jackson\|Wilfred Jackson}} \| {{sort\|Edward\|Edward Plumb}} \| Nominated for the 1938 Academy Award for Best Animated Short Film. The most expensive Silly Symphony produced, its negative cost totaling $69,307.87. \|7:32 \|
74 \| {{sort\|Practical\|The Practical Pig}} \| {{dts\|1939\|2\|24}} \| {{sort\|Rickard\|Duck Rickard}} \| {{sort\|Frank\|Frank Churchill}} Paul Smith \| The Silly Symphony name does not appear on the opening titles, and is instead labeled a Three Little Pigs cartoon. \|8:21 \|
75 \| {{sort\|Ugly39\|The Ugly Duckling}} \| {{dts\|1939\|4\|7}} \| {{sort\|Cutting\|Jack Cutting}} Clyde Geronimi \| {{sort\|Albert\|Albert Hay Malotte}} \| The last Silly Symphony to be distributed by RKO Radio Pictures. Winner of the 1939 Academy Award for Best Animated Short Film. Final entry in the Silly Symphony series, though some releases label it as a one-shot cartoon instead. \|8:59 \| The Ugly Duckling

class="wikitable sortable" margin:auto;"

width="30"|#

! style="width:200px;"|Film

! style="width:150px;"|Original release date

! style="width:150px;"|Director

! style="width:150px;"|Music

! style="width:450px;" class=unsortable|Notes

! style="width:40px;"|Running time (minutes)

! style="width:40px;"|Based on

| {{sort|Skeleton|The Skeleton Dance}}

| {{dts|1929|8|22}}

| rowspan="2" | {{sort|Disney|Walt Disney}}

| rowspan="7" | {{sort|Carl|Carl Stalling}}

First entry in the Silly Symphony series.
The soundtrack was recorded in February 1929 in New York.
public domain

|5:31

| El Terrible Toreador

| {{dts|1929|9|26}}

The first Silly Symphony to have its soundtrack recorded in Los Angeles.
public domain

|6:14

| Springtime

| {{dts|1929|10|24}}

| rowspan="2" | {{sort|Iwerks|Ub Iwerks}}

Scenes from this film appeared in the 1961 film One Hundred and One Dalmatians.
public domain

|6:14

| Hell's Bells

| {{dts|1929|11|21}}

|public domain

|5:49

| {{sort|Merry|The Merry Dwarfs}}

| {{dts|1929|12|19}}

| {{sort|Disney|Walt Disney}}

|public domain

|5:57

| Summer

| {{dts|1930|1|16}}

| rowspan="2" | {{sort|Iwerks|Ub Iwerks}}

|5:51

| Autumn

| {{dts|1930|2|13}}

The last Silly Symphony to be completed before Ub Iwerks and Carl Stalling left the studio. Their sudden departures caused delays in production.

|6:24

| Cannibal Capers

| {{dts|1930|3|20}}

| {{sort|Gillett|Burt Gillett}}

| rowspan="9" | {{sort|Bert|Bert Lewis}}

Production on this and several other Silly Symphonies were delayed due to the sudden departures of Ub Iwerks and Carl Stalling.
The version that aired on The Mickey Mouse Club was cut short at the end. The version that is on the "More Silly Symphonies" DVD includes the original ending along with the cut ending.

|6:15 (5:56 cut)

| Night

| {{dts|1930|7|31}}

| {{sort|Disney|Walt Disney}}

Originally released with blue tinting.{{Cite book |last1=Layton |first1=James |title=The Dawn of Technicolor 1915–1935 |last2=Pierce |first2=Davis |date=February 24, 2015 |publisher=George Eastman Museum |isbn=978-0-935398-28-1 |location=Rochester, New York |page=269}}
Due to production delays, this film was postponed from its original announced release date of April 10.

|6:53

| Frolicking Fish

| {{dts|1930|6|21}}

| {{sort|Gillett|Burt Gillett}}

Originally released with green tinting.
It was on this film that animator Norm Ferguson discovered the "follow-thru" animation technique that allowed for characters to move more naturally.
Due to production delays, this film was postponed from its original announced release date of May 8.

|6:02

| Arctic Antics

| {{dts|1930|6|26}}

| {{sort|Gillett|Ub Iwerks (Possibly)}}
Burt Gillett (Possibly){{Clarify|reason=|date=August 2020}}

The animators' draft lists Ub Iwerks as the director, even though he left the studio before animation began.
Due to production delays, this film was postponed from its original announced release date of June 5.

|7:00

| Midnight in a Toy Shop

| {{dts|1930|8|16}}

| {{sort|Jackson|Wilfred Jackson}}

Due to production delays, this film was postponed from its original announced release date of July 3.

|7:34

| Monkey Melodies

| {{dts|1930|9|26}}

| rowspan="5" | {{sort|Gillett|Burt Gillett}}

Due to production delays, this film was postponed from its original announced release date of August 10.

|7:00

| Winter

| {{dts|1930|10|30}}

|6:53

| Playful Pan

| {{dts|1930|12|27}}

|6:59

| Birds of a Feather

| {{dts|1931|2|3}}

|8:04

| Mother Goose Melodies

| {{dts|1931|4|16}}

| {{sort|Burt|Bert Lewis}}
Frank Churchill

|8:10

| Mother Goose

| {{sort|china|The China Plate}}

| {{dts|1931|5|23}}

| {{sort|Jackson|Wilfred Jackson}}

| rowspan="7" | {{sort|Frank|Frank Churchill}}

|7:32

| {{sort|busy|The Busy Beavers}}

| {{dts|1931|6|30}}

| {{sort|Gillett|Burt Gillett}}

|7:07

| {{sort|cat|The Cat's Out}}

| {{dts|1931|7|28}}

| rowspan="8" | {{sort|Jackson|Wilfred Jackson}}

The film's working title was The Cat's Out, and the current vault print features that title in its credits. However, it was copyrighted and released as The Cat's Nightmare.

|7:20

| Egyptian Melodies

| {{dts|1931|8|27}}

|6:20

| {{sort|clock|The Clock Store}}

| {{dts|1931|9|28}}

|7:12

| {{sort|Spider|The Spider and the Fly}}

| {{dts|1931|10|23}}

|7:14

| {{sort|Fox|The Fox Hunt}}

| {{dts|1931|11|20}}

|6:22

| {{sort|Ugly31|The Ugly Duckling}}

| {{dts|1931|12|17}}

| {{sort|Bert|Bert Lewis}}
Frank Churchill

This short would be remade in color in 1939, also titled "The Ugly Duckling".

|7:11

| The Ugly Duckling

| {{sort|bird|The Bird Store}}

| {{dts|1932|1|16}}

| rowspan="2" | {{sort|Frank|Frank Churchill}}

The last Silly Symphony to be distributed by Columbia Pictures.

|6:52

| {{sort|bears|The Bears and Bees}}

| {{dts|1932|2|15}}

The first Silly Symphony to be distributed by United Artists.

|6:18

| Just Dogs

| {{dts|1932|5|16}}

| rowspan="5" | {{sort|Gillett|Burt Gillett}}

| {{sort|Bert|Bert Lewis}}

The first appearance of Pluto without Mickey Mouse.

|7:13

| Flowers and Trees

| {{dts|1932|7|30}}

| {{sort|Bert|Bert Lewis}}
Frank Churchill

Winner of the inaugural Academy Award for Best Animated Short Film.
The first film to be produced in three-strip Technicolor.

|7:49

| Bugs in Love

| {{dts|1932|10|1}}

| rowspan="3" | {{sort|Bert|Bert Lewis}}

The last Silly Symphony to be produced in black-and-white.

|7:04

| King Neptune

| {{dts|1932|10|15}}

|7:11

| Babes in the Woods

| {{dts|1932|11|19}}

The last Silly Symphony to be recorded with Cinephone.

|8:14

| Hansel and Gretel

| Santa's Workshop

| {{dts|1932|12|10}}

| {{sort|Jackson|Wilfred Jackson}}

| {{sort|Frank|Frank Churchill}}

The first Silly Symphony to be recorded with RCA Photophone.

|6:37

| Birds in the Spring

| {{dts|1933|3|13}}

| {{sort|Hand|David Hand}}

| {{sort|Bert|Bert Lewis}}
Frank Churchill

|7:32

| Father Noah's Ark

| {{dts|1933|4|8}}

| {{sort|Jackson|Wilfred Jackson}}

| {{sort|Leigh|Leigh Harline}}

|8:24

| Noah's Ark

| Three Little Pigs

| {{dts|1933|5|25}}

| {{sort|Gillett|Burt Gillett}}

| {{sort|Frank|Frank Churchill}}
Carl Stalling

Winner of the 1932–33 Academy Award for Best Animated Short Film.
From this film came the Disney studio's first hit song, "Who's Afraid of the Big Bad Wolf?".
Originally had a scene where after Practical Pigs asks "Who's there?" then cuts to the Wolf (disguised as a Jewish peddler) saying "I'm the Fuller Brush Man...I'm giving a free sample!" in a Yiddish accent. This scene was edited in 1948 and changed the Wolf's disguise along with the dialog. This is the version that's on home releases (the R2 release of "Walt Disney Treasures - Silly Symphonies" DVD includes the original animation with the altered dialogue.{{citation needed|date=August 2022}})

|8:41

| Three Little Pigs

| Old King Cole

| {{dts|1933|7|29}}

| {{sort|Hand|David Hand}}

| {{sort|Frank|Frank Churchill}}
Bert Lewis

|7:28

| Old King Cole

| Lullaby Land

| {{dts|1933|8|19}}

| rowspan="6" | {{sort|Jackson|Wilfred Jackson}}

| {{sort|Frank|Frank Churchill}}
Leigh Harline

|7:22

| {{sort|Pied|The Pied Piper}}

| {{dts|1933|9|16}}

| rowspan="4" | {{sort|Leigh|Leigh Harline}}

|7:32

| Pied Piper of Hamelin

| {{sort|Night|The Night Before Christmas}}

| {{dts|1933|12|9}}

Was originally supposed to be released after The China Shop, but production was moved ahead in order to have it ready for a Christmastime release. As a result, both films were given each other's production numbers.

|8:27

| A Visit from St. Nicholas

| {{sort|china|The China Shop}}

| {{dts|1934|1|13}}

|8:23

| {{sort|Grasshopper|The Grasshopper and the Ants}}

| {{dts|1934|2|10}}

The song featured in the film, "The World Owes Me a Living", would become a recurring theme for Goofy. Coincidentally, Pinto Colvig, the voice of Goofy, also voiced the Grasshopper in this film.

|8:24

| The Ant and the Grasshopper

| Funny Little Bunnies

| {{dts|1934|3|24}}

| {{sort|Frank|Frank Churchill
Leigh Harline}}

Its 1950s reissue was distributed by RKO Radio Pictures.
Was originally supposed to be released after The Big Bad Wolf, but production was moved ahead in order to have it ready for an Easter release. As a result, both films were given each other's production numbers.

|7:10

| {{sort|big|The Big Bad Wolf}}

| {{dts|1934|4|14}}

| {{sort|Gillett|Burt Gillett}}

| {{sort|Frank|Frank Churchill}}

A sequel to "Three Little Pigs".

|9:21

| Little Red Riding Hood

| {{sort|Wise|The Wise Little Hen}}

| {{dts|1934|5|3}} (Carthay Circle Theatre){{Cite web |last=Kaufman |first=J.B. |author-link=J.B. Kaufman |date=June 8, 2020 |title=When's Your Birthday? |url=https://cartoonresearch.com/index.php/whens-your-birthday/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201001185624/https://cartoonresearch.com/index.php/whens-your-birthday/ |archive-date=October 1, 2020 |access-date=September 26, 2020 |website=Cartoon Research}}
{{dts|1934|6|7}}

| {{sort|Jackson|Wilfred Jackson}}

| {{sort|Leigh|Leigh Harline}}

The debut appearance of Donald Duck.
Was originally supposed to be released after The Flying Mouse, but production was moved ahead for reasons unknown. As a result, both films were given each other's production numbers.

|7:43

| The Little Red Hen

| {{sort|Flying|The Flying Mouse}}

| {{dts|1934|7|14}}

| {{sort|Hand|David Hand}}

| {{sort|Frank|Frank Churchill}}
Bert Lewis

|9:17

| Peculiar Penguins

| {{dts|1934|9|1}}

| rowspan="3" | {{sort|Jackson|Wilfred Jackson}}

| rowspan="2" | {{sort|Leigh|Leigh Harline}}

|9:21

| {{sort|Goddess|The Goddess of Spring}}

| {{dts|1934|11|3}}

|9:48

| {{sort|Tortoise|The Tortoise and the Hare}}

| {{dts|1935|1|5}}

| rowspan="3" | {{sort|Frank|Frank Churchill}}

Winner of the 1933–34 Academy Award for Best Animated Short Film.

|8:36

|The Tortoise and the Hare

| {{sort|Golden|The Golden Touch}}

| {{dts|1935|3|22}}

| {{sort|Disney|Walt Disney}}

The last film directed by Walt Disney.

|10:34

|King Midas

| {{sort|Robber|The Robber Kitten}}

| {{dts|1935|4|20}}

| {{sort|Hand|David Hand}}

Based on the book of the same name by Robert Michael Ballantyne.{{cite web|access-date=2020-07-17 |title=Walt Disney’s “The Robber Kitten” (1935) |url=https://cartoonresearch.com/index.php/walt-disneys-the-robber-kitten-1935/ |work=cartoonresearch.com}}

|7:48

| Water Babies

| {{dts|1935|5|11}}

| {{sort|Jackson|Wilfred Jackson}}

| rowspan="2" | {{sort|Leigh|Leigh Harline}}

|8:17

| The Water-Babies

| {{sort|cookie|The Cookie Carnival}}

| {{dts|1935|5|25}}

| {{sort|Sharpsteen|Ben Sharpsteen}}

This short is in the public domain, because it had an invalid copyright renewal

|8:00

| Who Killed Cock Robin?

| {{dts|1935|6|29}}

| {{sort|Hand|David Hand}}

| {{sort|Frank|Frank Churchill}}

Nominated for the 1935 Academy Award for Best Animated Short Film.
Named one of the ten best films of 1935 by the National Board of Review.
Scenes from this film appeared in the 1936 film Sabotage.

|8:30

| Cock Robin

| Music Land

| {{dts|1935|10|5}}

| {{sort|Jackson|Wilfred Jackson}}

| {{sort|Leigh|Leigh Harline}}

|9:34

| Three Orphan Kittens

| {{dts|1935|10|26}}

| {{sort|Hand|David Hand}}

| {{sort|Frank|Frank Churchill}}

Winner of the 1935 Academy Award for Best Animated Short Film.

|8:55

| Cock o' the Walk

| {{dts|1935|11|30}}

| {{sort|Sharpsteen|Ben Sharpsteen}}

| {{sort|Frank|Frank Churchill}}
Albert Hay Malotte

|8:23

| Broken Toys

| {{dts|1935|12|14}}

| {{sort|Sharpsteen|Ben Sharpsteen}}

| {{sort|Albert|Albert Hay Malotte}}

Was originally intended to follow Elmer Elephant and Three Little Wolves, but production moved ahead to have the film ready for a Christmastime release. As a result, this and the latter film switched production numbers.

|7:53

| Elmer Elephant

| {{dts|1936|3|28}}

| {{sort|Jackson|Wilferd Jackson}}

| {{sort|Leigh|Leigh Harline}}

|8:29

| Three Little Wolves

| {{dts|1936|4|18}}

| {{sort|Hand|David Hand}}

| {{sort|Frank|Frank Churchill}}

|9:26

| The Boy Who Cried Wolf

| Toby Tortoise Returns

| {{dts|1936|8|22}}

| {{sort|Jackson|Wilfred Jackson}}

| {{sort|Leigh|Leigh Harline}}

|7:34

| Three Blind Mouseketeers

| {{dts|1936|9|26}}

| {{sort|Hand|David Hand}}

| {{sort|Albert|Albert Hay Malotte}}

|8:43

| {{sort|country|The Country Cousin}}

| {{dts|1936|10|31}}

| {{sort|Hand|David Hand}}
Wilfred Jackson

| rowspan="2" | {{sort|Leigh|Leigh Harline}}

Winner of the 1936 Academy Award for Best Animated Short Film.

|9:15

| Mother Pluto

| {{dts|1936|11|14}}

| {{sort|Jackson|Wilfred Jackson}}

Originally designated part of the Mickey Mouse series, it was reclassified as a Silly Symphony just before release, with its original production number going to Don Donald.

|8:35

| More Kittens

| {{dts|1936|12|19}}

| {{sort|Hand|David Hand}}

| {{sort|Frank|Frank Churchill}}

The film's production number was originally assigned to the Donald Duck short Don Donald.

|8:11

| Woodland Café

| {{dts|1937|3|13}}

| {{sort|Jackson|Wilfred Jackson}}

| {{sort|Leigh|Leigh Harline}}

|7:37

| Little Hiawatha

| {{dts|1937|5|15}}

| {{sort|Hand|David Hand}}

| {{sort|Albert|Albert Hay Malotte}}

The last Silly Symphony to be distributed by United Artists.

|9:12

| The Song of Hiawatha

| {{sort|Old|The Old Mill}}

| {{dts|1937|11|5}}

| {{sort|Jackson|Wilfred Jackson}}

| rowspan="4" | {{sort|Leigh|Leigh Harline}}

The first Silly Symphony to be distributed by RKO Radio Pictures.
Winner of the 1937 Academy Award for Best Animated Short Film.
First use of the multiplane camera.

|8:42

| Moth and the Flame

| {{dts|1938|4|1}}

| {{sort|Hand|David Hand}}
Burt Gillett
Dick Heumer

|7:45

| Wynken, Blynken and Nod

| {{dts|1938|5|27}}

| {{sort|Heid|Graham Heid}}

|8:20

|Wynken, Blynken, and Nod

| Farmyard Symphony

| {{dts|1938|10|14}}

| {{sort|Cutting|Jack Cutting}}

|8:11

| Merbabies

| {{dts|1938|12|9}}

| {{sort|Ising|Rudolf Ising}}, Vernon Stallings

| {{sort|Scott|Scott Bradley}}

Production was outsourced to the Harman-Ising Studio, as part of an agreement that included the studio loaning some of its artists to Disney's to help complete Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs.

|8:37

| Mother Goose Goes Hollywood

| {{dts|1938|12|23}}

| {{sort|Jackson|Wilfred Jackson}}

| {{sort|Edward|Edward Plumb}}

Nominated for the 1938 Academy Award for Best Animated Short Film.
The most expensive Silly Symphony produced, its negative cost totaling $69,307.87.

|7:32

| {{sort|Practical|The Practical Pig}}

| {{dts|1939|2|24}}

| {{sort|Rickard|Duck Rickard}}

| {{sort|Frank|Frank Churchill}}
Paul Smith

The Silly Symphony name does not appear on the opening titles, and is instead labeled a Three Little Pigs cartoon.

|8:21

| {{sort|Ugly39|The Ugly Duckling}}

| {{dts|1939|4|7}}

| {{sort|Cutting|Jack Cutting}}
Clyde Geronimi

| {{sort|Albert|Albert Hay Malotte}}

The last Silly Symphony to be distributed by RKO Radio Pictures.
Winner of the 1939 Academy Award for Best Animated Short Film.
Final entry in the Silly Symphony series, though some releases label it as a one-shot cartoon instead.

|8:59

| The Ugly Duckling

Reception

Disney's experiments were widely praised within the film industry, and the Silly Symphonies won the Academy Award for Best Animated Short Film seven times, maintaining a six-year-hold on the category after it was first introduced. This record was matched only by MGM's Tom and Jerry series during the 1940s and 1950s.

Legacy

The Symphonies changed the course of Disney studio history when Walt's plans to direct his first feature cartoon became problematic after his warm-up to the task The Golden Touch was widely seen (even by Disney himself) as stiff and slowly paced. This motivated him to embrace his role as being the producer and providing creative oversight (especially of the story) for Snow White while tasking David Hand to handle the actual directing.Walt Disney: The Animated Man by Michael Barrier

Silly Symphonies brought along many imitators, including Warner Bros. cartoon series Looney Tunes and Merrie Melodies, MGM's Happy Harmonies, and later, Universal's Swing Symphony.

Years later after the Silly Symphonies ended, Disney occasionally produced a handful of one-shot cartoons, playing the same style as the Silly Symphony series. Unlike the Silly Symphonies canon, most of these "Specials" have a narration, usually by Disney legend Sterling Holloway.

In the 1934 MGM film Hollywood Party, Mickey Mouse appears with Jimmy Durante, where they introduce The Hot Choc-late Soldiers.{{cite web | url=https://d23.com/a-to-z/hot-choc-late-soldiers-the-film/ | title=Hot Choc-late Soldiers, the (Film) }}

The 1999–2000 television series Mickey Mouse Works used the Silly Symphonies title for some of its new cartoons, but unlike the original cartoons, these did feature continuing characters.

As of 2021, three of the Silly Symphony shorts (Three Little Pigs, The Old Mill, and Flowers and Trees), have been selected for preservation in the United States National Film Registry by the Library of Congress, for being "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant".{{Cite press release |title=Librarian of Congress Announces 2007 Film Registry |date=December 27, 2007 |publisher=Library of Congress |url=https://www.loc.gov/today/pr/2007/07-254.html |access-date=December 21, 2021 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140722103847/http://www.loc.gov/today/pr/2007/07-254.html |archive-date=July 22, 2014}}{{Cite web |last=Morgan, David |date=December 16, 2015 |title="Shawshank Redemption", "Ghostbusters" added to National Film Registry |url=http://www.cbsnews.com/news/shawshank-redemption-ghostbusters-added-to-national-film-registry-2/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190514233019/https://www.cbsnews.com/news/shawshank-redemption-ghostbusters-added-to-national-film-registry-2/ |archive-date=May 14, 2019 |access-date=December 21, 2021 |publisher=CBS News}}{{Cite web |last=Hinckle |first=Jessica |date=December 21, 2021 |title=2021 National Film Registry Selections Reflect Diversity & Challenge Stereotypes |url=https://www.comingsoon.net/movies/features/1205446-2021-national-film-registry-selections-reflect-diversity-challenge-stereotypes |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211221213522/https://www.comingsoon.net/movies/features/1205446-2021-national-film-registry-selections-reflect-diversity-challenge-stereotypes |archive-date=December 21, 2021 |access-date=December 21, 2021 |website=ComingSoon.net}}

Comic adaptations

A Sunday Silly Symphony comic strip ran in newspapers from January 10, 1932, to July 12, 1942.{{Cite book |last=Holtz |first=Allan |title=American Newspaper Comics: An Encyclopedic Reference Guide |date=2012 |publisher=The University of Michigan Press |isbn=9780472117567 |location=Ann Arbor |page=351}} The strip featured adaptations of some of the Silly Symphony cartoons, including Birds of a Feather, The Robber Kitten, Elmer Elephant, Farmyard Symphony and Little Hiawatha. This strip began with a two-year sequence about Bucky Bug, a character based on the bugs in Bugs in Love.

There was also an occasional Silly Symphonies comic book, with nine issues published by Dell Comics from September 1952 to February 1959.{{Cite web |title=Silly Symphonies - Inducks |url=https://inducks.org/publication.php?c=us%2FSS |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200610155716/https://inducks.org/publication.php?c=us%2FSS |archive-date=10 June 2020 |access-date=14 July 2019 |website=Inducks}} The first issue of this anthology comic featured adaptations of some Silly Symphony cartoons, including The Grasshopper and the Ants, Three Little Pigs, The Goddess of Spring and Mother Pluto, but it also included non-Symphony cartoons like Mickey Mouse's Brave Little Tailor.{{Cite web |title=Silly Symphonies #1 - Inducks |url=https://inducks.org/issue.php?c=us%2FSS++++1 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210509235412/https://inducks.org/issue.php?c=us%2FSS++++1 |archive-date=9 May 2021 |access-date=14 July 2019 |website=Inducks}} By the third issue, there was almost no Symphony-related material in the book; the stories and activities were mostly based on other Disney shorts and feature films.

References

External links

{{Toonopedia|sillysym.htm}}
[https://web.archive.org/web/20070222171110/http://www.disneyshorts.org/miscellaneous/silly.html Silly Symphonies] at [http://www.disneyshorts.org The Encyclopedia of Disney Animated Shorts]
{{Inducks character|SS}}

Category:Film series introduced in 1929

Category:1920s Disney animated short films

Category:1930s Disney animated short films

Category:Animated short film series

Category:Visual music

Category:American animation anthology series

Category:Films scored by Carl Stalling

Category:Silliness

Category:Walt Disney Studios (division) franchises