classicsoncall It occurred to me reading the other reviews for this cartoon short that it probably wasn't made with twenty first century critics in mind, but for youngsters of the 1930's during which it was made. Most of the comments come down on the negative side, and that's OK I guess when comparing this one to the other Silly Symphonies of it's time, but I don't think the criticism needs to be too harsh. The cartoon uses a rapid fire delivery to treat viewers to a whole host of familiar story book characters like The Pied Piper, Little Boy Blue, Old Mother Hubbard, Humpty Dumpty, the Three Blind Mice, and the Ten Little Indians. Old King Cole brings all the characters together at his Annual Jamboree in Story Land, and for young kids, this has got to be a veritable treat. For us older viewers it calls to mind some of those characters that have long faded from memory like Jack Sprat and Mary, Mary, you know, the contrary one. It's only seven minutes long, so if any of it goes by too quickly, it's easy enough to take a second look.

Robert Reynolds This is an early color short in the Silly Symphonies series produced by the Disney studio. There will be mild spoilers ahead:It's hard to spoil this short because it's the blandest Disney short I can recall seeing. The basic premise is simple. That may be a large part of the problem with this one.Old King Cole is throwing a party and has invited all the characters in Storybookland to come. That's about it. You see various books open and have buildings pop up relevant to whatever fairy tale it relates to and the visuals are nice, but they can't really compensate for the lackluster music and boring characters.The short is like cotton candy. It's very nice looking and might briefly seem sweet, but in reality, it's just so much air Pretty much every fairy tail character has a brief moment in the spotlight, but nothing is developed to any degree. The Three Blind Mice and Hickory, Dickory, Dock are the only ones which are even halfway memorable.This short is available on the Disney Treasures More Silly Symphonies DVD set. The set is worth having but this short is for die-hard Disney fans who want to see everything.

Neil Doyle 1933 really marked the beginning of Walt Disney's cartoon kingdom and a ten-year period during which all of the elements that went into the making of his great feature-length cartoons could be seen in transition as the artists developed their talent for bringing instantly recognizable characters to life, with music and art.OLD KING COLE is a merry old start for Disney. A storybook opens as trumpeters announce the arrival of The Pied Piper, Little Boy Blue, Mother Hubbard, The Old Lady Who Lived in a Shoe, all on their way to King Cole's Happy New Year celebration at the castle. The figures all appear as pop-ups in a storybook, a device used so many other times by Disney and other cartoon makers.Jack Pratt, Peter Peter, Pumpkin Eater, Humpty Dumpty, Three Blind Mice, Ten Little Indians, all are part of the party celebrations, dancing in style to some nimble tunes and all sorts of party celebrants. The frenzied finale has the merry Cole joining The Ten Little Indians in a wild dance and then joining the other revelers for more of the same.Enjoyable look at how the early animators began their training ground and what the Silly Symphonies were all about.

Ron Oliver A Walt Disney SILLY SYMPHONY Cartoon Short.An invitation is sent by OLD KING COLE to a party at his royal castle. The storybooks open and soon the denizens from many a Nursery Rhyme & Fairy Tale are hurrying to attend. The Three Little Kittens, Humpty Dumpty, & Goosey Gander are among those that entertain the crowd, but when the Ten Little Indian Boys start to dance things really get raucous. Joined first by the King, and then by the audience, wild reveling extends right up to midnight, when all of the guests scurry home.This is a pleasant little film, which allows the quick-eyed viewer the chance to play 'Name That Character'.The SILLY SYMPHONIES, which Walt Disney produced for a ten year period beginning in 1929, are among the most interesting of series in the field of animation. Unlike the Mickey Mouse cartoons in which action was paramount, with the Symphonies the action was made to fit the music. There was little plot in the early Symphonies, which featured lively inanimate objects and anthropomorphic plants & animals, all moving frantically to the soundtrack. Gradually, however, the Symphonies became the school where Walt's animators learned to work with color and began to experiment with plot, characterization & photographic special effects. The pages of Fable & Fairy Tale, Myth & Mother Goose were all mined to provide story lines and even Hollywood's musicals & celebrities were effectively spoofed. It was from this rich soil that Disney's feature-length animation was to spring. In 1939, with SNOW WHITE successfully behind him and PINOCCHIO & FANTASIA on the near horizon, Walt phased out the SILLY SYMPHONIES; they had run their course & served their purpose.