History WesternAnimation / SillySymphonies

* EverybodyHatesHades: In a feat that would be echoed [[Disney/{{Hercules}} 63 years later by Disney]], "[[HijackedByJesus The Goddess of Spring]]" [[{{Flanderization}} flanderizes]] Pluto (the Roman god of the underworld, not Mickey's dog) from a merely fearsome but noble being into an ersatz for {{Satan}}, although despite this [[PetTheDog he's still noble enough to let her to leave for half the year when he sees her misery.]]

* The Goddess of Spring: November 3, 1934, Wilfred Jackson: Featuring Persephone and a version of her uncle/husband Hades/Pluto, identified here with Satan. The Disney animators' first attempt to create visually realistic human characters, although the short was considered a flop.

On December 3, 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.

* OstrichHeadHiding: In ''The China Shop'', an ostrich figurine sticks its head into the base it is standing on when the Satyr starts throwing dishes. Its exposed legs and neck are promptly sliced through by a plate and it reassembles into a shorter bird

* Disney/TheOldMill: November 5, 1937, Wilfred Jackson: Disney's first use of the Multiplane Camera and the first Silly Symphony distributed by Creator/RKORadioPictures. Won the 1937 Academy Award for Best Animated Short Film.

%%** In "WesternAnimation/BimbosInitiation", Bimbo gets trapped beneath a heavy, spiked weight, hanging from a single rope, with a lit candle threatening to burn it. Bimbo tries to blow out the candle, but the flame sprouts legs, jumps onto the rope, and does a little dance there before burning through it.%%"Bimbo's Initiation" is a Fleischer cartoon.

* GettingCrapPastTheRadar: This gem from "Toby Tortoise Returns", when Toby is knocked out of the ring and falls onto Jenny Wren's lap and needs some, er, encouragement:
-->''"I like a man that takes his time."''
** In "Santa's Workshop", in the first minute or two, if you look in the background, you can see er...[[UnusualEuphemism reindeer chocolate]] being scooped out of one of the stalls.
** In the 1939 version of "WesternAnimation/TheUglyDuckling", after the titular character hatches; the father duck looks to the normal-looking ducklings, then angrily back to the ugly one before engaging the Mother Duck in a heated argument that culminates with her slapping him and the Father Duck storming off in anger. Although the two of them are quacking rather than speaking, their gestures and tone of voice indicate that the Father Duck is claiming that the Ugly Duckling couldn't possibly be his and that the only reason the Ugly Duckling looks so different from the others was if the Mother Duck was having an extra-marital affair.

** In "WesternAnimation/BimbosInitiation", Bimbo gets trapped beneath a heavy, spiked weight, hanging from a single rope, with a lit candle threatening to burn it. Bimbo tries to blow out the candle, but the flame sprouts legs, jumps onto the rope, and does a little dance there before burning through it.

* Who Killed Cock Robin?: June 26, 1935, David Hand: Includes caricatures of Mae West (Jenny Wren), Bing Crosby (Cock Robin), Harpo Marx (the cuckoo, appropriately), and Stepin Fetchit (the blackbird). Named by the National Board of Review as one of the ten best films of the year. Academy award nominee.

''Silly Symphonies'' was a hugely popular and influential series of [[WesternAnimation/ClassicDisneyShorts Disney short subjects]] from UsefulNotes/TheGoldenAgeOfAnimation, generally themed around music and lushly animated fairy tales. They were a very important part of Disney's history, pioneering many of their animation techniques, as well as giving animators preparation for work in the feature-length animated films that the studio would later become famous for. The series would have a massive impact on the animation industry, inspiring many imitators, some of which would later evolve into future competitors for Disney, such as the WesternAnimation/LooneyTunes and [[WesternAnimation/LooneyTunes Merrie Melodies]] franchise. It also won seven Oscars, a record matched only by WesternAnimation/TomAndJerry.

''Silly Symphonies'' was a hugely popular and influential series of [[WesternAnimation/ClassicDisneyShorts Disney short subjects]] from UsefulNotes/TheGoldenAgeOfAnimation, generally themed around music and lushly animated fairy tales. They were a very important part of Disney's history, pioneering many of their animation techniques, as well as giving animators preparation for work in the feature length animated films that the studio would later become famous for. The series would have a massive impact on the animation industry, inspiring many imitators, some of which would later evolve into future competitors for Disney, such as the WesternAnimation/LooneyTunes and [[WesternAnimation/LooneyTunes Merrie Melodies]] franchise. It also won seven Oscars, a record matched only by WesternAnimation/TomAndJerry.

* Disney/TheTortoiseAndTheHare: January 5, 1935, Wilfred Jackson: Featuring Max Hare and Toby Tortoise. Won the 1935 UsefulNotes/AcademyAward for Best Animated Short Film.

* WesternAnimation/TobyTortoiseReturns: August 22, 1936, Wilfred Jackson: Featuring Max Hare and Toby Tortoise. It is a sequel to The Tortoise and the Hare. It's also one of Disney's most cartoony short subjects, doing [[ZanyCartoon zany antics]] way earlier than in the WesternAnimation/LooneyTunes shorts that would make this style of cartoon famous.

[[/index]]

* Father Noah's Ark: April 8, 1933, Wilfred Jackson: The "building the ark" music is an adaptation of Beethoven's Contradanse in C Major, WoO 14 No. 1.

* WesternAnimation/WhoKilledCockRobin: June 26, 1935, David Hand: Includes caricatures of Mae West (Jenny Wren), Bing Crosby (Cock Robin), Harpo Marx (the cuckoo, appropriately), and Stepin Fetchit (the blackbird). Named by the National Board of Review as one of the ten best films of the year. Academy award nominee.

* TheSpiderAndTheFly: October 16, 1931, Wilfred Jackson

* The Wise Little Hen: June 9, 1934, Wilfred Jackson: Featuring the debut of DonaldDuck.
* TheFlyingMouse: July 14, 1934, David Hand

* TheRobberKitten: April 13, 1935, David Hand: According to "Hollywood Cartoons", the short was considered a failure when released.

* WesternAnimation/ElmerElephant: March 28, 1936, Wilfred Jackson

* MidnightInAToyShop: July 3, 1930, Wilfred Jackson