History YMMV / SillySymphonies

* UncannyValley:
** "Goddess of Spring" was made to see if the animators could handle a realistic human character. When Persephone makes her entrance, dancing like she was made of rubber, it's made clear that they still weren't ready.
** The moon's face at the end of "Santa's Workshop". Doesn't help that the IrisOut closes right over the creepy smile.

** The Disneyfied ending to The Ants and the Grasshopper is sweet all the time. When the Ants see the Grasshopper starved and frozen at their door, they immediately break from their feast and nurture him back to health. The Queen reminds him only those who work may stay....so he can play for him. Cue a happy dance ending.

** In the ending to "Birds in the Spring", the baby bird who wandered off gets [[AbusiveParents spanked soundly by his mother]], which, in a subversion, was considered questionable by some even back then.

* EnsembleDarkhorse: WesternAnimation/DonaldDuck. Not only his distinct voice singled him out for stardom, but he is one of the most recognized Disney characters of all time.

* EsotericHappyEnding: "The Pied Piper" has the children taken away from their parents to live happily, FOREVER.
** Then again, their parents were jerkasses who made them work all the time and the children probably would have grown up to be as bad as them.

* {{Sequelitis}}: "WesternAnimation/TheThreeLittlePigs" inspired three continuations, but no one reached the popularity levels accomplished by the original. Walt's quote on the matter opens the trope's page.

** "Birds in the Spring'': The python trying to eat the baby bird.

* HilariousInHindsight: "The Cookie Carnival" features a poor girl in rags being transformed into a queen with a beautiful dress, 15 years before Disney would adapt ''{{Disney/Cinderella}}'' to feature film.

* SugarWiki/HeartwarmingMoments: The Ugly Duckling in the 1939 version of [[WesternAnimation/TheUglyDuckling1939 The Ugly Duckling]], after being put through some misery for the few minutes in the film, is found by a family of baby Swans and their mother. The mother even hugs him when they accept him.

* TheWoobie: The cookie girl in "The Cookie Carnival", who can't be in the parade because she doesn't have any pretty clothes to wear, starts out as this.

** The former of "The Grasshopper and the Ants" is a cocksure LazyBum, but when winter kicks in and he is left cold and starved and begging for help as a result of his irresponsible behaviour, you have to feel sorry for him. Being a Disney adaptation of course, [[ThrowTheDogABone the ants take pity and the Grasshopper survives to learn his lesson]].
* SugarWiki/MomentOfAwesome: The second half of "Babes in the Wood". To save Hansel and Gretel from the witch, the elves pull off a flawless attack plan with arrows, pumpkins, trip wires, and pies, while the two kids easily free themselves ''and'' the other children. A vine lasso thrown by one of the elves knocks the witch off her broom, and the children get the cauldron with the [[TakenForGranite stone-potion]] and pull it outside, and she falls right into it, putting an end to her crimes -- forever. Brilliant.

** The witch in "Babes in the Wood" has a potion that can turn living things to stone. ''What is it made of?!'', she also lures children into her house so she can use a potion to turn them into ugly animals.
** "WesternAnimation/TheSkeletonDance . The entire short is creepy, but especially the two shots where the skeleton jumps at the camera and seems to devour it.
** "Birds in the Spring": The python trying to eat the baby bird.
** Hell's Bells: A 1929 cartoon about Hell. In the opening scenes a big fat spider with teeth swings back and forth and snaps at the viewer. Still pretty creepy...
** ''WesternAnimation/TheThreeLittlePigs'': The Big Bad Wolf. In his 1st movie, his single desire is to eat the pigs, and he has an awesome EvilLaugh. In his 2nd movie, he tries to eat Literature/LittleRedRidingHood. And in his 3rd movie, he's training his kids to eat the pigs to [[VillainSong a song about]] [[SugarWiki/AwesomeMusic what you can cook pigs into.]] Too bad his kids were {{Retcon}}ned into Lil Wolf. In the 4th movie the Wolf came ''[[LikeYouWouldReallyDoIt this close]]'' to eating the pigs, [[LetsMeetTheMeat having them tied down with apples in their mouths and everything]].

** The Stepin Fetchit-inspired bird in ''Who Killed Cock Robin?''

* TheWoobie: The cookie girl in "The Cookie Carnival", who can't be in the parade because she doesn't have any pretty clothes to wear.

** The multiplane shots on "Disney/TheOldMill".

* EarWorm: ALL of the musical numbers from "WesternAnimation/TheCookieCarnival", especially the parade song.
** How about "Hi-De-Hades", arguably the highlight number of "The Goddess of Spring".

** ''WesternAnimation/TheThreeLittlePigs'': The Big Bad Wolf. In his 1st movie, his single desire is to eat the pigs, and he has an awesome EvilLaugh. In his 2nd movie, he tries to eat Literature/LittleRedRidingHood. And in his 3rd movie, he's training his kids to eat the pigs to [[VillainSong a song about]] [[SugarWiki/AwesomeMusic what you can cook pigs into.]] Too bad his kids were {{Retcon}}ned into Lil Wolf. In the 3rd movie the Wolf came ''[[LikeYouWouldReallyDoIt this close]]'' to eating the pigs, [[LetsMeetTheMeat having them tied down with apples in their mouths and everything]].

* SugarWiki/HeartwarmingMoments: The Ugly Duckling in the 1939 version of Literature/TheUglyDuckling, after being put through some misery for the few minutes in the film, is found by a family of baby Swans and their mother. The mother even hugs him when they accept him.

* WhatCouldHaveBeen: "[[WesternAnimation/DonaldDuck Don Donald]]" and "WesternAnimation/FerdinandTheBull" were initially planned as Silly Symphonies. The poster for "Donald's Golf Game" also mentions it as being a Silly Symphony as well.
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* CrowningMomentOfAwesome: The second half of "Babes in the Wood". To save Hansel and Gretel from the witch, the elves pull off a flawless attack plan with arrows, pumpkins, trip wires, and pies, while the two kids easily free themselves ''and'' the other children. A vine lasso thrown by one of the elves knocks the witch off her broom, and the children get the cauldron with the [[TakenForGranite stone-potion]] and pull it outside, and she falls right into it, putting an end to her crimes -- forever. Brilliant.
* CrowningMusicOfAwesome: "The Carioca" from "Cock o' the Walk".

* HeartwarmingMoments: The Ugly Duckling in the 1939 version of Literature/TheUglyDuckling, after being put through some misery for the few minutes in the film, is found by a family of baby Swans and their mother. The mother even hugs him when they accept him.

** ''WesternAnimation/TheThreeLittlePigs'': The Big Bad Wolf. In his 1st movie, his single desire is to eat the pigs, and he has an awesome EvilLaugh. In his 2nd movie, he tries to eat Literature/LittleRedRidingHood. And in his 3rd movie, he's training his kids to eat the pigs to [[VillainSong a song about]] [[CrowningMusicOfAwesome what you can cook pigs into.]] Too bad his kids were {{Retcon}}ned into Lil Wolf. In the 3rd movie the Wolf came ''[[LikeYouWouldReallyDoIt this close]]'' to eating the pigs, [[LetsMeetTheMeat having them tied down with apples in their mouths and everything]].

* SweetDreamsFuel: "The Night Before Christmas", and "Wynken, Blynken and Nod" are full of this. The epitome is "Lullaby Land," thanks to the Sandman.

* VisualEffectsOfAwesome: '''Hand-drawn 3D opening''' in "Egyptian Melodies". Impressive, not to be missed by anyone who loves well-crafted animation.

** ''Disney/ThreeLittlePigs'': The Big Bad Wolf. In his 1st movie, his single desire is to eat the pigs, and he has an awesome EvilLaugh. In his 2nd movie, he tries to eat Literature/LittleRedRidingHood. And in his 3rd movie, he's training his kids to eat the pigs to [[VillainSong a song about]] [[CrowningMusicOfAwesome what you can cook pigs into.]] Too bad his kids were {{Retcon}}ned into Lil Wolf. In the 3rd movie the Wolf came ''[[LikeYouWouldReallyDoIt this close]]'' to eating the pigs, [[LetsMeetTheMeat having them tied down with apples in their mouths and everything]].
* {{Sequelitis}}: "Disney/ThreeLittlePigs" inspired three continuations, but no one reached the popularity levels accomplished by the original. Walt's quote on the matter opens the trope's page.

** The witch in "Babes in the Wood" has a potion that can turn living things to stone. ''What is it made of?!''

* TheWoobie: The cookie girl in "The Cookie Carnival".
** The Ugly Duckling in both versions.

** The Stephen Fetchit-inspired bird in ''Who Killed Cock Robin?''

** The former of "The Grasshopper and the Ants" is a LazyBum, but when winter kicks in and he is left cold and starved and begging for help as a result of his irresponsible behaviour, you have to feel sorry for him. Being a Disney adaptation of course, the ants take pity and the Grasshopper survives to learn his lesson.

* JerkassWoobie: King Midas is a fat greedy AdiposeRex who thinks only about his gold. However when he realizes that with his newfound power turns even his food into gold, he fears he'll die of starvation and desperately begs Goldie to free him from his curse. In that moment it's hard to not feel a little sorry for him.

** ''Disney/ThreeLittlePigs'': The Big Bad Wolf. In his 1st movie, his single desire is to murder and eat the pigs, and he has an awesome EvilLaugh. In his 2nd movie, he tries to murder and eat Literature/LittleRedRidingHood. And in his 3rd movie, he's training his kids to murder and eat the pigs to [[VillainSong a song about]] [[CrowningMusicOfAwesome what you can cook pigs into.]] Too bad his kids were {{Retcon}}ned into Lil Wolf. In the 3rd movie the Wolf came ''[[LikeYouWouldReallyDoIt this close]]'' to eating the pigs, [[LetsMeetTheMeat having them tied down with apples in their mouths and everything]].

* JerkassWoobie: King Midas is a fat greedy AdiposeRex who thinks only about his gold. However when he realizes that with his newfound power turns into gold even his food, he fears to die of starvation and desperately begs Goldie to free him from his new curse. In that moment it's hard to not feel a little sorry for him.

** In the ending to "Birds in the Spring", the baby bird who wandered off gets [[AbusiveParents spanked soundly by his mother]]. Standard parenting for 1933.