March 11, 1933 – The Silly Symphony Short Film, Birds in the Spring, is Released to Theaters
The Silly Symphony short, Birds in the Spring, was released in theaters on March 11, 1933 by United Artists. Directed by Dave Hand, with music by Bert Lewis, the short tells the story of a baby bird whose thirst for curiosity brings him a day full of adventures. The title card of the Silly Symphony attests to the popularity of Mickey Mouse in the early 1930s, as it states: “Mickey Mouse Presents Walt Disney’s Silly Symphonies.” It had been believed that, as far as animation, people would only want to see Mickey Mouse cartoons, and Mickey’s name on the title card would ensure an audience. Luckily, the Silly Symphonies were popular in their own right.
The scene opens on a beautiful spring day, in a field full of apple trees in bloom. Birds are flying about, chirping their songs as they flit around the branches, with some being romantic, while others are working on building nests. A nervous mother is seen in her nest, wondering when her eggs are going to hatch. She flips the eggs and sits on them again, hoping they will hatch soon. The father paces back and forth on a branch, looking equally anxious. Without warning, the first egg hatches underneath the mother, and the proud parents cheer when all three eggs hatch to reveal healthy chicks. The father gathers all the birds in the field to come see his newborns.
The babies have singing lessons with their father
The newborns begin to cry for food, and as they do, we suddenly see the time elapse, with the newborns becoming healthy young birds, who are learning to sing instead of crying for food. A bee buzzes around the nest, attracting the attention of the only male baby bird (named Otto, according to the Disney Archives), and causing him to depart from the music lesson to catch a quick snack. Otto hurries back to sing the final note in the song, only to let out a buzzing sound instead. Otto’s father’s disposition turns sour at this development, and while Otto tries to sing, he is still only able to let out the buzzing noise from the bee inside him.
After the bee escapes from Otto’s insides, the father decides it’s time for a flying lesson. He tries to impress his children with his grace, only to end up flying into a tree, making them laugh. Nevertheless, they follow him in their flying lesson, making a chain by grabbing each other’s tails as they fly through the air. When they let go, the birds surprise themselves by being able to fly, but unfortunately they also quickly fall. Otto then finds himself separated from the others, but decides it’s a better time to explore than to go home.
Otto excitedly watches grasshoppers at play
Otto’s first part of the adventure involves two grasshoppers playing leapfrog, and he follows them with great interest. He tries to eat one, but the grasshopper continues to jump, taking the poor baby bird with him until he jumps out of Otto’s mouth and spits in his face. Otto, not really fazed by the reaction, then follows a hummingbird, and tries to eat the way the hummingbird does, only to get poked by another hummingbird when he is inside the blossom.
Otto’s next adventure begins with a simple rattle in the bushes. He sees what is making the noise and shakes the rattle, only to find that the rattle belongs to a rattlesnake, one that is very hungry. The snake hypnotizes the baby bird, but Otto falls into nearby pond, breaking the spell. He begins to flee, with the snake following with great vigor. Otto tries to fly over the water, but his flying still needs a lot of work, and the snake is rather faster – even faster on land. Otto manages to get the snake to tie himself in knots to escape.
The bees harvesting wheat while trying to attack Otto
Otto attempts to dive for cover in a beehive, only to have the swarm inside chase him out and pursue him angrily, destroying everything in their path. Otto lets out frantic chirps, which alerts his family nearby, and the father races to his rescue. The birds manage to hide under their nest while the bees race past. Otto’s curiosity comes at a price, as his father takes the baby over his knee and spanks him for running away.
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