November 3, 1934 – The Silly Symphony The Goddess of Spring is Released to Theaters
“There once was a time in the long, long ago, when there was joy and laughter everywhere.”
On November 3, 1934, the Silly Symphony The Goddess of Spring was released to theaters. It is known as one of the earliest attempts of human animation for the Disney animators, as they were preparing for the feature film Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs. The short was directed by Wilfred Jackson.
The short opens in a forest on a beautiful spring day, with all the animals frolicking in the sunshine along with several woodland elves. The Goddess of Spring herself, Persephone, also dances by before sitting on her throne of cornucopias. The flowers dance a ballet at her feet before turning themselves into a wreath and resting on her head.
Out of the blue, the Devil bursts out of the ground, coming to claim the goddess as his bride
Suddenly, the skies grow dark, and the Devil bursts out of the ground on top of a column of flame, coming to claim Persephone as his queen. She refuses, but he grabs her and takes her to the underworld. All of Hell is celebrating the Devil’s “marriage,” but Persephone appears visibly miserable. On the surface, it is perpetually winter, with all of the woodland creatures mourning the loss of the goddess.
The Devil tries to tempt Persephone to stop crying with all the treasures of the world, and is angered that she will not stop being sad. He tells her that he will do anything she says, so long as she smiles. She asks to return to her world above, as everything above will die if she doesn’t. He acquiesces on one condition: she must spend half of every year with him below. She agrees to his terms, and is released. Everyone of the surface is overjoyed to see her, especially when she melts the snow and makes the world spring again.
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