Tag Archives: 1930s

May 27, 1938 – The Silly Symphony Wynken, Blynken and Nod is Released to Theaters

“Wynken, and Blynken, and Nod one night sailed off in a wooden shoe.”

On May 27, 1938, the Silly Symphony Wynken, Blyken and Nod was released to theaters. It was based on the poem by American poet Eugene Field, originally titled Dutch Lullaby. The short was directed by Graham Heid.

One starry night, Wynken, Blynken, and Nod sail across the sky in a ship made out of a wooden clog, setting out their fishing lines over the side. The ship lands in a cloud, and the three tots step out to push the ship back into the sky. They spot an area filled with star fish, and set about to catch a few, although it is much more trouble than they expected. The fish manage to outsmart the boys, and poor Nod is thrown over the side of the ship. A shooting star heads their way, scattering the fish and scaring the boys. They manage to hook their net over the shooting star, which carries them quickly across the sky. A group of black clouds send the ship flying across the storm, with the ship’s sail tearing in two before the mast breaks off. The boys tumble from the sky and back into a bedroom on Earth, revealing that the three are all aspects of a sleeping toddler.

April 14, 1936 – The Silly Symphony Three Little Wolves is Released to Theaters

“Someday, the Wolf will get you, then you’ll be in a fix. You’ll blow that horn and I won’t come – I’ll think it’s one of your tricks!”

On April 14, 1936, the Silly Symphony Three Little Wolves was released to theaters. It was the third short in the Three Little Pigs series, and contained a veiled warning about the threat of Nazi Germany, which was growing in power in Europe at the time. The film was not as successful as the first short in the series, though it had moderate success, and Walt would continuously say “you can’t top pigs with pigs.” The short was directed by Dave Hand.

At the Big Bad Wolf’s house, he teaches his three children about the prime parts of a pig, with the three wolves using their slingshots to throw rocks at him. They mock him when he threatens to blow their ears off, as they don’t think much of him since he lost to the three little pigs. Meanwhile, Fifer and Fiddler are playing and skipping about when they see the wolf alarm their brother has tacked up. Although it says “for emergency use only,” the two decide to play a prank on their brother, who runs up to them with a gun when he hears the horn. He is angered by their prank, and goes back to work, although Fiddler and Fifer fall over in hysterical laughter. As they laugh, they don’t notice the small pack of wolves heading their way.

Fiddler and Fifer look around for “Little Bo Peep’s” missing sheep

The Big Bad Wolf disguises himself as Little Bo Peep, claiming he’s lost his sheep, and Fiddler and Fifer kindly offer to help search for the missing sheep. The little wolves are dressed as little sheep, and when Fiddler and Fifer go to round them up, they are lead straight to the Wolves’ residence. The Big Bad Wolf locks the door and swallows the key, leaving the two little pigs trapped. Still holding the horn, they blow it loudly while being chased by the three little wolves. Hearing the horn, Practical Pig starts to chase after them but, thinking it another prank, decides to ignore it. The two little pigs come up with a plan to have one of the little wolves blow the horn loudly, and the Big Bad Wolf takes it upon himself to blow the horn loudly. Finally convinced, Practical Pig heads to the Wolf’s house with his new invention, the Wolf Pacifier. The Big Bag Wolf gets caught in the contraption, and his kids can only watch as their father gets tarred and feathered before being shot out of a cannon.

April 8, 1933 – The Silly Symphony Father Noah’s Ark is Released to Theaters

“Oh, I’m Father Noah, captain of this bark, I make the plans and give commands to build the ark.”

On April 8, 1933, the Silly Symphony Father Noah’s Ark was released to theaters. This is the first of two shorts featuring the biblical story; the other was a stop-motion special short released in 1959. This Silly Symphony was directed by Wilfred Jackson.

The short begins with all the animals helping Noah build the ark, while he holds up his plans. His three sons assist with the creation of the ark, while their wives start loading food into the ship. Noah’s wife is doing laundry while singing to the audience that she is the one in control of this ship, “you bet your life.” Noah and his family have come up with ingenious ways to use the animals to help with the building, including a charging rhino to help slice the planks, and woodpeckers to hammer in nails. Suddenly, the sun is covered by angry clouds, and Noah and his sons call all the animals to the boat, as the rain has begun. The animals race over and board while Noah checks his list. Two skunks are late arriving, and when Noah and his sons see the skunks, they quickly pull up the gangplank and sail away. The skunks, however, swim out after them. The storm grows violent, and the skunks have made it on to the boat, but have to hold to the roof for dear life. Inside, the animals are shoved back and forth due to the rocking of the ship. The forty days of rain passes by slowly, but soon, the clouds abate and the sun is shining once again. The animals look out the windows and enjoy the sun. A dove flies back with an olive branch, and everyone disembarks, ready to be on land again.

March 24, 1934 – The Silly Symphony Funny Little Bunnies is Released to Theaters

“The storybooks say that far, far away, there’s a green, enchanted dell where the rainbow ends, and everything is gay, and the Easter bunnies dwell.”

On March 24, 1934, the Silly Symphony short film Funny Little Bunnies was released to theaters. This was the only Disney short film that celebrated Easter, and the first film Nine Old Men animator Wolfgang Reitherman animated. It was directed by Wilfred Jackson.

The short begins in a dell, where the rainbow ends. Two rabbits pull aside a curtain of leaves to bring the audience to the world of the “funny little bunnies,” who are gearing up for the Easter season. A first group is seen with sugar, spices, and chocolate, bringing the supplies to a giant pot where the chocolate is melted down and mixed. The chocolate is then placed in egg molds, and once hardened, are taken to be decorated by a “firing squad” holding icing tubes. Several bunnies are also seen carving chocolate bunnies from giant blocks of chocolate. A group blue ribbon of hens are in a choir, laying eggs as they sing. The eggs are placed in a pot to be hardboiled, and are checked by another rabbit with a hammer to see if they are done. Four bunnies whistle a happy tune while painting the inspected eggs, while one bunny is content to create whimsical designs. The rainbow provides the bunnies with their paint, and they are seen happily collecting the colors. Two blind rabbits are seen weaving Easter baskets (although it is soon revealed that they aren’t really blind), and the baskets are then sent to be filled with Easter treats and decorated with ribbons. The bunnies end with skipping off with their creations to deliver them to the children.