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| Walt Disney Treasures - More Silly Symphonies (1929-1938) | 
| Directors: Walt Disney, Wilfred Jackson, David Hand, Ub Iwerks
Actors: Clarence Nash, Jerry Beck, Russell Merritt, David Gerstein, Ross Care
Studio: Walt Disney Video
Category: DVD
List Price: $32.99
Buy New: $23.46
You Save: $9.53 (29%)
Buy New/Used/Collectible from $23.40
Avg. Customer Rating:  (22 reviews)
Sales Rank: 8006
Format: Color, Dvd-video, Ntsc
Language: English (Original Language)
Rating: G (General Audience)
Media: DVD
Running Time: 316 minutes
Number Of Items: 2
Aspect Ratio: 1.33:1
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.2
Dimensions (in): 7.1 x 5.4 x 3.6
UPC: 786936702248
EAN: 0786936702248
ASIN: B000ICM5R6
Release Date: December 19, 2006
Theatrical Release Date: July 31, 1930
Shipping: Eligible for Super Saver Shipping
Availability: Usually ships in 24 hours
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| Editorial Reviews:
Amazon.com
The second set of Silly Symphonies completes the series of music-themed cartoons Walt Disney began in 1929 with "The Skeleton Dance." Disney used these films to train his artists and to experiment with new techniques and visual styles. Viewers who watch the Symphonies in chronological order can see the artists' work improving at an astonishing pace. When a ring of imps dances around a fire in "Hell's Bells" (1929) the flat-looking flames move stiffly, like paper cut-outs; five years later in "The Goddess of Spring" (1934), the flames ripples and crackle, and their changing hues produce multi-colored shadows on the cavern walls. The imps in the earlier film are rubbery golliwogs who just bounce and stretch to the music; in the later film, the rounder, more dimensional devilkins perform a complicated jazz dance. "Goddess of Spring" and "Broken Toys" (1935) also represent the artists' first efforts to animate a believable female character, as they prepared for the challenges of Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs. Many of these films were consigned to the vaults for years because of their racial imagery. In the Oscar-nominated "Mother Goose Goes Hollywood" (1938), a gaggle of Hollywood celebrities cavort to familiar nursery rhymes, but the caricatures of Stepin Fetchit and Cab Calloway are no more unflattering or mean-spirited than the ones of Katharine Hepburn, W.C. Fields, and Clark Gable. The outrageous "Cannibal Capers" (1930) and a few other shorts may embarrass viewers today, but as host Leonard Maltin observes, ignoring these film falsifies the past of animation and the United States. This important and entertaining collection will delight anyone interested in the history of the Disney Studio, animation or American popular culture. (Rated G, suitable for ages 5 and older: cartoon violence, tobacco use, ethnic stereotypes) --Charles Solomon
Description
From the beginning, Walt Disney's SILLY SYMPHONIES series was a mecca for innovation and unabashed creativity. This second volume of the revolutionary series boasts some of Disney's rarest cartoons, including over a dozen never before released on DVD or video. Among the many animation treasures celebrated here are the never-before-released HELL'S BELLS and the original unedited MOTHER GOOSE GOES HOLLWYOOD, plus the Academy Award(R)-winning THREE ORPHAN KITTENS (Best Cartoon, 1935). Enriching the collection even further are several optional commentaries by some of the world's foremost animation and film music experts, who also take part in a lively conversation about the series that let Walt Disney push the envelope of animation art to unimaginable flights of fantasy. Featuring exclusive introductions by film historian Leonard Maltin, this is a timeless collection from generations past for generations to come.
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| Customer Reviews: Read 17 more reviews...
 Great Collection of Shorts to Keep May 30, 2008
Some of the shorts on this collection are not as well known as the ones on Volume One, yet I find that I know more of these. So it's a better treat for me.
Also, I didn't find any issues playing this set of discs, unlike Silly Symphonies, in which Disc 1 didn't work consistently on all the players I tested it on. Moreover, this one came with the tin box, which was lacking on my Silly Symphonies copy.
 Images out of focus here and there November 9, 2007
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
I've seen most of these shorts before, and as a Disney fan, I'm very disappointed with the blurred scenes that appear from time to time in each every cartoon on the DVDs "More Silly Symphonies" and "Silly Symphonies - Vol 1". The Grasshopper and The Ants were out of focus or alignment in some scenes, as many others favorites like The Goddess of Spring, Father Noah's Arch, The Piedpiper,The Night Before Christmas, etc. It seems like the three stripes of Technicolor suddenly became out of alignment, and later return to normal position. I hope the Disney staff can guarantee better image quality in the next midia (Blu-Ray or HD-DVD). I only don't want my money back because I love these Disney's masterpieces so much, and these DVDs are all we have today.
Great Collection of Classic Cartoons March 29, 2007
5 out of 5 found this review helpful
This is a great collection of classic Disney cartoons aimed to some extent at fans and collectors. Great animation and great music, although some of these cartoons are not the funniest ones from the period. May seem a little dated to today's older kids, but the younger ones should like it. Disney has to be congratulated on this set.
 Wish more people knew about these cartoons! March 9, 2007
7 out of 7 found this review helpful
Those who know about the "Silly Symphonies", know what the fuss is all about, and will not hesitate to buy this collection! These cartoons should be arranged chronologically, both for artistic and historical reasons, and the current set allows us to view them so. The "next time" the Disney people put out the "Sillies" on video, they should publish them all, and in chronological order.
Re the title of my review. I so wish the Disney organization would do more to publicize these cartoon gems and to make more people aware of them. As it stands, if you know about these cartoons, you are one in 10,000 people! Also, this "once in 10 years limited edition" business is certainly not helping either. Video software is not likely to become a collectible in the long run, as new formats are invented.
I so appreciate Leonard Maltin's role in this. He is a true old film buff, and has done a wonderful job with popularizing 1930's films!
Essential Disney Animation February 19, 2007
10 out of 10 found this review helpful
After a long wait, Disney has issued the remaining "Silly Symphony" cartoons in this excellent two-disc set. There are lesser-known gems such as "The Fox Hunt" (1931), "The China Shop" (1934), "Broken Toys" (1935) and the Oscar-nominated "Mother Goose Goes Hollywood" (1938) - along with 1929 efforts from legendary animator Ub Iwerks and composer Carl Stalling ("Hell's Bells" and "Springtime"). Like its DVD predecessor, "More Silly Symphonies" is essential animation history and a fascinating chronicle of the Disney Studio's artistic evolution.
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