Thursday, October 11, 2007

Old School Cartoon - banned in some parts!

This was one of the few cartoons Walt Disney personally animated. It is the first Silly Symphony.

Titled "The Skeleton Dance", it was released in 1929 and at the time garnered a lot of criticism. The criticism was, in part, due to the 'graphic' nature of the cartoon. Before you judge, put things into perspective a bit: this cartoon was, afterall, quite possibly the first time the public had really seen skeletons rising from the grave and dancing. That's quite a frightening prospect even today! But in 1929 it was unheard of and resulted in many theaters refusing to carry the cartoon. It was even reportedly banned in some parts of the world!

Today it is normally hailed as a masterpiece of early animation. In 1994 it was voted (by a panel consisting of 1000 people working in the animation field) as #18 of the 50 Greatest Cartoons of All Time.

Have a safe and happy Halloween.





The Skeleton Dance on Wikipedia

The Skeleton Dance at Big Cartoon Database

No comments: