"A Silly Symphony"

Release Date May 23, 1931

Running Time 7:32

Synopsis

An oriental scene on a China plate comes to life to tell the story of two young lovers menaced by an overweight Emperor and a fire-breathing dragon.

Credits

Director : Wilfred Jackson

Animation : Roldolfo "Rudy" Zamora

DVD

Disney Treasures : Silly Symphonies

Television

The Ink and Paint Club : #24 : Symphonic Silly Symphonies

Technical Specifications

Color Type : Black and White

Animation type : Standard

Sound mix : Mono

Aspect ration : 1.33 : 1

Negative format : 35mm

Print format : 35mm

Cinematographic process : Spherical

Original language : English

Released by Columbia Pictures

Gallery

Click on the thumbnail for the full-sized picture

Comments

From Kirby Bartlett-Sloan : I know this one is sometimes shown on a show during "Vault Disney" although I have not paid attention to exactly which one. I was unaware of its existence until I saw it one morning. I have seen it three or four times now.

It bugs me a little bit with the stereotyping, but is pretty much average for what the studio was putting out with the Non-Mickey stuff at the time.

From Jerry Edwards : Painted characters on a china plate come to life. When a boy and girl pursue a butterfly and accidentally disturb a powerful old Mandarin, he chases them. They escape when the Mandarin runs into a dragon's mouth, thinking it to be a cave. The boy and girl escape the dragon by causing it to swallow a huge boulder. They return to the boy's peaceful fishing boat. One gruesome scene is a band that entertains the Mandarin by playing on skull drums. My wife loves one scene in which a large angry face is shown approaching during a dance routine - turns out to be an umbrella a young girl is holding. Interesting to me that the china plate is shown differently at the end than at the beginning - the Chinese men are now missing from the bridge on the plate. I realize this was done on purpose but it still is rather jarring to me. I recognize the ethnic stereotyping could be insulting to Chinese, but I consider it rather mild. But, then, I'm not Chinese. I much enjoy this cartoon, it's one of my favorite early Silly Symphony shorts.

From Mike G : This is one of the most charming and entertaining of the really early (black and white) Silly Symphonies-- the novelty of the Chinese setting makes it more fun to look at than the usual woodland frolic, and the gags are broader and more action-packed. We're lucky they didn't decide the stereotypes were racist and actually run it on Ink and Paint Club -- I think they're innocuous enough.

From Ryan : I found this to be quite a classic work of art. The plate featured at the beginning of this short is so detailed. However, this cartoon does contain a lot of Chinese stereotypes, which may be offensive to some. However, stereotypes were a common sight back in those days and people should accept that fact. This short is also very similar to the Warner Bros. cartoon "One Step Ahead of my Shadow."

From Milo the Cat : Great music coordination to the action (especially in the fight scene). Has anyone noticed how much this is like a Mickey Mouse cartoon? The emperor is big like Pete, the fisher helps the girl like Mickey would Minnie, and shoving a boulder down the dragon's throat is the kind of trick that Mickey would think of.

From Gijs Grob : Although this cartoon consists of the half sing-and-dance-routine half story formula, it is one of the most beautiful and entertaining Silly Symphonies of the era. The fast-paced film, inspired by a Western view on a mythical ancient China, tells a simple story of a small fisherman who saves a girl from drowning, falls in love with her and rescues her from an evil mandarin and a large (Western) dragon. The film is without any dialogue and makes effective use of Ketalbey's musical piece "In a Chinese Temple Garden" to create an oriental atmosphere. The boy and girl are elegantly drawn, especially their hands. The two easily gain the audience's sympathy and transcend the stereotypes that occupy most of the film. The complete cartoon is one of sheer delight.

Referenced Comments

Mother Goose Melodies (1931)