"A Silly Symphony"

Release Date April 7, 1939

Running Time 8:59

Synopsis

A remake of an earlier Silly Symphony retells the story of an outcast duckling who turns out to become a beautiful swan.

Characters

Ugly Duckling

Credits

Director : Jack Cutting

Sources

Based on a story by Hans Christian Andersen, "The Ugly Duckling."

Videos

United States

Cartoon Classics : First Series : Volume 5 : Disney's Best of 1931 - 1948

Germany

Meister-Cartoons von Walt Disney

Italy

Le Fiabe Volume 2 : Il Brutto Anatraccolo e Altre Storie

I Capolavori di Walt Disney

Le Meravigliose Fiabe del Grillo Parlante

France

Les Chefs-d'Oeuvre de Walt Disney

Laserdiscs

United States

Cartoon Classics : First Series : Volume 5 : Disney's Best of 1931 - 1948

Japan

The Academy Award Review of Walt Disney Cartoons

DVD

United States

Disney Treasures : Silly Symphonies

Timeless Tales : Volume 2

Region 2 : United Kingdom

Walt Disney's Fables : Volume 2

Germany

Zauberhafte Marchenwelt 2

Television

The Ink and Paint Club : #36 : Award Winners II

The Ink and Paint Club : #49 : More Storybook Silly Symphonies

Mickey's Mouse Tracks : Episode 19

Technical Specifications

Color Type : Technicolor

Animation type : Standard

Sound mix : Mono

Aspect ration : 1.37 : 1

Negative format : 35mm

Print format : 35mm

Cinematographic process : Spherical

Original language : English

Released by RKO Radio Pictures, Inc.

Comments

The final Silly Symphony.

A remake of the 1931 black and white short "The Ugly Duckling."

An educational version was released entitled "Hans Christian Andersen's The Ugly Duckling."

From Rod Bennett : [This] final Silly Symphony dramatically displays just how far things have progressed since "The Skeleton Dance." The animation is feature-quality and the emotional range is in the same class with "Bambi." A poignant close to one of the most important film series in history. A surprisingly potent bit of comedy business seems to have got by the censors somehow. In an early scene, the title character's ostensible Dad pointedly corners his mate and questions the paternity of our little hero! How did this "Have you been letting the Postman in?" joke manage to get by the Hays Office? Maybe they couldn't understand Clarence Nash's "ducky" voice either!

From Jerry Edwards : This is one of my favorite Silly Symphonies - Disney couldn't have ended the Symphonies series on a better note. This is a faithful adaptation of the Hans Christian Andersen story, unlike the 1931 version - in which the "duckling" really was a duckling. This short does a fantastic job of appealing to your emotions. When the ugly duckling is sobbing due to his loneliness, I still tear up myself - even after seeing this short hundreds of times. The animation is just beautiful and the colors are wonderful. A very special short to me.

From Ryan : I liked this short as a kid, but I don't care much for it anymore. It's somewhat boring and as I've mentioned numerous times I'm not a big fan of the "Silly Symphonies." The animation is wonderful and Disney is good at capturing the swan's feelings. In fact, it makes the viewers feel sorry for the "ugly duckling" as well. I guess Disney had lost interest in the "Silly Symphonies" by then as this was the very last "Silly Symphony" produced by the Walt Disney Company.

From Daniel : Adapted from Hans Andersen's wistful fairy-tale, this was the last of the Silly Symphonies and one of the loveliest. The Disney animators were at a zenith of artistic technique, especially in the elegant watercolour backgrounds, as well as in the exquisite music. The scene where the little duckling fondly plays with the wooden toy duck because it is the only creature that doesn't reject him is one of the most moving moments in cinema history, ranking with the mother's death in BAMBI and the "Baby Mine" sequence in DUMBO. The legendary Warner Bros. animator Chuck Jones once called this "One of the best short subjects ever made". Quite.

From Ashley : I've always been kinda fond of this one. It does remain fairly true to the actual story, barring a few things, and of course, has a happy ending. I always felt so sorry for the little fellow; perhaps because in a few places in life, I felt rather like the ugly duckling myself. I crack a smile every time I see this one.

On a side note, there is something of a reference to this cartoon (or at least I like to think so) in Disney's animated motion picture Lilo and Stitch. If you take a close look at the storybook that Stitch brings to Lilo, and then when he is considering what the little girl has told him about being a part of their family, you'll see that the "ugly duckling" wandering around the pages of the storybook has the same character design as the one in this short; not to mention the end scene where he is reunited with the family of swans, which is clearly depicted in the pages as well.

From Baruch Weiss : I haven't seen this short in a while, but it's pretty good and it sort of draws you into the story, but it teaches a good lesson to love yourself for who you are!

From Dino Cencia : I loved this short! Although it's kinda sad too because I feel sorry for the ugly duckling. My favorite part is when the ugly duckling was playing with the toy duck (he thought it was his mom or dad.) But then the duckling was crying, his real mom and his brothers and sisters came and saw him crying. So sad! And then the duckling's happy that his family is here to have him forever. I give this a 100 out of 100.

From Kyle Peters : My favorite Silly Symphony . I give it 5 out of 5 stars.

Referenced Comments

The Ugly Duckling (1931)

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