Exhibition Exchange: The Silly Symphonies

Posted on Thu, 09/15/2011 - 06:00

"I was determined to diversify. I had another idea which was plaguing my brain. It was The Silly Symphonies. A series without a central character which would give me latitude to develop the animated cartoon medium." —Walt Disney

"The Silly Symphonies followed Mickey by less than a year, but it was mainly because of them that critics were describing [Walt] Disney not only as a pioneer, but also as a popular entertainer working at the margins of serious art.” —from Walt Disney’s Silly Symphonies: A Companion to the Classic Cartoon Series by J.B. Kaufman and Russell Merritt

Enough cannot be said about the impact the Silly Symphonies made to the evolution of animation art; films such as The Goddess of Springwould directly contribute to the lifelike appearance and movement of the human characters in Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs.  

The Walt Disney Family Museum dedicates a case in Gallery 3 to some of the original art to emerge from these treasures of animation history. This month we have updated the original selection of art with never-before-seen artifacts from The Goddess of Spring, Birds of a Feather, Old King Cole, The Grasshopper and the Ants, and many others. Be among the first to experience these exquisite pieces of animation history.

Anel Muller
Registrar at The Walt Disney Family Museum