On this day in 1929, the very first Silly Symphony was released. As Walt Disney once explained to audiences in his weekly television series, “The Silly Symphonies were started as an experiment. We used them to test and perfect the color and animation techniques employed later in full-length feature pictures like Cinderella, Snow White, and Fantasia.” The not so silly history of the Silly Symphony can be traced back to Mickey Mouse’s first film release, Steamboat Willie. When Walt decided to add a soundtrack to the yet-to-be-released film, he turned to composer Carl Stalling. Soon after, Carl suggested to Walt that there be a second cartoon series, based on musical themes, and each with a different cast of characters. Less than a year after the release of Steamboat Willie, the first rib-tickling Silly Symphony, The Skeleton Dance, rattled onto screens, and the series that allowed the Disney staff to bone up on animation techniques ultimately ended up winning them seven Academy Awards®.
