Fun Facts From A Live Disney Silly Symphony Concert

For those of us who grew up on Saturday morning cartoons, it is hard to imagine having to go to a theater to see a short cartoon. One that was black and white with no sound no less. But the history of cartoons and how they went from those early days to the full-length films we love today is fascinating. And a great deal of the history and advancements took place in the ’20s and ’30s with the 75 animated shorts that make up Disney’s Silly Symphony.

During the D23 Expo I had the unique opportunity of attending a Silly Symphony concert. The 70-minute concert featured some of the most popular shorts in Disney’s Silly Symphony played on giant screens accompanied by a live orchestra. It was a truly magical way to enjoy some classic cartoons.

Although they were once shown only in theaters, I grew up watching Silly Symphony cartoons. I was delighted to watch and listen the cartoons. Between cartoons we were treated to Silly Symphony history presented by Leonard Maltin.

7 Disney Silly Symphony Facts

• The first Silly Symphony was The Skeleton Dance.
• The first technicolor short was Flowers and Trees. 
• In Three Little Pigs there is a portrait of the pigs’ father, and it’s a picture of sausage links.
• Walt Disney loved music. Although he didn’t play, he understood what worked and what did not. 
• The Old Mill was an experimental Silly Symphony to test animation techniques for Snow White.
• The last Silly Symphony in the series was The Ugly Duckling.
• Silly Symphony won seven academy awards including the first six ever given for an animated short.

Now you can bring home the magic of the Silly Symphony with The Silly Symphony Collection box set, which includes restored soundtracks from all 75 Silly Symphony shorts on 16 vinyl LPs — eight hours of music. The Silly Symphony Collection also includes a digital download with each purchase. The Silly Symphony Collection is now available for pre-order.

My favorite Silly Symphonies include The Skeleton Dance, Mother Pluto and Flowers and Trees. Which Silly Symphony is your favorite?

More D23 Expo coverage:

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• Star Wars Land, Toy Story Land And Avatar Land Coming To Walt Disney World
• 5 Reasons To Treasure Walt Disney Animation Studios Short Films Collection
• Marvel, Disney And Lucas Films Live-Action Announcements From D23 Expo
• Disney’s Playmation: The Hottest Tech For Kids
• Walt Disney Records The Legacy Collection And H2O+ Present The #ShareYourLegacy Sweepstakes
• 5 Disneyland Tips From A Disney World Pro