The Danse Macabre
Clocking in at about five and a half minutes, the Silly Symphony short “The Skeleton Dance” is considered by many to be one of the most twisted and wonderful things ever released by Walt Disney.
Walt Disney produced and directed the short and his long-time cohort, Ub Iwerks, did the animation. Carl W. Stalling provided the music. The short was the first Silly Symphony released by Disney and is often considered to be one of the best of the bunch.
The short opens with a flash of lightning and then two large eyes fill the screen. The camera zooms out to reveal an owl who, along with a church bell, bats, a howling dog, and screeching cats, announces the witching hour. Then four skeletons come out of their graves to dance for the viewing audience. The short ends with a rooster crowing, welcoming the morning and warning the skeletons that playtime is over. The skeletons pile into a grave with one apparently forgetting its feet in the process.
This creepy little short is the perfect primer for any Halloween party. It is legitimately spooky and definitely worth watching. It is available on YouTube at the moment and can also be found in the 2001 Walt Disney Treasures boxed set Silly Symphonies and as part of Epic Mickey 2: The Power of Two. Carl W. Stalling’s musical composition is available in Disney’s The Silly Symphony Collection Volume One (pictured in the featured image).
Thanks for checking out this post. As the month continues, I’ll dig deeper into more horrific Disney goodies!
Ken's Alternate Universe! 