Product Details

• Producers: Walt Disney
• Format: Black & White, Color, NTSC
• Language: English
• Rated: NR (Not Rated)
• Number of tapes: 1
• Studio: Walt Disney Home Video
• Run Time: 54 minutes
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• ASIN: B0001YYNX0
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #177,765 in Movies & TV (See Top 100 in Movies & TV)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars 7 of my personal favorite Silly Symphonies, June 27, 2006

By 

Sam Allen "A zealous individual" (Newburyport Mass.) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Walt Disney Cartoon Classics Limited Gold Edition: Silly Symphonies (VHS Tape)

In 1984, Disney released special limited editions of their "Cartoon Classics" tapes. This one is one of the best. Even though no major Disney characters are portrayed, all of these classic Silly Symphonies are very good. If you like more than just the ones that everybody knows and likes (which would be "The Three Little Pigs," "The Tortoise and the Hare," and "The Old Mill"), then check this out. Also, it's worth it to see what sort of ideas were portrayed in these cartoons. It begins with 1933's "Birds in the Spring." In one way, this is among the best portrayals of the whole "birds and the bees" that your parents told you about, in that a poor little baby bird swallows a bee and ends up getting laughed at when his father tries to teach him to sing. Next is "The China Shop." Though many of these cartoons are somewhat obscure, I am guessing that when Disney was working on "Toy Story," the concept of this cartoon certainly helped shape their idea: an old man owns a China Shop, but when he goes away all the China comes to life. Third is "The Flying Mouse." Somewhat of an unusual story is portrayed here. You don't often see stories about a mouse wishing he could fly, but what is most notable about this cartoon is that the fairy who gives him wings may very well have been a prototype for the blue fairy in "Pinnochio." Short number 4 is "The Cookie Carnival." In a sense, this is much like a Cinderella story made short. However, anyone young would get a huge charge out of the fact that candy and sweets are the entire cast of characters. Notably, a couple scenes were cut out for the TV version: in the parade sequence, Miss. Licorice is cut out because it is a picaninny African American. Also, when the cookie princess is looking for a suitor, the "Jolly Rum Cookies" are cut out, since they are heavily intoxicated. Moving right along, we go to one of my personal favorites of all time: "Woodland Cafe." Although I have a deep contempt for bugs, this portrays the critters as we would like to imagine them: dancing to jazzy music in a bar, puffing a cigar and having a beer. Once again, parts of this were cut out when it was broadcast on television. In the segment where a spider is PWN3D by a lady bug, the scene with the Ladybug smoking behind the curtain was cut out. Also, the jazz band leader is a rather offensive portrayal of Cab Calloway as a cricket, and this was edited out as well. Next in line is one that may be a bit frightening to younger children, actually: "The Moth and the Flame." Naturally, this one portrays a pair of moths (who actually have a closer resemblance to humans with wings and feelers) fighting a flame. The thing that actually frightened me a little bit was the devilish grin on the face of the flame. Overall, this one was very enjoyable. Last but not least is "Farmyard Symphony." When you watch this one, it is noticeable that Silly Symphonies lost their usual bouncy, consistent rhythm in the later 1930's, but still were able to portray beautiful music and artwork to various scenarios. This was ultimately the most realistic silly symphony of it's time. The animals were beautifully animated, and they didn't really have any cutesy looks to them. While this does not contain as many Silly Symphonies as I would like to see, it contains enough to satisfy me for now. Definetely worth looking for at a bargain store.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Cartoons on Silly Symphonies Disney Limited Gold Edition, August 9, 2005

A Kid's Review

This review is from: Walt Disney Cartoon Classics Limited Gold Edition: Silly Symphonies (VHS Tape)

Silly Symphonies Disney Limited Gold Edition includes seven cartoons that are Silly Symphonies. All of the seven cartoons are in color. The cartoons are Birds in the Spring (1933), The China Shop (1934), The Flying Mouse (1934), The Cookie Carnival (1935), Woodland Cafe (1937), The Moth and the Flame (1938) and Farmyard Symphony (1938). This video runs 54 minutes and dosen"t have any bonus features.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Beautiful collection of some of Disney's best, July 7, 2005

By 

Richard Drezen - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Walt Disney Cartoon Classics Limited Gold Edition: Silly Symphonies (VHS Tape)

Though the cassette was made in the mid 80's, the prints of these 7 Technicolor shorts produced by Walt Disney between 1933-1938 remain sharp considering their age. As with every volume of this rare "Gold Edition" series, this is one to get your hands on if you're a fan of the Silly Symphonies other than "Flowers and Trees", "The Three Little Pigs", and "The Old Mill".