Less than a year after Mickey Mouse’s debut in Steamboat Willie, the Walt Disney Studio embarked on a decade-long series of music-driven shorts whose breakthroughs would forever change the direction of animation and would have a massive impact on popular culture. The 75 cartoons – called Silly Symphonies – pioneered “three-strip” Technicolor, introduced Donald Duck, and created a pop music phenomenon with “Who’s Afraid of the Big Bad Wolf?” They won seven Academy Awards® for Best Short Subject (Cartoon) between 1932 and 1939.
The Silly Symphony Collection is a first-of-its-kind box set from Walt Disney Records and Fairfax Classics featuring the complete restored soundtracks from all 75 Silly Symphony shorts from 1929-1939, with more than 8 hours of music over 16 vinyl LPs.
The limited edition collection is housed in 8 tip-on gatefold jackets with original animation art in a beautifully constructed foil-stamped and numbered slipcase. Soundtracks of Disney classics such as The Skeleton Dance by Carl Stalling, Three Little Pigs by Frank Churchill, and Donald Duck’s debut The Wise Little Hen by Leigh Harline will be presented in full for the first time ever on record. Each gatefold jacket includes detailed liner notes for every short by Disney historians J.B. Kaufman and Russell Merritt, authors of the definitive book on the series, Walt Disney’s Silly Symphonies: A Companion to the Classic Cartoon Series.
Kaufman adds, “It’s well known that the Silly Symphonies were built around music, but most of us can’t watch the films without being distracted by the visuals. This set is a brilliant idea, isolating the sound so that we can appreciate, for the first time, just how good the music is. I think it will change the way people look at these classic cartoons.”
Pre-order for the box set will begin at D23 EXPO: The Ultimate Disney Fan Event, August 14th through August 16th, 2015 in Anaheim, California, and will continue online at Disney Music Emporium (www.sillysymphonycollection.com) on August 17th at 8:00 am PDT. Pre-orders will ship to arrive in time for the holidays.
The Silly Symphony Collection will include a free digital download with purchase of the box set and will retail for $399.98. Each guest who pre-orders The Silly Symphony Collection will receive a free limited edition 10″ vinyl single featuring “The Skeleton Dance” on the A side and “Three Little Pigs” on the B side.
J.B. Kaufman and Russell Merritt, along with Restoration Producer Randy Thornton will be on hand at D23 EXPO 2015 signing The Silly Symphony Collection 10″ single on Friday, August 14th and Sunday, August 16th.
A set of 3 limited edition Silly Symphony postcards are being handed out in various locations throughout the D23 EXPO 2015 and fans can follow Fairfax Classics on Twitter (@fairfaxclassics) to find out how to obtain them.
Noted documentary director Steve Elkins has produced a short film that explores the historical significance of the Silly Symphonies and the making of The Silly Symphony Collection box set. The Silly Symphony documentary features J.B. Kaufman and Russell Merritt, as well as Dave Bossert, Head of Special Projects at Walt Disney Animation Studios and Grammy®-winning producer Randy Thornton from Disney Music Group. View and share the link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3giN7LzMA3c
The Silly Symphony Collection Track List:
Volume 1: 1929-1930
The Skeleton Dance
El Terrible Toreador
Springtime
Hell’s Bells
The Merry Dwarfs
Summer
Autumn
Cannibal Capers
Night
Frolicking Fish
Arctic Antics
Midnight in a Toy Shop
Volume 2: 1930-1931
Monkey Melodies
Winter
Playful Pan
Birds of a Feather
Mother Goose Melodies
The China Plate
The Busy Beavers
The Cat’s Out
Egyptian Melodies
The Clock Store
The Spider and the Fly
Volume 3: 1931-1933
The Fox Hunt
The Ugly Duckling
The Bird Store
The Bears and Bees
Just Dogs
Flowers and Trees
Bugs in Love
King Neptune
Babes in the Woods
Santa’s Workshop
Birds In the Spring
Father Noah’s Ark
Volume 4: 1933-1934
Three Little Pigs
Old King Cole
Lullaby Land
The Pied Piper
The China Shop
The Night Before Christmas
Grasshopper and the Ants
The Big Bad Wolf
Volume 5: 1934-1935
Funny Little Bunnies
The Flying Mouse
The Wise Little Hen
Peculiar Penguins
The Goddess of Spring
The Tortoise and the Hare
The Golden Touch
The Robber Kitten
Volume 6: 1935-1936
Water Babies
The Cookie Carnival
Who Killed Cock Robin?
Music Land
Three Orphan Kittens
Cock c’ the Walk
Three Little Wolves
Elmer Elephant
Volume 7: 1935-1937
Broken Toys
Toby Tortoise Returns
Three Blind Mouseketeers
The Country Cousin
Mother Pluto
More Kittens
Woodland Cafe
Little Hiawatha
Volume 8: 1937-1939
The Old Mill
Wynken, Blynken and Nod
Moth and the Flame
Merbabies
Farmyard Symphony
Mother Goose Goes Hollywood
The Practical Pig
The Ugly Duckling
Additional news and updates can be found at www.sillysymphonycollection.com.
