Greetings, Boils & Ghouls...
... and welcome to 'Day Six' of "Abnor Mal's Guide To Creepy Cartoon Classics on Roku" where I aim to bring you another creepy cartoon classic from the plethora of spooky animated short films that have been released throughout the course of animation history - any of which can be streamed on TV via the magic of Roku media players - so let's dim down the lights, for some more fun & frights! :-O
If you read my special hallowe'en blogathon preview - FOUND HERE - which I published six days ago, you'll know that I plan to post a Hallowe'en / Horror related article every day, throughout the month of October, featuring one vintage cartoon classic with spooky overtones each and every day. With recommendations for thirty-one of the most spook-tacular shorts I can find, by the end of the month, this means you'll have plenty of great choices for your creepy cartoon viewing as we count down the days to Hallowe'en... as well as ensuring lots of laughs & screams come October 31st! :-D
Likewise... if you read my post from 'Day Five' of this month-long blogathon, you might recall that I made reference to certain frames during various scenes where the skeletons are "dancing" were lifted from "Disney's Silly Symphonies: The Skeleton Dance" which was released just a few months earlier in 1929. So for the benefit of those who may never have seen it, and those (like me) who never tire of watching it year after year, I've decided to share "The Skeleton Dance" in full for today's post:-
This creepy cartoon classic begins with a superb opening sequence in which, on a dark and windy night beneath a full moon, we see an owl being spooked by a branch of the tree in which it perches, and; a colony of bats flee a bell tower as the church clock strikes midnight, plus; a dog howling into the night sky, while two cats get into a fight on top of some tombstones in the graveyard. However, they are soon frightened out of their skins when a skeleton rises-up from behind another gravestone causing the two fraidy-cats to flee in terror. This clears the way for the skeleton to come out and play in the graveyard... although the merriment is briefly interrupted when the hoot of an owl sends the skeleton running for cover. Realising what had caused the alarm, the skeleton hurls it's skull at the owl which shocks the poor bird who loses it's feathers as a consequence. After the skeleton and it's skull are re-united, other skeletons appear and "The Skeleton Dance" begins in earnest. The entire choreography is both amazing and amusing but, don't just take my word for it, see it for yourself:-
Though it might seem, from the above publicity photo, that the skeletons are dancing to a well-known nursery rhyme: "Ring a Ring o' Roses" [aka "Ring Around The Rosies"], the music used for this short was actually a musical twist on the traditional 'Foxtrot' around Edvard Grieg’s “March of the Trolls” with a playful nod to late-medieval "Danse Macabre" iconography. It has been well-documented that this Disney classic was adapted from Camille Saint-Saëns’ composition "Danse Macabre" which is a very fitting connection, given how "The Skeleton Dance" was one of Disney's first forays into a world of the "macabre" that yielded many memorable animated titles over the years. What made this one so special was the way it mixed "horror" elements with the more whimsical comedy touches for which Disney became so popular with audiences. If you think about it... owls, bats, spiders, cats, skeletons and skulls are perfect for any "horror" film but, in this case, the skeletons only want to dance and use their own bones - along with a cat's tail - as musical instruments, all of which adds to the fun. It may have been only the first "Silly Symphony" they produced, but remains one of the best to this day! :-)
If you read my special hallowe'en blogathon preview - FOUND HERE - which I published six days ago, you'll know that I plan to post a Hallowe'en / Horror related article every day, throughout the month of October, featuring one vintage cartoon classic with spooky overtones each and every day. With recommendations for thirty-one of the most spook-tacular shorts I can find, by the end of the month, this means you'll have plenty of great choices for your creepy cartoon viewing as we count down the days to Hallowe'en... as well as ensuring lots of laughs & screams come October 31st! :-D
Likewise... if you read my post from 'Day Five' of this month-long blogathon, you might recall that I made reference to certain frames during various scenes where the skeletons are "dancing" were lifted from "Disney's Silly Symphonies: The Skeleton Dance" which was released just a few months earlier in 1929. So for the benefit of those who may never have seen it, and those (like me) who never tire of watching it year after year, I've decided to share "The Skeleton Dance" in full for today's post:-
This creepy cartoon classic begins with a superb opening sequence in which, on a dark and windy night beneath a full moon, we see an owl being spooked by a branch of the tree in which it perches, and; a colony of bats flee a bell tower as the church clock strikes midnight, plus; a dog howling into the night sky, while two cats get into a fight on top of some tombstones in the graveyard. However, they are soon frightened out of their skins when a skeleton rises-up from behind another gravestone causing the two fraidy-cats to flee in terror. This clears the way for the skeleton to come out and play in the graveyard... although the merriment is briefly interrupted when the hoot of an owl sends the skeleton running for cover. Realising what had caused the alarm, the skeleton hurls it's skull at the owl which shocks the poor bird who loses it's feathers as a consequence. After the skeleton and it's skull are re-united, other skeletons appear and "The Skeleton Dance" begins in earnest. The entire choreography is both amazing and amusing but, don't just take my word for it, see it for yourself:-
Of course, in addition to watching this embedded version of the cartoon right here on this blog, you can also choose to stream it on your big screen television by using the "cast" function built-in to the 'YouTube' app(s) for mobile devices on both the iOS (Apple) plus Android platforms. For those who may have missed my special hallowe'en blogathon preview posted six days ago, to "cast" the video to your Roku player and/or NowTV device(s), you will first need to have the Roku channel (app) for 'YouTube' installed to act as a receiver for the stream you are casting. If you're not sure how to go about casting from your mobile device to your Roku there's a help article from 'Roku Support', which can be found on the official Roku website, that can walk you through the process step-by-step! ;-) :-D
YOUTUBE..........................................................................COST: FREE [Roku Guide Review]
***FILED UNDER: "WEB VIDEO" in Roku UK Channel Store WHEN FIRST RELEASED***
On whichever platform you decide to watch this video, watch-out for the skeletons getting creative and using their bones as makeshift musical instruments. There's really so much to see in this animated short that you'll need to watch it again and again just to take it all in. The detail of the backgrounds is just as incredible as the animation from Ub Iwerks, as you can see from just a quick look at these still frame images from the afore-mentioned opening to this creepy cartoon classic:-
YOUTUBE..........................................................................COST: FREE [Roku Guide Review]
***FILED UNDER: "WEB VIDEO" in Roku UK Channel Store WHEN FIRST RELEASED***
On whichever platform you decide to watch this video, watch-out for the skeletons getting creative and using their bones as makeshift musical instruments. There's really so much to see in this animated short that you'll need to watch it again and again just to take it all in. The detail of the backgrounds is just as incredible as the animation from Ub Iwerks, as you can see from just a quick look at these still frame images from the afore-mentioned opening to this creepy cartoon classic:-
You get even more of a feel for the spooky imagery that features throughout "The Skeleton Dance" from this still frame collage which was done by Emma, who publishes the 'Little Gothic Horrors' blog, and includes no less than eight images from this must-see Walt Disney animated short:-
PHOTO CREDIT: The Skeleton Dance (1929) [Still Frame Collage]
IMAGE SOURCE: Little Gothic Horrors
Being in the Southern Hemisphere - living in Australia with her husband, son, and a little cat called Phoebe - Emma and her family have no choice but to celebrate Halloween in the warmth of the late Spring / early Summer months, so I'm sure she'd appreciate it if you stopped by her blog and left a brief comment to wish them a "Happy Hallowe'en" and see how they celebrate "Down Under"! :-D
Meanwhile, below are some more items of movie memorabilia associated with "The Skeleton Dance" that I found on 'Google Images' while researching this post. While the original tagline may no longer hold true - i.e. that it remains "The greatest talking picture novelty ever screened!" - this comically clever cartoon classic with music (by Carl Stalling and Edvard Grieg), complete with full sound and original effects, has certainly lived-up to the billing of "A laugh riot from start to finish!" as promised on the original poster displayed in movie theatres at the time of it's release back in August 1929! :-D
PHOTO CREDIT: The Skeleton Dance (1929) [Movie Poster]
PHOTO CREDIT: The Skeleton Dance (1929) [Alternate Poster]
PHOTO CREDIT: The Skeleton Dance (1929) [Publicity Photo]
Though it might seem, from the above publicity photo, that the skeletons are dancing to a well-known nursery rhyme: "Ring a Ring o' Roses" [aka "Ring Around The Rosies"], the music used for this short was actually a musical twist on the traditional 'Foxtrot' around Edvard Grieg’s “March of the Trolls” with a playful nod to late-medieval "Danse Macabre" iconography. It has been well-documented that this Disney classic was adapted from Camille Saint-Saëns’ composition "Danse Macabre" which is a very fitting connection, given how "The Skeleton Dance" was one of Disney's first forays into a world of the "macabre" that yielded many memorable animated titles over the years. What made this one so special was the way it mixed "horror" elements with the more whimsical comedy touches for which Disney became so popular with audiences. If you think about it... owls, bats, spiders, cats, skeletons and skulls are perfect for any "horror" film but, in this case, the skeletons only want to dance and use their own bones - along with a cat's tail - as musical instruments, all of which adds to the fun. It may have been only the first "Silly Symphony" they produced, but remains one of the best to this day! :-)
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Anyhow, that's all I've got time for today... but do remember to come back again tomorrow, for my next creepy cartoon recommendation from the archives of animated film history, when I will suggest another spooky short for 'Day Seven' of "Abnor Mal's Guide To Creepy Cartoon Classics on Roku" you can stream right here on this blog - as well as through the equivalent channel on your Roku player(s). Meanwhile... please be sure to visit the "Countdown To Hallowe'en" website & show your support for this annual online Hallowe'en extravaganza PLUS don't forget to use the links you find there and check out all the other 'Cryptkeepers' taking part this year. I know they'll appreciate it, if you visit their blogs and share your thoughts on the contribution(s) they've made.
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ONE LAST THING, BEFORE I GO: Don't forget that, aside from the Hallowe'en / Horror-themed ghastliness going on around these parts for the next month, you can also keep up with the UK Roku action (as it happens) by checking-out my regular 'Weekly RoundUp' posts each weekend where you will find up-to-the-minute info on all things Roku-related is posted on a weekly basis (well, almost).
Until the next time, then...
That's all folks !!
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