Question about the dvd Silly Symphonies set

[Nelson]

I haven't seen my Silly Symphonies dvd set(but the Complete Goofy set is awesome) but I noticed that this set says each SS is Uncensored.So here's my question is this true that every single SS is uncensored and uncut?

[David Gerstein]

Uncut, yes. Uncensored, not quite.

The cartoons are all complete to the best of my knowledge (and I say this after slightly too much intensive study... my eyeballs ache even now!). Every controversial scene remains.

However, an audio clip of music and sound effects has been added to the (originally silent) opening titles of THE SKELETON DANCE. I guess that qualifies as censorship. The clip comes, strangely enough, from the 1933 Mickey cartoon THE MAD DOCTOR.

Update on 12/27— I forgot to mention another bit of semi-censorship, in that THREE LITTLE PIGS, while complete, is its 1940s reanimated version rather than the original 1933 version. So it's censored insofar as the Jewish scene is redrawn. Look downward for others' comments about this!

[Nelson]

Thanks for the great info David :)

I'll tell you guys one things, that it's FINALLY great to own an pristine UNCUT print of "Steamboat Willie" of the dvd set.But I do remember seeing "The Skeleton Dance" with a musical opening when the cartoon shown on "Vault Disney.

[Glenn]

Originally posted by Nelson
I haven't seen my Silly Symphonies dvd set(but the Complete Goofy set is awesome) but I noticed that this set says each SS is Uncensored.So here's my question is this true that every single SS is uncensored and uncut?

Am i still duping the set for you?

[Nelson]

Looks like you don't have to now Glenn, since my family got me the b&w Mickey Mouse collection and the Silly Symphonies, sets much to my surprise yesterday.

[Cartman]

Originally posted by David Gerstein
Uncut, yes. Uncensored, not quite.
However, an audio clip of music and sound effects has been added to the (originally silent) opening titles of THE SKELETON DANCE. I guess that qualifies as censorship. The clip comes, strangely enough, from the 1933 Mickey cartoon THE MAD DOCTOR.

Yeah, I saw that too (at least I had been warned about it before seeing it so I wasn't surprised). Is there some reason as to why they did that? Was that the original title card to "Skeleton Dance?" That's how it appeared on the Ub Iwerks documentary.

[David Gerstein]

That was the original title card to SKELETON DANCE.
The 1928-29 Disney shorts, as originally distributed by Celebrity Pictures, say DISNEY CARTOONS PRESENTS above the title. The only actual Celebrity Pictures indication is their Cinephone mark at the bottom of the card (wouldn't be enough for me if I ran Celebrity, but I don't!).

[Spike sayian03]

The scene in " The Three Little Pigs" when the wolf is dressed as a Jewish cobbler is censored. The original scene can be seen in the Leonard's picks when he discusses the cartoon, but he talks over the scene and can't be heard.

[Glenn]

Originally posted by Nelson
Looks like you don't have to now Glenn, since my family got me the b&w Mickey Mouse collection and the Silly Symphonies, sets much to my surprise yesterday.

Hmmmmmmmmmmm. Oh Well

[Patrick McCart]

Well...technically, the SS set wasn't censored - at least for the DVD.


It looks like the audio for The Skelaton Dance was taken from a re-release version (which explains the dubbed music...which can just be muted anyway). The Three Little Pigs is from the 1940's re-release version, but with the original title cards. While I've been unable to find it, most say Clock Cleaners has some audio dubs.

All of the material on the Treasures DVDs, save for a handful of shorts, are from previous laserdisc/TV transfers. Some cartoons newly transferred are the "Parade of Stars" easter egg on Mickey In Color, Steamboat Willie on Mickey in B&W, likely the "Minnie's Yoo Hoo" on the same disc, and Tricks of Our Trade (which has countless reconstruction interpolations).

I really wished that Disney would have re-transfered all of the in-question cartoons (they DO have a transfer of the 1933 version of Three Little Pigs, however), but the great image quality of the current masters probably kept them from doing that.

[Davesnothere]

Disney doesn't count edited versions that that played theatrically as censored, I guess. WB released a few "factory authorized" edits too, such as the "Cawole Wombard" and "Mahatma Gandhi" changes.

[Jason Furness]

Originally posted by Patrick McCart
Some cartoons newly transferred are the "Parade of Stars" easter egg on Mickey In Color, Steamboat Willie on Mickey in B&W, likely the "Minnie's Yoo Hoo" on the same disc,

Speakin' of "Minnie's Yoo Hoo", Where IS it on that DVD??
I can't find it.

[David Gerstein]

Originally posted by Spike sayian03
The scene in " The Three Little Pigs" when the wolf is dressed as a Jewish cobbler is censored. The original scene can be seen in the Leonard's picks when he discusses the cartoon, but he talks over the scene and can't be heard.

Whoa! I can't believe I forgot to mention this!
Yes, while all the cartoons on the set are effectively uncut, PIGS is the 1940s version, with the peddler sequence reanimated to lose the Jewish aspects of the disguise.

[Brent]

Originally posted by Jason Furness
Speakin' of "Minnie's Yoo Hoo", Where IS it on that DVD??
I can't find it.

The cartoon (& accompanying mini-newsreel about Mickey Mouse Days in Worcester MA) is an "easter egg":
insert disc 1
go to "bonus materials"
click on "register your DVD"
hit the "up" arrow to highlight Mickey's hat and hit "play"

[absolutpaul]

My 16mm print of The Skeleton Dance has silent titles, however the print is tinted blue. It looks cool and creepy though!

[Cartman]

Originally posted by absolutpaul
the print is tinted blue. It looks cool and creepy though!

That's the way my print of Mickey's Mellerdrammer appears and my print of Trader Mickey is tinted green.