Disclosure: Mama Smith was provided with an all expenses paid trip to cover this event. All opinions expressed are 100% her own.
While at the D23 Expo, we had the chance to attend Disney in Concert: A Silly Symphony Celebration. I had really been looking forward to this the entire trip because I love the Silly Symphony cartoons. I grew up watching them because my mom loved them so much. They are a fond memory for me and I always thought they were so much fun. This event was hosted by film historian Leonard Maltin and it was incredible to attend. Silly Symphony shorts were played on large screens as a 32 piece orchestra accompanied them with their original soundtracks. The precision was amazing. The orchestra had to be on point in order to accompany the cartoons so well – and they were. I especially loved watching the man who was making the fun sounds like ducks quacking. It was very entertaining to see up close and personal. The music was performed as it would have been recorded during those historic days at the Disney Studios on Hyperion Avenue in the 1920s and ’30s. Just knowing that gave me chills while watching it. Many of the 75 Silly Symphony shorts were performed, but my favorites included Three Little Pigs, The Old Mill, The Ugly Duckling, and of course, The Skeleton Dance. I also really enjoyed learning a bit more about Walt and seeing him talk about the different shorts we were about to watch.
The Silly Symphony Collection box set is now available for preorder here. It features the complete restored soundtracks from all 75 Silly Symphony shorts from 1929–1939 – that is over eight hours of music on 16 vinyl LPs! This is something my husband would flip over. Not only is he a huge Disney fan, but he loves records. He wants to start a collection again and this would be the perfect start to it. 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. 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.
