''Mother Goose Melodies'' is a 1931 ''

Silly Symphonies ''Silly Symphony'' (also known as ''Silly Symphonies'') is an American animation, animated series of 75 musical short films produced by Walt Disney Animation Studios, Walt Disney Productions from 1929 to 1939. As the series name implies, the ''Si ...

animated Animation is a filmmaking technique whereby image, still images are manipulated to create Motion picture, moving images. In traditional animation, images are drawn or painted by hand on cel, transparent celluloid sheets to be photographed and e ...

short film A short film is a film with a low running time. The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS) defines a short film as "an original motion picture that has a running time of not more than 40 minutes including all credits". Other film o ...

, produced by

Walt Disney Walter Elias Disney ( ; December 5, 1901December 15, 1966) was an American animator, film producer, voice actor, and entrepreneur. A pioneer of the Golden age of American animation, American animation industry, he introduced several develop ...

and directed by

Burt Gillett Burton F. Gillett (October 15, 1891 – December 28, 1971) was a Film director, director of animation, animated films. He is noted for his Silly Symphonies work for Walt Disney Pictures, Disney, particularly the 1932 short film ''Flowers and Tree ...

. Two years later it was semi-remade in

Technicolor Technicolor is a family of Color motion picture film, color motion picture processes. The first version, Process 1, was introduced in 1916, and improved versions followed over several decades. Definitive Technicolor movies using three black-and ...

as ''

Old King Cole "Old King Cole" is a British nursery rhyme first attested in 1709. Though there is much speculation about the identity of King Cole, it is unlikely that he can be identified reliably as any historical figure. It has a Roud Folk Song Index numbe ...

''.

Plot

summons various

Mother Goose Mother Goose is a character that originated in children's fiction, as the imaginary author of a collection of French fairy tales and later of English nursery rhymes. She also appeared in a song, the first stanza of which often functions now as ...

characters for his entertainment, including the

Three Blind Mice "Three Blind Mice" is an English nursery rhyme and musical round.I. Opie and P. Opie, ''The Oxford Dictionary of Nursery Rhymes'' (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1951, 2nd edn., 1997), p. 306. It has a Roud Folk Song Index number of 3753. ...

as his "fiddlers three", Miss Muffet,

Jack and Jill "Jack and Jill" (sometimes "Jack and Gill", particularly in earlier versions) is a traditional English nursery rhyme. The Roud Folk Song Index classifies the commonest tune and its variations as number 10266, although it has been set to severa ...

(who meet Simple Simon atop the hill),

Humpty Dumpty Humpty Dumpty is a character in an English nursery rhyme, probably originally a riddle, and is typically portrayed as an anthropomorphic egg, though he is not explicitly described as such. The first recorded versions of the rhyme date from ...

(whom Mother Goose's goose knocks off of his wall),

Jack Horner Jack Horner may refer to: *"Little Jack Horner", a nursery rhyme People * Jack Horner (activist) (born 1922), Australian author and activist in the Aboriginal-Australian Fellowship * Jack Horner (baseball) (1863–1910), American professional ba ...

(his Christmas pie also containing the four and twenty blackbirds), Bo Peep ( Boy Blue brings the sheep home, one of which falls in mud to become

Baa Baa Black Sheep "Baa, Baa, Black Sheep" is an English nursery rhyme, the earliest printed version of which dates from around 1744. The words have barely changed in two and a half centuries. It is sung to a variant of the 18th-century French melody "''Ah! vous di ...

) and the Cat, Cow and Little Dog.

Voice cast

* Allan Watson: Old King Cole *

: Jack Horner * Whistling: Marion Darlington

Reception

Motion Picture Herald The ''Motion Picture Herald'' (MPH) was an American film industry trade paper first published as the ''Exhibitors Herald'' in 1915, and MPH from 1931 to December 1972.Anthony Slide, ed. (1985)''International Film, Radio, and Television Journals ...

'' (May 9, 1931): "Great: Walt Disney has done a most unusual piece of work in this ''Silly Symphony'' number. There is indicated a great step forward technically, in animation and synchronization, in addition to excellent subject material, clever animated ideas, and rapidity of action. There is almost the illusion of real life in some of the figures, so fine is the animation. Many well known Mother Goose rhymes are included with the stories neatly running together. Old King Cole is featured, and Little Jack Horner is present as well. The youngsters will devour this and ask for more, and the elderly children will enjoy it hugely. By all means do not miss it. It is great." ''

The Film Daily ''The Film Daily'' was a daily publication that existed from 1918 to 1970 in the United States. It was the first daily newspaper published solely for the film industry. It covered the latest trade news, film reviews, financial updates, informati ...

'' (September 13, 1931): "Great: Walt Disney and his assistants have turned out a synchronized cartoon comedy that will be hard to beat. It has all the Mother Goose rhymes worked into the story and the transposition from one to the other is accomplished by turning the pages of a huge story book. Drawings on the pages come to life and perform real laugh-making antics. Gags are new and plentiful. This one will make audiences laugh plenty."

Home media

The short was released on December 4, 2001, on '' Walt Disney Treasures: Silly Symphonies - The Historic Musical Animated Classics''.

References

External links

* 1930s Disney animated short films 1931 films Silly Symphonies Animated films based on nursery rhymes Films directed by Burt Gillett Films produced by Walt Disney American animated black-and-white films Columbia Pictures animated short films Columbia Pictures short films 1930s American films Disney animated films based on fairy tales 1931 animated short films {{Disney-animation-film-stub