Saturday, October 13, 2012

"The Grasshopper and the Ants" - Silly Symphonies (1934)


Silly Symphonies did some very memorable work during the 1930’s. Some of the things they did consisted of taking the best loved classics and turning them into cartoons. Not only did this save them time; and money; it also provided a platform from which to impart some values to the audience. Today this would be considered to be somehow offensive, but I have always enjoyed these sort of cartoons; in much the same way as I preferred “Illustrated Classics” to the super-hero comic books of my youth.

In this cartoon, the team at Silly Symphonies takes on the old Aesop Fable of the “Grasshopper and the Ant”, giving it a few twists and making it more palpable for a young audience. But in this cartoon, there is room for everyone as the Grasshopper learns a very valuable lesson about compassion, while picking up a work ethic in the process.

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