Day 1: Them Bones

October 1, 2022

Dear Disney,

When I was four, my mother would take me to the local Carnegie Library to pick out a book that she would read to me and to participate in the children’s programs.  The library would set up a projector and play three cartoon shorts for anyone, but specifically children, to watch.  

The first time I watched “The Skeleton Dance” was in one of those children’s programs. It was early October, the live oak trees that flanked the path towards the library had already dropped most of their leaves.  An early fall rainstorm had come the night before and I remember my mom telling me not to get wet as I jumped into the puddles on the way into the library.  

Through the eyes of my four-year-old self, I remember the steps being grand and many.  I walked up those steps and into the library.  My mom walked me the rest of the way into the library's small auditorium, guided me to my seat, and told me that she would be back soon.  I remember that I watched three shorts that day, just like I watched every week, but the only short that I remember was “The Skeleton Dance.”

I remember that the songs and visuals both captivated me and frightened me.  Four-year-old me was not very brave.  I remember when the skeleton came forward as if to lunge or bite the audience, I shrieked.

It had been years since I watched “The Skeleton Dance.” I pulled up the Disney+ app to watch it for our reviews of Halloween movies and was frustrated that it was not on the app.  Thankfully, the Walt Disney Animated Studies YouTube page had the short in its entirety for everyone to enjoy.  I watched it as an adult, trying to see it through the lens of a four-year-old and as an adult.   

The 1929 short film “The Skeleton Dance” was Silly Symphonies first of 75 shorts.  The films originally focused on whimsical animations combined with pieces of classical music.  “The Skeleton Dance” brought the music of Edvard Grieg’s “March of the Trolls” together in a delightfully macabre piece of art.  

Ub Iwerks was a genius.  The animations are smooth and spooky.  The “March of the Trolls” is perfect as well. The timing is wonderful between the animations and the music. 

When the short was originally released the populace found it too macabre for general audiences. For four-year-old Jim, the short awakened something in my imagination that has never been fully realized. For modern audiences, the piece is quaint and delightful and, still, a bit spooky.  The short brings me back to memories of the Halloween season.  “The Skeleton Dance” is a great start to any harvest and Halloween festivities.

Sincerely yours,

Jim Dear