El Flautista de Hamelín

This great classic short movie is underrated.

Please watch this movie with kids and take the hidden messages. If you lose control of temptations around you, what you get is what you got.

A Silly Symphony where a piper saves a town from rat infestation. However, he gets mad and takes revenge when the King refuses to pay him.

Lots of singing and sappy songs, with weird-acting characters and over-imaginative scenes. Definitely one of the more whimsical cartoons from Disney.

Grade C+

Oh y'all know how the story of the Piper goes! So I think the animation of this is pretty good, bit rough, not as well done as they were capable of, but it has a nice medieval-esc look to it, I get some proto-Pinocchio vibes from some of the town scenes. I like the opening action of the Mickey Mouse headed rats eating all the town's food in a very rhythmic and adorable fashion, there's some cute sight gags to enjoy during that part. I would have liked this short more if it wasn't for the slight deviation as to why the children of the town get taken away, I think it was a real mistake that to me makes the whole short feel a little off and unsatisfying, a lot of the old fairy tales get changed and softened over the years to make them less frightening, but when you tamper with the formula you can lose the vital lesson of the tale, how good or bad the lives of the children were before they were hypnotised away is besides the point. The moral of this particular story is meant to be a little unsettling and dark - go back on your word and break a promise and you may pay for it dearly one day... This short tries to make the ambiguous Pied Piper into some kind of hero who saves the children from lives of practical slavery to the cruel adults and takes them to a fantasy land of endless candy and playtime, even the crippled boy who couldn't keep up with the rest gets to join in the eternal fun - yuck! I also don't care for the bizarre moment when the Piper lures the rat horde into a giant piece of Swiss cheese and vanishes them into oblivion, but I do suppose they couldn't very well had them all march into the river and drown like in the story! It's not a horrible Symphony I just wish they'd have changed the story in a different and more interesting way than what they did but as it is I must conclude that they squandered one of the most haunting of fables for the sake of an unnecessary 'happy' ending. A poor rendition of a classic tale and not remotely one of my favourite chapters of a very varied and mostly wonderful series of vintage animations. X

We all know the story of the evil mayor of Hamelin who promises the Pied Piper a great reward for ridding the city of rats. But, of course, he decides not to pay up and the children of the city pay the price. The problem is that there is no repentance. The townspeople are just ignored at the end. Too saccharine.

With a few new twists on the classic poem, this is an interesting and charming Silly Symphony. What I loved most was the beautiful animation and the sweet, charming music that is playful, whimsical and simple. I found myself chanting along the townspeople in the chorus "Rats!Rats!We Gotta Get Rid of the Rats!" The characters aren't too bad either, the pied Piper of the title is very likable, the children are cute and the Mayor is seen as quite greedy and manipulative.

The pacing is a little uneven here, but compared to how much I enjoyed The Pied Piper it is a minor criticism. Overall, this is very enjoyable and charming with a few new and nice twists on the poem. 9/10 Bethany Cox