Monkey Melodies

I am rather inclined to disagree that this is one of the worst Silly Symphonies short animations, some of the earliest ones are so basic and rough that there's barely anything to enjoy in them, but this to me was a good one for what it is, it's a definite improvement over a cartoon like "Arctic Antics." There's a good sense of motion and weight to the characters and the environment as the monkey sweethearts swing and hop from branch to branch, as well as the impressive fluidity to the water near the end as they are chased across the river by the crocodile until they make it back to the jungle and share a smooch! The sound quality was just as sharp and scratchy as with the other Symphonies made at the time, but I didn't mind it with this short because they used it especially well alongside the toe-tapping animations! I love the backgrounds in the jungle scenes and how they tried out a little foreground work as the lovebirds made their way through the treetops, it effectively gave the environment more depth. I also liked how many different kinds of creatures there were and I found all of their motions to be very charming and cute. The vaudeville style cane-dancing crocs were a real highlight, just when you think you've seen it all!! It sure wasn't only focused on the monkeys, they really should have just named it Jungle Melodies! This very sweet-natured vintage animation is a nice little bit of innocent cartoon fun and I'd consider it to be one of the better earlier offerings of the Symphonies series. It isn't great but it does begin to display hints of the joyful magic that the series would be best remembered for, and this was certainly an adorable swing in the right direction for them! X

Another song and dance Silly Symphony, this time featuring swinging monkeys in the jungle. Other creatures join in the fun as well, including hungry crocodiles. The monkeys' run-ins with other animals such as a leopard and snake were pretty funny as well. Over than that, another simple, average cartoon.

Grade C+

A Walt Disney SILLY SYMPHONY Cartoon Short.

It's a jolly day in the jungle and the various & sundry simians are making MONKEY MELODIES. Two amorous little banana eaters allow their monkeyshines to lead them into unexpected danger...

A pleasant black & white cartoon, with considerable action/reaction animation. As its title implies, the plot is largely driven by the tuneful soundtrack. This is possibly the only place you'll ever find a spoof of minstrel shows performed by crocodiles.

The SILLY SYMPHONIES, which Walt Disney produced for a ten year period beginning in 1929, are among the most interesting of series in the field of animation. Unlike the Mickey Mouse cartoons in which action was paramount, with the Symphonies the action was made to fit the music. There was little plot in the early Symphonies, which featured lively inanimate objects and anthropomorphic plants & animals, all moving frantically to the soundtrack. Gradually, however, the Symphonies became the school where Walt's animators learned to work with color and began to experiment with plot, characterization & photographic special effects. The pages of Fable & Fairy Tale, Myth & Mother Goose were all mined to provide story lines and even Hollywood's musicals & celebrities were effectively spoofed. It was from this rich soil that Disney's feature-length animation was to spring. In 1939, with SNOW WHITE successfully behind him and PINOCCHIO & FANTASIA on the near horizon, Walt phased out the SILLY SYMPHONIES; they had run their course & served their purpose.

Monkey Melodies is no Skeleton Dance, but it is an improvement on El Terrible Toreador, The Merry Dwarfs and Cannibal Capers and has more interest to Arctic Antics and Frollicking Fish. The story is a familiar set up, but everything is done in a lively manner. Complete with niftily choreographed dancing, energetic music, crisp pacing and likable, engaging characters, the main positive asset about Monkey Melodies is the animation, not just fluid and smooth but also one of the more detailed Silly Symphonies in terms of animation such as with the water effects and the dancing through the treetops. All in all, very enjoyable from an animation perspective and one of the better early efforts from the Silly Symphony cartoons. 8/10 Bethany Cox

I don't mean to be too critical, but most of these Silly Symphonies use the same stuff time after time. In this one, a pair of monkeys have a day in the jungle. There is the usual romance with lots of kissing and fooling around. But the main feature is their response to a series of predators. They are definitely low on the food chain and must escape time after time. Some of their antics are interesting, but most I've seen done on other cartoons from the same studio.