Hell's Bells

My guess: this is teaching kids and adults that if you end up in Hell then the devil will still get you for not obeying him but if you are good you can still overcome the devil. Really I have no idea of the message of this cartoon - lol - but it's really cute! Short and sweet, just under 6 minutes long but some great Halloween/Gothic imagery as eye-candy.

I love these old styled cartoons - nothing like them anymore. And I would love to have a DVD full of these old Gothic/Halloween creepy cartoons like this to watch anytime of the year. Disney's stuff today can't compare to their stuff of yesteryear - this is the real Walt Disney stuff you see in this cartoon! It comes straight off his comics, when he first got started good. Awesome stuff! 10/10

By the late 1930s, Disney had developed a reputation for polished, wholesome entertainment, and so I'm betting that they could never have released a cartoon about the fiery devils and imps that lurk in Hell. However, the late 1920s were a different matter, and short films like 'The Skeleton Dance (1929)' and 'Haunted House (1929)' exhibited distinct elements from the horror genre, though always with a comical campiness that usually went down well with the little ones. It's films such as these that demonstrate the innovation and forward-thinking that propelled Walt Disney into animation super-stardom. 'Hell's Bells (1929)' is a somewhat comical look at the creatures of Hell, where fire and brimstone burn the nostrils, and where devilish imps dance to classical music. The film opens with an assortment of bizarre fire-dwellers, including a winged-serpent, a three-headed dog, and an enormous spider that swings from its web and engulfs the entire camera (and, by implication, the audience) in its mouth.

Dancing is then provided in great abundance. Interestingly, 'Hell's Bells' utilises two musical pieces that I was able to identify from memory: the first, Charles Gounod's "Funeral March of a Marionette," is most recognisable as the main theme from "Alfred Hitchcock Presents (1955-1962); the second piece is Edvard Grieg's well-known "In the Hall of the Mountain King." This excellent soundtrack selection provides an enjoyable soundtrack for director Ub Iwerks' musical exploration of life below the Earth's core. Though there is little story to speak of, a brief sub-plot opens up when the Devil tries to feed one of his servant imps to the three-headed dog, only to find that this little guy is less-than-willing to sacrifice himself. Oh, and there's also a weird-looking cow/dragon that dispenses fire from its udder, for the drinking enjoyment of Satan. If all this Hellishness sounds like your kind of cartoon, then commit a sin, sit down and enjoy a supreme piece of Disney musical weirdness.

Disney teams up with weirdo animator Ub Iwerks to make an effective 6-minute opener for any flick you may decide to watch on Halloween. It's musical, as most of these "earlies" are, but you can take it... FREE ONLINE.

Only Disney could create a cartoon sequence depicting Hell to look story-intriguing, with its catchy music, interesting characters, and whimsical plot. Here, the demons play music for Satan, but one becomes insubordinate and, as a result, literally all hell breaks loose.

There's some laughable moments, especially the title that somehow just rings well with the cartoon. And, as with older Disney cartoons, the animators and storytellers don't shy away from political incorrectness, over-protection, and over sensitivity. Overall, not a bad cartoon.

Grade B

The Disney Silly Symphonies were part of my childhood, and I still love a lot of them to this day. Hell's Bells is not quite one of my favourites, the story is slight and one of the characters is a mix of a cow and a dragon and although maybe deliberate it was nonetheless weird to watch. However, it is wonderfully animated, the black and white is stylish and atmospheric, while the characters are generally well-proportioned. The music is outstanding, dynamic and and sometimes devilish-sounding. The obvious standout is Grieg's Hall of the Mountain King, though Gounod's Funeral March of a Marionette(originally written for piano and best remembered as the theme of Alfred Hitchcock Presents) and a small excerpt of Mendelssohn's Hebrides Overture. And the dancing is niftily choreographed and fits so well rhythmically with the music, especially in the Gounod. The characters are engaging too, none of them are developed well but this is not that kind of cartoons, besides they are a nice mix of the charming and satanic. All in all, fun and weird indeed, second only perhaps to The Goddess of Spring as the most compellingly weird of their cartoons. 8/10 Bethany Cox