When Walt Disney introduced the first synchronized-sound cartoon, Steamboat Willie (1928), to the world, he knew that it was just the beginning to a series of innovative cartoons he could produce. The success of Mickey Mouse brought on more ideas in the studio to stay relevant, and one of these ideas was the Silly Symphonies cartoons. It started out as a short film idea - a trial run to see how it would do in theatres. The very first Silly Symphony was The Skeleton Dance in August 1929.

The Skeleton Dance (1929). Image from: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8n0J2c1aYpQ

The Skeleton Dance Composer Carl Stalling

Synchronized sound became a major part of storytelling after Mickey Mouse introduced it. Composer Carl Stalling began working with Disney as one of his earliest jobs after Walt spotted him directing an orchestra. He is credited for writing scores for the Mickey Mouse cartoons. He’s the genius behind the score for Plane Crazy, The Gallopin’ Gaucho, and the song “Minnie’s Yoo-Hoo”. In 1929, Stalling met with animator Ub Iwerks, the visionary behind the design and execution of Mickey Mouse. He pitched the idea of The Skeleton Dance, using music to tell the story of these skeleton who come to life.

“It was Stalling, also, who proposed the idea for the 1929 classic The Skeleton Dance and launched the Silly Symphonies series for Disney.”

— International Dictionary of Films and Filmmakers

Once the project was green-lit, Carl began developing a new system to make the process easier for musicians. This was called the “tick system”. He used the frames from the cartoon and created a steady beat that musicians could follow, since there is such a change in pace with cartoons every second. The first time Stalling tested it out was with The Skeleton Dance. This process is still used today and is called a click track.

Stalling ended up leaving the Disney studios in 1930, but came back every once in a while to work as a freelancer on projects. He also followed Ub to his new studio when he left Disney too in the 1930s. Carl Stalling is now best known for his work with Warner Bros.’ Looney Tunes series.

“We were all very good friends, Walt and Roy [Disney], Ub and I. My leaving turned out better for Walt and it turned out better for me.”

— Carl Stalling

The Skeleton Dance Animator Ub Iwerks

Ub Iwerks had been with Disney since their early days of chasing their dreams to be cartoonists. When Walt was ready to open his own little studio, Ub followed him, even with how much risk they were both taking. When they both found success with Mickey Mouse, Ub continued to be the main animator for most Disney projects until January 1930.

According to Mouse Planet, Ub went to a local library and found inspiration for the skeletons through Thomas Rowlandson’s drawings of skeletons. It’s also said that it was Ub’s idea to have the film be playful rather than on the scary side. It ended up taking Ub 6 weeks to animate the whole short.

The Skeleton Dance Story

The cartoon begins with an owl being startled up on a tree, a dog howling into the wind, and 2 cats fighting on top of gravestones. A menacing skeleton rises on top of the gravestone between them, and scares them away. The skeleton skips through the graveyard, removing his head and hitting the owl with it when he hears it cawing.

More skeletons appear from behind gravestones, dancing together, holding hands and swinging around in circles, and enjoying their night. At one point, one skeleton falls apart to turn into a xylophone for the other to play. Near the end of the 5 and a half minute cartoon, a rooster crows to signify morning, and all of the skeletons rush back into a grave.

The Skeleton Dance cats. Image from: https://bloody-disgusting.com/videos/3640022/skeleton-dance-one-fan-took-upon-remaster-disneys-1929-short-4k/

Theatrical Release

Many distributors were reluctant to show this new spooky film at first - it was not something that had really been done in the past, so the audience reception was a gamble. Walt operated on taking chances and hoping it would work out. Finally, Columbia Pictures distributed the film and the Los Angeles Carthay Circle Theater agreed to show his new film. It was the first cartoon the Carthay Circle had ever shown. It was released on August 22nd, 1929.

The Skeleton Dance was a major hit with audiences despite the odd reactions to the idea at first. It ended up being a Halloween hit, especially with big names like Variety and The Film Daily. In a Variety article from July 17th, 1929 (26 years to the day before Disneyland opened, by the way), they write:

“Title tells the story, but not the number of laughs included in this sounded cartoon short. The number is high. Peak is reached when one skeleton plays the spine of another in xylophone fashion, using a pair of thigh bones as hammers... All takes place in a graveyard. Don’t bring your children.”

— Variety

The Skeleton Dance Legacy

In 1994 Jerry Beck, an animation historian wrote a book titled “The 50 Greatest Cartoons: As Selected by 1,000 Animation Professionals”. The Skeleton Dance came in at #18, right after Popeye the Sailor Meets Sindbad the Sailor (1936) and right before Snow-White (1933) by Dave Fleischer.

The Skeleton Dance remains an important part of animation and film history. Not only was it the first Silly Symphony cartoon, but it also has a timeless, universal theme that can be presented every year. As discussed by Anya Stanley on the Shudder Blog in 2019, she brings up the theme of the danse macabre (dance of death). The cartoon mimics that theme, with the four skeletons all dancing together, no matter who they were in their previous lives. Anya says:

“Rather than presenting a dialogue between Death himself and his victims, the danse simply says that we are all connected in death: prince and pauper, liberal and conservative, man, woman, and child.”

— Anya Stanley (2019)

The Skeleton Dance is also credited for being the first non post-sync sound cartoon ever. This means that instead of the cartoon being made and then sound being added to it later, both the sound and the cartoon were made to be synonymous with each other. The music was being made at the same time as the animation.

The Skeleton Dance. Image from: https://geektyrant.com/news/the-classic-1929-animated-short-the-skeleton-dance-from-silly-symphony-gets-a-4k-remaster

Silly Symphonies Continue

Because the short was such a success, it only made sense to turn it into a full-blown musical series. The Silly Symphonies continued for another 10 years, promptly ending in 1939 as Disney began their venture into feature-length films. The Disney studio created 75 unique cartoons introducing so many important characters to their lore. These shorts carry the legacy of the important music plays in telling a story.

“The Silly Symphonies were started as an experiment. We used them to test and perfect the color and animation techniques employed later in full-length feature pictures like Cinderella, Snow White, and Fantasia.”

— Walt Disney

Reference list:

https://thekidshouldseethis.com/post/skeleton-dance-1929

https://mubi.com/lists/the-50-greatest-cartoons-as-selected-by-1000-animation-professionals

https://ohmy.disney.com/insider/2016/05/19/silly-symphonies/

https://www.shudder.com/blog/the-skeleton-dance-the-history-of-the-danse-macabre-and-more

https://www.awn.com/mag/issue2.1/articles/goldmark2.1.html

https://musicianguide.com/biographies/1608004257/Carl-Stalling.html

https://cartoons.fandom.com/wiki/Skeleton_Dance

https://d23.com/this-day/the-skeleton-dance-premieres/

https://www.mouseplanet.com/12776/The_Skeleton_Dance_Story

https://www.waltdisney.org/blog/skeleton-idea