They're about 8 minutes long, which I find is the perfect length of time to park Hank in front of the screen when I need a Sanity Moment. Some of the Silly Symphonies go back to the 1930's. They give an interesting glimpse of the times they were made in, and they're just good, retro fun. For this Works for Me Wednesday, here are our top faves.
- Pluto's Christmas Tree (1952). Featuring Chip and Dale. Hank loves it when Pluto attacks the tree.
- The Night Before Christmas (1933). All the toys coming to life is a real attention-grabber.
- The Three Little Pigs (1933). Not Christmasy, but this one has me completely riveted. It has the song, "Who's Afraid of the Big Bad Wolf," and at one point, when the Wolf dresses up as a Fuller Brush salesman to try to get into the brick house, he is clearly supposed to look like the stereotype of the hook-nosed Jewish peddler. The image is jaw-dropping. Oh, the golden years! (There is actually an interesting history to this scene, and how it was taken out, put in, taken out, and actually put back in the cartoon when it was rereleased in 1996.) Also, Hank is fascinated by the end where the Wolf burns his butt in the pig's fireplace.
- The Ugly Duckling (1939). This is the sentimental favorite of mine, and almost a tearjerker. Laura won't watch it because she thinks it's too sad, even though the baby swan finds his mama at the end. The great thing about finding these cartoons on YouTube is that they tell stories and fables that cartoons today don't adapt. I didn't know until we watched this that Laura didn't know the story of the Ugly Duckling. The classics really are brand new for those who do not know them.
So, classic cartoons on YouTube work for me! The kids really enjoy watching these, and they love being able to choose what they like off the little list we made for them. With more and more TV available over the internet, I am this close to canceling the cable. Once I've watched my entire Tivo'd backlog of "House," that is.
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House is also on Hulu. After that, there will be nothing aside from Daily Show you even want. Seriously, it's a gift of time. More for the internet, actually.
Houston showed the kids some Buster Keaton movies. They giggled and wanted more. Have you ever seen those? The man was freaking incredible. The kids love it.
Thanks for the links!
We just decided to get rid of cable too. Who needs it?
Hope you guys had a great Thanksgiving! I went to Target yesterday and bought one of those felt garlands. Haven't decided where to put it yet, but how can you pass up $2?! Thanks for the tip!!
Becky -- You are so right! These cartoons are classics. When I bought our first VCR in the mid-1980s for my now 20-something-daughters, the Disney Christmas movies were some of their favorites to watch. Good times! Thanks for the memories.
We love these old cartoons. I can see what we are watching on Christmas eve between Scrooged & Muppet's Christmas Carole.
I'm so glad you told us where you found them. To all you guys who love the oldies, try Underdog. I found a bunch on ebay (old tattered VHS tapes) and put them on DVDs. They are GREAT. And Tom and Jerry (where only the calves and feet of the black housekeeper appear -- Whoopie Goldberg did a great intro in this aspect). I'll stop while I'm ahead here -- get me started on the old stuff and I can't stop.
Eliminated much of my cable this afternoon. Alas, our Waltons DVDs are preparing us for the Great Depression redux.
Turner Classic Movies is going to b e showing a ton of non-animated classics starting this week. I can't wait!
Good stuff! That was like finding hidden treasure!
Thanks for posting these! I bet my kids would love them. We did a whole Charlie Brown Thanksgiving day last month using the video from the internet, followed by a meal of toast, jelly beans and popcorn. They loved it.
I'm with you! I didn't get our backlog of House watched before the dvr had to go after we cancelled Dish. :-( I guess that shows that I really don't need it anyway. I'm just going to catch it on netflix next year. I know it's on Hulu, but I got too far behind, and they only keep the last three episodes.
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