Horst in Translation ([email protected]) "Music Land" is an American cartoon from 1935 and this means it is over 80 years already. Still it is a color and sound movie and at 9.5 minutes, it is a bit longer than most other cartoons from that era. The name of director Wilfred Jackson is one that shows film buffs immediately that here we got another Disney production, even without the inclusion of Mickey, which you may think if you are mislead by the picture here on imdb. Instead the characters are a group, or I should say two groups, of music instruments, namely string elements and wind instruments and there is a great deal of romance and drama in there, but neither of these two key parts of the film really convinced me I must admit. Still the ending with the metaphorical bridge of harmony was somewhat smart and it elevates everything before that a little bit, but not too much admittedly and certainly not to a level where I would recommend this one. I wonder what Pixar's take on humanized music instruments would be today. Back to this one here, I also felt the music was really underwhelming for a film that so much focuses on the subject of music (instruments). Looks-wise, it is as good as everything else by Disney from that era, but this alone osn't enough. Thumbs down from me. Watch another as this is nowhere near the best Disney had to offer during that time. A bit surprised by the high rating here.

MartinHafer Unlike some of Disney's Silly Symphony shorts, this one doesn't hold up so well today. Part of it is because the style of animation looks very dated. Part of it is because the story itself is very 1930s--when people actually LIKED insipid musical cartoons! Regardless, today it certainly does not rank as one of the better Disney shorts of the era.This short features lots of musical instruments in anthropomorphic form. It's the story of a lady violin and a young man saxophone and the difficulty that results when they fall in love and their families disapprove of such a mixed marriage! It's all set to big-band music and is animated using very splashy 1930s Technicolor. Not a great film but worth seeing--particularly if you are a nut about all things Disney.

Robert Reynolds Watching this short, I as struck by several points: first, that the "voices" of the various characters were the notes played by the instrument in question. Second, they actually "converse" in musical phrases with each other (surely by design, rather than by accident) throughout the cartoon. Third, Jazz and Classical music are more closely interrelated than many in either camp would feel comfortable acknowledging (at least publicly). There's a novelty to the use of music here through visual and audio cues, particularly in the latter third of the cartoon. One of the Silly Symphonies' shining moments, this belongs squarely at the top, along with Skeleton Dance and Flowers and Trees as among Disney's finest shorts.(Small spoiler) The "battle" sequence is absolutely marvelous and bears close scrutiny!Well worth watching. Most highly recommended.

Ron Oliver A Walt Disney SILLY SYMPHONY Cartoon Short.All is not peaceful in MUSIC LAND. The Land of Symphony and the Isle of Jazz are separated by the Sea of Discord, with very little chance of their disharmonious disagreements ever being soothed. So, when Prince Sax & Princess Violin fall in love, they precipitate a culture clash of Wagnerian proportions...This is one of the greatest cartoons of all time. For nine minutes it dazzles the viewer (and listener) with seemingly countless musical motifs. The Romeo & Juliet story is quite simple, but the Disney animators embellish it with a lush treatment which abounds in hidden gags & symbolism. (For example, notice the tune the Prince pens in his rescue note.) If there was ever a cartoon that demanded repeated viewing, this is it.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.