The most important innovation that accompanied Disney's switch to Technicolor was the animators' ability to communicate mood through their contrasting use of colour. 'The Grasshopper and the Ants (1934)' is a particularly good example of this. Note the bright and glorious reds, blues and green as the Grasshopper dances through his spring wonderland, playing his fiddle and exclaiming "the world owes us a living." As the season approaches its end, a dull overcast sky and the brown and grey hues of dying autumn leaves signal the end of the year's rich months; I particularly loved these shots, as they convey so effectively the ever-increasing sadness as dusk approaches, when your previously joyous recreations take on a subdued and distant air. The arrival of winter is forecast primarily by the white snow, and the Grasshopper's previously-green body becomes a sickly blue from frostbite. Meanwhile, in a surprising contrast, the mood inside the ants nest remains bright and festive, predominantly utilising deep reds to symbolise warmth, comfort and security.
Like several Silly Symphonies, 'The Grasshopper and the Ants' was adapted from an Aesop's Fable, and so tells an important story with a good moral. The Grasshopper, who is idly whittling away his spring, laughs off the ant-queen's suggestions that he prepare for the cold season, and soon finds himself frozen and hungry in the winter snow. Aesop's original tale had the Grasshopper being mercilessly turned away from the ant nest and perishing, but Walt Disney had a warmer heart than this; he offers the Grasshopper a winter-time refuge, on the single condition that he rightly earn his living by playing his fiddle for the colony. The Grasshopper was notably voiced by Pinto Colvig, who also voiced Goofy, and the song introduced here ("The World Owes Me a Living") would subsequently become Goofy's theme. Overall, this cartoon, directed by Wilfred Jackson, is nicely-animated, very entertaining and suitably touching. Similar Symphonies, telling a simple story with a nice moral, include 'The Ugly Duckling (1931 and 1939)' and 'The Tortoise and the Hare (1935)'
Like several Silly Symphonies, 'The Grasshopper and the Ants' was adapted from an Aesop's Fable, and so tells an important story with a good moral. The Grasshopper, who is idly whittling away his spring, laughs off the ant-queen's suggestions that he prepare for the cold season, and soon finds himself frozen and hungry in the winter snow. Aesop's original tale had the Grasshopper being mercilessly turned away from the ant nest and perishing, but Walt Disney had a warmer heart than this; he offers the Grasshopper a winter-time refuge, on the single condition that he rightly earn his living by playing his fiddle for the colony. The Grasshopper was notably voiced by Pinto Colvig, who also voiced Goofy, and the song introduced here ("The World Owes Me a Living") would subsequently become Goofy's theme. Overall, this cartoon, directed by Wilfred Jackson, is nicely-animated, very entertaining and suitably touching. Similar Symphonies, telling a simple story with a nice moral, include 'The Ugly Duckling (1931 and 1939)' and 'The Tortoise and the Hare (1935)'