Disney's Silly Symphonies were the gold standard for mood pieces, development of technique, and character acting in the 1930s. Early on, they were simply characters singing and dancing with little plot to speak of.
Goddess Of Spring marked a significant change in Disney animation in many ways. This was the first time a serious story with conflict was told. Yes, there are still the hallmarks of singing and dancing, but this is done with a lot more sophistication. There are scenes with drama, contrasted with light hearted moments. Disney arguably nailed down the concept of a complex antagonist very early. Pluto, the God of Hades, isn't an outright villain and wants to make Perisphone happy and is willing to compromise with her.
This was also an early attempt to animate human characters and it did not go over so well. Other studios, such as Fleischer and Harman-Ising had done it earlier, but relied on rotoscope or kept scenes limited. There wasn't any real attempt to seriously tackle the challenge of doing it freeform until this short. The Disney crew recognized they needed more practice.
During the next three years, the studio honed all the accomplishments and attempts done in this short with marvelous outcomes. This culminated in Snow White. So much was achieved in three years.
Regardless, this still holds up very well today as a great mood piece. Director Wilfred Jackson deserves mention for his eye for atmospheric filmmaking. One of Disney's all time greatest.
Goddess Of Spring marked a significant change in Disney animation in many ways. This was the first time a serious story with conflict was told. Yes, there are still the hallmarks of singing and dancing, but this is done with a lot more sophistication. There are scenes with drama, contrasted with light hearted moments. Disney arguably nailed down the concept of a complex antagonist very early. Pluto, the God of Hades, isn't an outright villain and wants to make Perisphone happy and is willing to compromise with her.
This was also an early attempt to animate human characters and it did not go over so well. Other studios, such as Fleischer and Harman-Ising had done it earlier, but relied on rotoscope or kept scenes limited. There wasn't any real attempt to seriously tackle the challenge of doing it freeform until this short. The Disney crew recognized they needed more practice.
During the next three years, the studio honed all the accomplishments and attempts done in this short with marvelous outcomes. This culminated in Snow White. So much was achieved in three years.
Regardless, this still holds up very well today as a great mood piece. Director Wilfred Jackson deserves mention for his eye for atmospheric filmmaking. One of Disney's all time greatest.