The creators for Disney had to sit down and say, "We're going to do more and more of these Silly Symphonies; what can we do next? This time it's all the clocks in a clock store. They dance; they emote; they fight. It works pretty well. They, of course, exhibit human qualities. The animation is quite pristine and it works.
7 Reviews
Lovely. I like time.
Foreverisacastironmess1232 November 2013
Warning: Spoilers
In yet another very distinctively themed animated short from the many and varied yet overall excellent Disney "Silly Symphonies" series, we get to see all kinds of timepieces dance and be merry in-time to charming music, which like any good Symphony, the short is entirely built around. And the musical theme that is featured here if you didn't know, was done by one Charles Orth and is appropriately titled: "In a Clock Store." Go figure! The look of the shop and some of the clocks reminded me a lot of the fantastic opening sequence of "Pinocchio" with all of Gepetto's magical clockwork wonders, the only part of "Basil the Great Mouse Detective" that I can comfortably say I love with the toystore sequence, and the uppity anthropomorphic clock character Cogsworth of "Beauty and the Beast" fame so many years later! It was a very cute and interesting idea for a short, but they didn't really do all that much with it, I thought. And the animation was okay, although in this case I thought the lack of colour hurt the short and held back the quality a lot. It just seemed kind of standard and plain to me. I would say that the main highlight for me was definitely the impressive realistic graceful motions of the two amazingly lifelike ballroom dancers - at the time the most detailed and human-looking figures yet to be seen in a Disney animation. There is the most brilliantly effortless sense of flow to their movements... It's a flawless little wedding of animated imagery and sound. Oh my, look at the time...gotta go!
I think that there's a nursery rhyme that starts out . . .
pixrox19 October 2021
Warning: Spoilers
. . . "Hickory dickery dock, the clock fought with the clock." Clearly this opening has provided the inspiration for THE CLOCK STORE. Some reviewers have faulted the animated shorts from Warner Bros. For "excessive violence." However, the inventor of "Silly Symphonies"--Carl W. Stalling--fled his one-year tenure at the Mouse House for the cozy confines of the Warner "Termite Terrace" cartoon studio as soon as he saw the storyboards for THE CLOCK STORE, involving all the time-after-time pugilistic mayhem. During his 24 years at Warner, Mr. Stalling scored the 1,000 greatest tunes of animation's Golden Age, thanks to THE CLOCK STORE.
I can't believe how much I liked the clocks!!
planktonrules18 August 2011
This is one of a butt-load of black & white shorts from the DVD set entitled "More Silly Symphonies"--from the Disney Treasures Collection. Like the other Symphonies, it consists of lots of action all set to music--and none of the usual Disney characters (such as Mickey). In this case, it is set in a clock shop. The clocks ring along with the music and even dance! Watches also manage to dance! I particularly liked the super-cute pocket watches (including the one with the WED engraving on it--for Walter Elias Disney) as well as the character clocks--you just need to see them for yourself to see what I mean.
Quality-wise, this is one of the better shorts in the series, as the animation is top-notch for a black & white (yes, I know, the later color ones were even nicer). The music is very enjoyable as well and the film should appeal mostly to older audiences and those who can appreciate the style of the Symphonies. I doubt that most kids would appreciate seeing more than a few of these well-made film, however, as their style is a bit old fashioned and the narrative is a bit thin--but for 1931 it's pretty amazing.
Quality-wise, this is one of the better shorts in the series, as the animation is top-notch for a black & white (yes, I know, the later color ones were even nicer). The music is very enjoyable as well and the film should appeal mostly to older audiences and those who can appreciate the style of the Symphonies. I doubt that most kids would appreciate seeing more than a few of these well-made film, however, as their style is a bit old fashioned and the narrative is a bit thin--but for 1931 it's pretty amazing.
Disney Takes A Tick Tock Tour
Ron Oliver1 November 2000
A Walt Disney SILLY SYMPHONY Cartoon Short.
With the coming on night, the denizens of THE CLOCK STORE all awake to dance & sway & pirouette to their rhythmical music.
There is virtually no plot in this little black & white film, until the boxing alarm clocks start their fisticuffs at the climax. The cartoon boasts a lovely opening scene, however, with the old lamplighter moving along the block, dispelling shadows. This one sequence hints at the quality Disney would display in later years.
The SILLY SYMPHONIES, which Walt Disney produced for a ten year period beginning in 1929, are among the most fascinating of all animated series. 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.
With the coming on night, the denizens of THE CLOCK STORE all awake to dance & sway & pirouette to their rhythmical music.
There is virtually no plot in this little black & white film, until the boxing alarm clocks start their fisticuffs at the climax. The cartoon boasts a lovely opening scene, however, with the old lamplighter moving along the block, dispelling shadows. This one sequence hints at the quality Disney would display in later years.
The SILLY SYMPHONIES, which Walt Disney produced for a ten year period beginning in 1929, are among the most fascinating of all animated series. 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.
One of the finest early Silly Symphonies
TheLittleSongbird10 July 2012
I have always had a soft spot for the Silly Symphonies, I have on the whole found them beautifully animated and orchestrated with good characters. The Clock Store is one of my favourites of not just the early Silly Symphonies but also overall. Story-wise it is thin, but it also has several interesting things to it and doesn't feel like an excuse to lump song and dance scenes together, not like other entries made around the same time. The animation is wonderful, the backgrounds have a certain smoothness to them, there are some very atmospheric effects and shadings and you can see a little of the Multiplane camera technique as well, but it was the character designs that really impressed, especially some of the most sophisticated and realistic human character designs I have seen for any cartoon. The music has always had lots of energy in this series of cartoons and even enhances the action. That is exactly what the music for The Clock Store does, such as in the lush ballroom sequence. The story even with the thin narrative structure is made entertaining by several scenes that really entertain and spark interest. The opening has a charming story-book feel to it, the ballroom sequence has lush music and truly great human animation and the scene with the Dutch boy and girl shows not just a sense of playfulness but also with the rounded facial features and clear expressions they do look real. The old man lighting the lamps was a lovely touch also. The characters are a delight, not just the old man, the people in the ballroom sequence and the little Dutch couple, but especially the clocks with a synchronised ringing of bells, Victorian clock figurines dancing and Grandfather/mother clocks dancing. Overall, can't recommend The Clock Store highly enough other than that I think it is one of the best examples of Disney Silly Symphonies. 10/10 Bethany Cox
Early Disney short which is just marvelous, with excellent animation and character development
llltdesq8 October 2014
Warning: Spoilers
This is an early short in the Silly Symphonies series produced by Disney. There will be spoilers ahead:
From start to finish, this is one of the better shorts in the Silly Symphonies series. Listen carefully during the opening credits and you hear a clock ticking. The opening scene begins with a lamplighter lighting three street lamps, the last on a corner near the clock store. You enter the clock store with a pan across the wall featuring various clocks, mostly with different times. There's a gag featuring a set of cuckoo clocks with the same time which chime the hour.
This leads into several group shots featuring alarm clocks, pocket watches and wrist watches, all of which have their own sequence. But that's just the beginning.
The short goes from those into some more extended and elaborate set pieces, featuring first some more ornate clocks for which words would not do justice-they must be seen. This series ends with two standing clocks dancing with one another, most beautifully animated.
Then comes the climax. Two alarm clocks are playing and dancing when a wall clock with a pendulum and mischief in its mainspring decides to trigger a fight. All three have faces and expressions throughout. The wall clock hits each alarm clock in turn, leading them to blame one another and eventually a fight breaks out. The end is interesting, so I won't spoil that here.
This short is available on the Disney Treasures More Silly Symphonies DVD set and well worth tracking down. Most highly recommended.
From start to finish, this is one of the better shorts in the Silly Symphonies series. Listen carefully during the opening credits and you hear a clock ticking. The opening scene begins with a lamplighter lighting three street lamps, the last on a corner near the clock store. You enter the clock store with a pan across the wall featuring various clocks, mostly with different times. There's a gag featuring a set of cuckoo clocks with the same time which chime the hour.
This leads into several group shots featuring alarm clocks, pocket watches and wrist watches, all of which have their own sequence. But that's just the beginning.
The short goes from those into some more extended and elaborate set pieces, featuring first some more ornate clocks for which words would not do justice-they must be seen. This series ends with two standing clocks dancing with one another, most beautifully animated.
Then comes the climax. Two alarm clocks are playing and dancing when a wall clock with a pendulum and mischief in its mainspring decides to trigger a fight. All three have faces and expressions throughout. The wall clock hits each alarm clock in turn, leading them to blame one another and eventually a fight breaks out. The end is interesting, so I won't spoil that here.
This short is available on the Disney Treasures More Silly Symphonies DVD set and well worth tracking down. Most highly recommended.
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