Hell's Bells

This takes place in Hell. It seems like a reasonable pleasant place. Satan holds forth and the creatures seem to get along just fine. The animation here is pretty poor, the plot is minimal, and music borrowed from the classics. Basically, Satan makes life (or death) miserable for anyone he doesn't like. He feeds his minions to other creatures. Since they are supposedly already dead, will they return? A very average effort, certainly.

My guess: this is teaching kids and adults that if you end up in Hell then the devil will still get you for not obeying him but if you are good you can still overcome the devil. Really I have no idea of the message of this cartoon - lol - but it's really cute! Short and sweet, just under 6 minutes long but some great Halloween/Gothic imagery as eye-candy.

I love these old styled cartoons - nothing like them anymore. And I would love to have a DVD full of these old Gothic/Halloween creepy cartoons like this to watch anytime of the year. Disney's stuff today can't compare to their stuff of yesteryear - this is the real Walt Disney stuff you see in this cartoon! It comes straight off his comics, when he first got started good. Awesome stuff! 10/10

For anyone who thinks that films were very bland and avoided dark topics in the 'good old days', then try watching "Hell's Bells". I'll say it's a dark film! In fact, what can be darker than setting it in Hell! Yes, a children's cartoon in Hell--and many, many decades before the South Park movie!!

It's a cartoon from Disney marketed under the Silly Symphonies umbrella--a series of cartoons that featured lost of singing and dancing and not the familiar Disney characters like Mickey or Goofy. In this case, various demons and animals cavort about--having a pretty good time in jolly old Hell!

The cartoon is black & white (the norm for 1929) and has some very nice classical music. While audiences of today probably won't be bowled over by the film (aside from its locale), for the time it was quite the achievement. Worth seeing if you love old cartoons--for others it might be a bit of a chore.

By the late 1930s, Disney had developed a reputation for polished, wholesome entertainment, and so I'm betting that they could never have released a cartoon about the fiery devils and imps that lurk in Hell. However, the late 1920s were a different matter, and short films like 'The Skeleton Dance (1929)' and 'Haunted House (1929)' exhibited distinct elements from the horror genre, though always with a comical campiness that usually went down well with the little ones. It's films such as these that demonstrate the innovation and forward-thinking that propelled Walt Disney into animation super-stardom. 'Hell's Bells (1929)' is a somewhat comical look at the creatures of Hell, where fire and brimstone burn the nostrils, and where devilish imps dance to classical music. The film opens with an assortment of bizarre fire-dwellers, including a winged-serpent, a three-headed dog, and an enormous spider that swings from its web and engulfs the entire camera (and, by implication, the audience) in its mouth.

Dancing is then provided in great abundance. Interestingly, 'Hell's Bells' utilises two musical pieces that I was able to identify from memory: the first, Charles Gounod's "Funeral March of a Marionette," is most recognisable as the main theme from "Alfred Hitchcock Presents (1955-1962); the second piece is Edvard Grieg's well-known "In the Hall of the Mountain King." This excellent soundtrack selection provides an enjoyable soundtrack for director Ub Iwerks' musical exploration of life below the Earth's core. Though there is little story to speak of, a brief sub-plot opens up when the Devil tries to feed one of his servant imps to the three-headed dog, only to find that this little guy is less-than-willing to sacrifice himself. Oh, and there's also a weird-looking cow/dragon that dispenses fire from its udder, for the drinking enjoyment of Satan. If all this Hellishness sounds like your kind of cartoon, then commit a sin, sit down and enjoy a supreme piece of Disney musical weirdness.

Disney teams up with weirdo animator Ub Iwerks to make an effective 6-minute opener for any flick you may decide to watch on Halloween. It's musical, as most of these "earlies" are, but you can take it... FREE ONLINE.