The Merry Dwarfs

Before you can get to see "Cannibal Capers" and a few other 'special' cartoons on the "Walt Disney Treasures: More Silly Symphonies" DVD set, you are forced to watch an introduction by Leonard Maltin. He talks about the times in which they were made and how politically incorrect the films are. I am not against this, but hate how once you view it, you must ALWAYS view Maltin's speech again if you come back to any of the offensive cartoons. The same thing happens in some of the other Treasures DVDS--such as the second Donald Duck set.

My assumption why this was among the few 'bad' cartoons in the set that needed a special introduction is that it uses the word dwarfs. It could also be because they are rolling a barrel of beer. All I know is that the dwarfs in question look more like Brownies or Pixies--and I don't think any attempt was being made to make fun of dwarfism or little people. Perhaps there's something else about this one that offends that I am missing. All I knew is that compared to the rest of the films on the DVD, this one is pretty dull.

A rather mediocre and dull cartoon featuring dancing dwarfs. The beginning piece of music, Verdi's Anvil Chorus, was catchy and a treat to listen to. But, the rest of the music as follows was just average.

Not an entertaining cartoon at all.

Grade D

Oh my, some of these earliest Silly Symphonies sure were horrendously rough around the edges! But that's okay, it's very understandable that it was a little 'up in the air' as far as artistry was concerned at this point in time, everybody was still honing their craft, and you can't make an omelet without breaking eggs, and this one is definitely a busted egg! So it has dwarfs, cool. I love fantasy creatures, but the ones that feature here are pretty unlovable and insipid creations. They're just not cute, I don't like their ugly elastic limbs, and the way that they're all identical. And aren't dwarfs supposed to be a mite bigger than that? They're more like elves or pixies. I do like when they show stuff like the cricket-drawn little carriage and when they're hammering the anvils that spark, but it's not like that for very long, there's simply not much to it at all, it just becomes so many tipsy little dwarfs prancing and dancing it up. I did like the ending when the hideous barren background becomes all wavy, it was unexpected and a little bizarre. The drunken antics and how it ended made me wonder if they kept elements of the idea in mind and later used them in the classic gem Dumbo. Anyway if anyone would like to see some other animated shorts to feature dwarfs that are actually quite good I'd strongly recommend "The Sunshine Makers" and the Happy Harmony "To Spring" This though.. well it's quite boring but kinda cute and enjoyable I guess. I don't really see how anyone could seriously find it great or anything.. To me it's mildly enjoyable..it's just not a favourite!

I'm not a critical viewer of these animated things, but this one was just plain dull. What they did was create a basic image of their dwarf and then made carbon copies. They then lined them up and created dance sequences where they appeared to dance side by side. The problem was that dancing was all they did. The dances were surprisingly alike. There was no plot other than they were sort of having some sort of beer binge. There were a couple variations, but they, too, were not interesting.

As I have said many times before, it is not as if I don't like Disney. I am a great fan, and I love most of the Disney cartoons, especially Babes in the Woods, Skeleton Dance, The Tortoise and the Hare, The Goddess of Spring, Father Noah's Ark, The Old Mill, The Whale Who Wanted to Sing at the Met, Symphony Hour, The Band Concert and especially Flowers and Trees. The Merry Dwarfs just didn't do much for me. Granted it is not the worst Disney cartoon, that's El Terrible Toreador, but apart from some good animation, some nicely choreographed dancing some great music and a few good moments with one of the dwarfs impersonating a female, the blacksmith putting shoes on a grasshopper and an experimental-style ending it is a rather dull cartoon. Sadly what makes The Merry Dwarfs dull from my perspective was a story that never comes to life even in its storybook-like form, characters that are cute but rather bland and while well choreographed the dancing just goes on and on and on making The Merry Dwarfs rather tedious. Overall, not a bad cartoon but I can't really recommend it other than for historical value. 5/10 Bethany Cox