The Skeleton Dance (1929)

The clock strikes midnight, the bats fly from the belfry, a dog howls at the full moon, and two black cats fight in the cemetery: a perfect time for four skeletons to come out and dance a bit.

Director:

Walt Disney

Storyline

The night promises to be a scary one. Lightning flashes. The wind howls. A tree branch in the shape of a hand seems to grab for a frightened owl that spins its head around like a top. The clock on the church tower strikes midnight, sending the bats flying out of the belfry. Two cats on gravestones fight by pulling and stretching each other's noses like taffy. A skeleton rises from behind a gravestone, frightening the fur off the cats. But an owl's hooting scares it, and it retaliates by throwing its skull and knocking the bird's feathers off. It's time for the skeletons to dance; and they perform as no living creatures could.

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Plot Keywords:

skeleton | cat | dance | owl | midnight | 

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Taglines:

The greatest talking picture novelty ever screened! -- A laugh riot from start to finish! A comically clever cartoon classic with music, sound, and original effects

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Genres:

Animation | Family | Short | Comedy | Horror | Musical

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Certificate:

Approved

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

29 August 1929 (USA)

Also Known As:

A csontváztánc

Box Office

Budget:

$5,386 (estimated)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Walt Disney Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

6 min

Sound Mix:

Cinephone

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

"The Skeleton Dance" became the first cartoon that the Cartay Circle Theater in Los Angeles ever showed.

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Connections

Featured in Studio Tour (2002)

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Soundtracks

"March of the Dwarfs"
By Edvard Grieg

User Reviews

Maybe the first great work of animation and probably one of the first important sound films

Every second of those six minutes is perfect. What a creative little cartoon! This is Disney gold! Four skeletons awake from their graves and dance around, scaring black cats and owls alike. They turn each other into xylophones and do the Charleston! These are six of the most important minutes of film history! 10/10.