The Bird Store (1932)

A pet shop specializing in birds. The various caged birds chirp along to the score in their various styles (including a set of birds that looks like the Marx Brothers). A cat eyes the ... See full summary »

Storyline

A pet shop specializing in birds. The various caged birds chirp along to the score in their various styles (including a set of birds that looks like the Marx Brothers). A cat eyes the proceedings hungrily and makes his way in through an open transom, causing panic and an organized counterattack.

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Plot Keywords:

bird | shop | cat | pet shop | feather | 

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Genres:

Comedy | Animation | Musical | Family | Short

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Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

16 January 1932 (USA)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Walt Disney Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

7 min

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Black and White

Did You Know?

Connections

Featured in Ink & Paint Club: Silly Symphonies Go to the Birds (1998)

User Reviews

Ties with El Terrible Toreador as the worst Disney Silly Symphony

I say this with a heavy heart, as I love the Disney Silly Symphonies in general. They are fun and charming with beautiful animation and music as well as some endearing characters. I found little of that evident with The Bird Store, as a matter of fact it ties with El Terrible Toreador as not only the worst Silly Symphony but also my least favourite also. The only good things are the unique character designs of the birds, the energetic music(and even that asset has been better before and since The Bird Store), the gag where the bird is chirping in love to another while another set has one chirping with its mate crying is decent if over too quick and the character of the parrot, the only character to really stand out.

The cat also showed promise to work, but in the end it was all wasted potential, what the character is made to do is nothing new or even fun. The birds are cute and look unique, especially the ones that look as though they had just come out of Cannibal Capers, but nothing is done beyond that. Apart from the character designs, the animation is a disappointment, the black and white lacks crispness and the backgrounds are really sparse-looking. Few of the gags worked also, a couple did so, but even they were only mildly amusing rather than hilarious. But the main problem is that aside from the lack of freshness the gags are over too soon and the ones that follow on and on become increasingly irrelevant from one another. Another big letdown was the story, now there were other cartoons that had little plot but the content showed more originality in those than here. The first half of The Bird Store is not just plot-less, it's also dull. The second half is a little better as we get some hint of a story, but the bland and unoriginal action hinders it.

So overall, really disappointing. While not irredeemable it is a big step down in quality compared to the usual standard of this generally fine series of cartoon shorts. 4/10 Bethany Cox