Classic Shorts Showcase: Midnight In A Toy Shop

Hello & welcome back to A Look at Disney. And it's been a while since I've done a Showcase review.  I don't know why but these things happen.  Anyways, we are back with a new Showcase review as we head back to 1930 to look at Midnight In A Toy Shop.

The Plot

Like the earlier Silly Symphony shorts, there isn't much of a plot to be found here.  The basic set up is that, on a cold wintry night, a spider tries to shelter from the cold.  And goes inside a toy shop and after some time, the toys come to life.   Yes,  this is one the earliest examples of toys coming to life in story telling.  And it's handled rather well.  The spider has some fun at first such as perhaps providing inspiration for the piano scene in Big.

We do see, The Spider get scared in some scenes  And some of the other toys coming to life don't have much interaction with The Spider. Such as this particular scene.

Yes, this short does include a Mammy scene.  And well, it's best to keep in mind, when this short came out, that this was more acceptable.  That doesn't excuse it but that puts it in context.  Until 2006,  when this short was released on the More Silly Symphonies DVD, this scene was censored.  And I do understand why it was but I do appreciate that the edit of the short that I saw included this scene.  Even though, in the grand scheme of things,  it's entirely pointless.  The Spider ends up running back outside after accidentally setting off some firecrackers.  

   

And that is how the short ends.  To be honest, this short is just okay.  It's not bad but it's not one of the better early Silly Symphony shorts.  Again, not bad but not something that you have to go out of your way to see.

Character

Spider

The Spider may  have been the character that we started the short with but as the events of the short went on,  he was really pushed to the side lines.   So, that the animators could show more of the toys coming to life.

My Final Thoughts

Again, this short isn't bad but it's not one that you need to check out.  It's on YouTube, if you are curious.  It's alright but that's the best that I can say about it.