Скачать или смотреть Walt Disney's Silly Symphony - "Midnight in a Toy Shop" (Uncensored) (Public Domain)

Released in 1930, Midnight in a Toy Shop is a Silly Symphony directed by Wilfred Jackson, with music arranged by Bert Lewis. Set during a snowy night, the short unfolds inside an old toy store, where a spider takes shelter from a winter storm and soon discovers that the shop’s toys magically come to life after dark.

The cartoon is built around a series of atmospheric and whimsical musical set pieces, with a score incorporating Edward MacDowell’s Sechs Gedichte nach H. Heine, Léo Delibes’ Pizzicato Polka, Andrew Hermann’s Cocoanut Dance, and Adebert Kéler-Béla’s Lustspiel-Ouverture. As with many Silly Symphonies, the narrative is secondary to mood, movement, and music-driven spectacle.

Animation was provided by Wilfred Jackson, Dave Hand, Les Clark, Ben Sharpsteen, and Norm Ferguson—artists who were increasingly shaping Disney’s post-Iwerks identity through refined character animation and staging.

Content advisory: Midnight in a Toy Shop includes a sequence involving toy dolls that reflects racial stereotypes common in American entertainment of the era. In one dance routine, two white dolls trigger a recorded “mommy” sound effect when bending over, while a Black rag doll joins the routine using the term “mammy,” leaning into a blackface trope. This scene was removed from later re-releases. The short is presented here in its original form for historical accuracy and educational purposes, not as an endorsement of these depictions.

The film holds a unique place in Disney distribution history. It is the only black-and-white Silly Symphony to receive a 16mm print made available for the home market, issued in 1948, when it was retitled Christmas in Toyland—a reflection of its snowy setting and toy-themed imagery.

Now in the public domain, Midnight in a Toy Shop stands as both a hauntingly beautiful early Disney fantasy and a reminder of the evolving cultural standards that shape how classic animation is viewed today.

Join this channel to get access to perks:
   / @laughingplace