Strong and Moving!

Don't listen to the negative reviews

a film so unique, intoxicating and bizarre that it not only demands another viewing, but is also forgivable as a satirical comedy where the jokes eventually take the back seat.

One of those movie experiences that is so good it makes you realize you've been grading everything else on a curve.

In 1937, the Disney Studio and the Harman-Ising studio were in a jam. Disney was barely meeting the deadline for completing Snow White; They were at the inking and painting stage, but there was not enough people to complete it on time. MGM canceled their distribution contract with Harman-Ising after their films were running over budget. Walt contacted Harman-Ising and asked them if they could loan him their inking and painting department. In return Disney had them produce a Silly Symphony that was in development since 1935, Merbabies. Harman-Ising's cartoons for MGM were so lush that they could be almost mistaken for a Disney cartoon, which is probably why Disney warranted this consideration. Although, animation buffs and historians would be the only ones to notice that house style-wise, this does not resemble a Disney cartoon, but an MGM cartoon. Even Scott Bradley, the composer for virtually every MGM cartoon through the 1950's composed the score. Like most of the cartoons Harman-Ising directed, there isn't much story as there is lush visuals. It's mostly the Merbabies putting on an underwater show. I couldn't make sense out of the ending. Disney had Harman-Ising produced two additional cartoons for him, but RKO wouldn't allow this. It would be interesting to see if this was released as a Happy Harmony or a regular MGM cartoon. This makes for an interesting mash-up of two great animation studios. Worth checking out for the lush visuals and breathtaking musical score.

Merbabies was a truly enchanting short. The animation is stunning, with beautiful underwater backgrounds, and fluid movements, and the music was a delight to the ears and was strongly reminiscent of a Tchaikovsky ballet score. And it was a delight hearing Gossec's Gavotte.The characters, especially the adorable Merbabies, were completely likable and there are some truly entertaining bits, like the part when the seahorse tries to get through the hoop. I will admit, Merbabies is thin in terms of story, and I was saddened when the Merbabies turned to sea foam at the end.Still, it is very beautiful, and I would definitely watch it again. 9/10 Bethany Cox

Disney was busy trying to lift the art of animation to new heights by having his artists do an "under the sea" type of thing, long before anyone would be seeing films like PINOCCHIO or THE LITTLE MERMAID.MERBABIES is thin on plot but the art work is gorgeous and the visual elements are what make it worth watching. A dazzling array of sea creatures are having a circus-like parade that includes a number of sight gags with the creatures taking on the looks of elephants, donkeys, horses and other animals. Finally, just when the atmosphere couldn't be any cheerier, everyone scatters at the approach of a hard breathing whale (as in PINOCCHIO).The merbabies ride to the surface surrounded by a sea of bubbles and emerge atop the water, safe from the monstrous whale.Easy to see that Disney was doing experimental procedures for PINOCCHIO before its release two years later.Visually stunning, if a bit too cute for some tastes. All of the art work is first rate and much more impressive than in the earlier Disney shorts from '33 and onward.

A Walt Disney SILLY SYMPHONY Cartoon Short.The MERBABIES are frolicking beneath the salt waves - swimming & playing with various sea creatures. An elaborate underwater circus parade & performances fill much of their day, culminating in a rise to the surface in the expelled breath of a whale at sunset.While the plot is virtually invisible in this little film, there's much to fill the eye as the colorful images cavort about the screen. The real significance of this cartoon is that it gave the folks in Disney Animation some excellent experience in working with the particular aspects of underwater scenes (bubble movement, light & shadow) which would be so important in the under seas sequence in PINOCCHIO.The SILLY SYMPHONIES, which Walt Disney produced for a ten year period beginning in 1929, are among the most interesting of series in the field of animation. Unlike the Mickey Mouse cartoons in which action was paramount, with the Symphonies the action was made to fit the music. There was little plot in the early Symphonies, which featured lively inanimate objects and anthropomorphic plants & animals, all moving frantically to the soundtrack. Gradually, however, the Symphonies became the school where Walt's animators learned to work with color and began to experiment with plot, characterization & photographic special effects. The pages of Fable & Fairy Tale, Myth & Mother Goose were all mined to provide story lines and even Hollywood's musicals & celebrities were effectively spoofed. It was from this rich soil that Disney's feature-length animation was to spring. In 1939, with SNOW WHITE successfully behind him and PINOCCHIO & FANTASIA on the near horizon, Walt phased out the SILLY SYMPHONIES; they had run their course & served their purpose.