Hell's Bells vs. The Skeleton Dance

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These two early sounds cartoons under Disney's Silly Symphonies banner are good indicators of the changing times and attitudes in the world. A scary cemetery and Hell are not really two locations you'd find in a children's cartoon these days. And make no mistake about it, they're both pretty creepy cartoons. Watching them both late at night with the lights turned off will lead to some overactive imaginations. The Skeleton Dance is very good, displaying Disney and Iwerks' ability to blend music and animation. The skeletons are scary yet funny, and the melody will get stuck in your head for a frustrating amount of hours. Hell's Bells is just not as good as The Skeleton Dance. However, it's worth it to see how much shenanigans people were able to cram into a pre-Hayes code endeavour (hint: a surprising amount for a six-minute short). They're both worth watching at least once, but you actually might care to watch The Skeleton Dance again. Like fine wine, these cartoons should be paired up with something else; in this case other, longer horror movies. Pair The Skeleton Dance with Frankenstein, and match Hell's Bells with Dracula for a fun night at the movies.