Oh my, some of these earliest Silly Symphonies sure were horrendously rough around the edges! But that's okay, it's very understandable that it was a little 'up in the air' as far as artistry was concerned at this point in time, everybody was still honing their craft, and you can't make an omelet without breaking eggs, and this one is definitely a busted egg! So it has dwarfs, cool. I love fantasy creatures, but the ones that feature here are pretty unlovable and insipid creations. They're just not cute, I don't like their ugly elastic limbs, and the way that they're all identical. And aren't dwarfs supposed to be a mite bigger than that? They're more like elves or pixies. I do like when they show stuff like the cricket-drawn little carriage and when they're hammering the anvils that spark, but it's not like that for very long, there's simply not much to it at all, it just becomes so many tipsy little dwarfs prancing and dancing it up. I did like the ending when the hideous barren background becomes all wavy, it was unexpected and a little bizarre. The drunken antics and how it ended made me wonder if they kept elements of the idea in mind and later used them in the classic gem Dumbo. Anyway if anyone would like to see some other animated shorts to feature dwarfs that are actually quite good I'd strongly recommend "The Sunshine Makers" and the Happy Harmony "To Spring" This though.. well it's quite boring but kinda cute and enjoyable I guess. I don't really see how anyone could seriously find it great or anything.. To me it's mildly enjoyable..it's just not a favourite!
Review of The Merry Dwarfs
