“Skeleton Dance” anticipates Ghastly Dreadfuls
October 29, 2008 at 5:30 pm by Curt Holman in A&EThis week’s cover story on “Creepy Cabarets” talks about Atlanta’s Halloween-themed shows, most notably The Ghastly Dreadfuls II at the Center for Puppetry Arts. One of the highlights is the “Danse Macabre” segment, a live rendition of Saint-Saens’ famously eerie composition as a graveyard jamboree. Trick puppets feature witches on errant broomsticks, ghosts giving birth to little haints, and skeletons that guzzle alcohol, make out, split apart and snap back together. A hold-over from the Center’s original Ghastly Dreadfuls, “Danse Macabre” seems clearly inspired by the 1929 animated short “Skeleton Dance.” Produced by Walt Disney and animated by the great Ub Iwerks, the Silly Symphony installment “Skeleton Dance” was voted #18 of the 50 Greatest Cartoons of all time, and is the perfect treat to get you in the mood for All Hallow’s Eve:
Leave a Reply