Cock o' the Walk (1935)

Must See Movie...

it is finally so absorbing because it plays like a lyrical road odyssey that’s also a detective story.

It's a good bad... and worth a popcorn matinée. While it's easy to lament what could have been...

Story: It's very simple but honestly that is fine.

This is a little fun Silly Symphony cartoon, where a bunch of barnyard animals dance to some catchy tunes (the dance sequence between the chick and the worm was my favorite). The animation was great, as it captures the color and spirit of the animals and music. Then, the boxing match between the two roosters - the lady's man vs. the odd-man-out was rather exciting. Grade B

Not a favourite by all means, but I still like it very much. The story is on the weak side somewhat, but the high energy, glitzy glamour and festival atmosphere more than make it up. The animation is colourful and fluid, though I think Cock o'the Walk could do with a restoration so that the colours look more vivid. The music is what enhances the atmosphere by how energetic and dynamic it is, while of the gags and scenes the clever one at the end and the colourful poultry dance parodying Busby Berkeley are the highlights. There have been more memorable characters before, but they are still colourful and likable here.Overall, a very nice cartoon, though there were I think better before and since. 9/10 Bethany Cox

A Walt Disney SILLY SYMPHONY Cartoon Short.Fighting COCK O' THE WALK arrives in town, the star of his own conceited parade, and proceeds to win the hearts of all the biddies. He latches onto fickle Prunella Pullet, who acquiesces completely to his charms - much to the chagrin of her skinny boyfriend, Hick Rooster...This is a very colorful & entertaining cartoon. Its highlight is a wild spoof of Hollywood dance musicals, from Rogers/Astaire (complete with "The Carioca") to a terpsichorean extravaganza even Busby Berkeley would be proud of.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.

This is a fantastic Silly Symphony short. The Cock O' the Walk comes into town and woos a chicken away from another rooster, which of course leads to a fight. The mid sections of this film are the most enjoyable as we witness a gigantic Hollywood musical production number performed entirely by poultry. The fight sequence is also a fantastic piece of colorful animation. A truly wonderful short!