Playful Pan (1930) User Reviews

A Midsummer Night's Cartoon

[gengar843 · 7/10 · 7 November 2021]

THE STORY & GENRE -- The legendary faun has escapades. Disney.

THE VERDICT -- The Silly Symphoneys are a departure from the usual for Disney, more reminiscent of later FANTASIA than trying to establish any specific character. Solid 7.

FREE ONLINE -- Yes.

Careless Pan

[Foreverisacastironmess123 · 6/10 · 14 March 2020]

A carefree little satyr frolics his way across the stream and forest floor, playing his pan pipes as he goes and causing all the animals and even the foliage itself to join in with his revelrous dance, and all is well until a pair of rowdy thunderclouds accidentally start a forest fire, at which point everyone has to think fast if they hope to save their woodland home! This is a bit of a curiously structured Silly Symphony, at the starts Pan's dance across the river rocks and everything is okay with some noticeably odd touches like a flower with big eyes and a bear cub fleeing up a tree that looks an awful lot like Mickey Mouse, but it's a bit bland as it's the same old gag of just animation built around the music, which was what most of these animated shorts were all about and for the most part it was very charming, but the short really picks up though when the fire animation starts and attacks everything in the form of little fire imps that even kill a few of the forest residents including one poor treeman who I felt really sad for because he looked just like one of the cute characters from the later Symphony "Flowers and Trees." The animation of the fire and the action that revolved around it and just how well the monochrome animation could convey the heat and destruction is something I was quite impressed by, and I liked the way the action returns to Pan who quietly disappears from the short for a while after unleashing the havoc, and then he just as casually saves the day as he uses his pipe to captivate and extinguish the wicked flame sprites! Slow to begin with but I enjoy how it picks up and becomes quite exciting towards the end, not exactly a gem but fun and well worth seeing if you have a liking for this kind of vintage animation goodness! x

When viewed with a dispassionate eye . . .

[oscaralbert · 5/10 · 6 October 2021]

. . . PLAYFUL PAN may hold more terror per minute than even BAMBI. While both films feature forest fires, at least the longer feature offers plenty of comic relief through the interplay between the title character and the bunny Thump-Er. PLAYFUL PAN offers little in the way of silliness. Maybe by the time the fawn hit his stride, its movie studio had learned a lessor or too about getting burned at the box office.

Another weird Silly Symphony.

[OllieSuave-007 · 6/10 · 27 June 2018]

Disney's older, black and white Silly Symphonies were nothing short of weird. Here, a demigod dances in a forest with the creatures and forces of nature. But, the event is cut short when a fire breaks out and consumes everything in its path (this part really sways away from the meaning of the title).

It's somewhat dark and foreboding, which unconventional characters and lack of plot. It's not really something that is conventional for children.

Grade C+

Pretty good--especially for 1930.

[planktonrules · 8/10 · 18 August 2011]

When this cartoon began on the Disney DVD, I noticed right away that this one had some serious sound issues. Considering that the collection consists of the best quality available at this time, I was very disappointed--and wonder why Disney didn't get rid of the hissing sound before re-releasing it.

This Silly Symphony short is typical for the series as it features lots of creatures dancing about--all set to music. Anyone looking for Mickey or his friends when watching a Silly Symphony short will be disappointed (though there is a mouse that looks like a naked Mickey), as although they were from Disney, they featured mostly 'one-shot' characters you'd never see again.

It begins with Pan cavorting about and playing his flute. However, soon the focus is no longer on him and you see nature dancing about to the music--and some of it is pretty weird (such as the dancing clouds that you'll just need to see for yourself as well as the trees). Eventually, a fire breaks out and all appears hopeless for our Über-cute creatures--until Pan springs to action.

Compared to the average cartoon from 1930 or other Silly Symphonies, this one is awfully good. While its style is very antiquated compared to later toons, it's still worth seeing today.

Wonderfully Inventive

[Hitchcoc · 9/10 · 30 November 2018]

I thought this a cut above the other Silly Symphonies. It starts out as the usual stuff. Pan is a musician, and as he plays, all the forest entities cavort along with him. Once he decides to relax in a tree, a thunder storm takes place and a huge tree is hit by lightning. What ensues is an anthropomorphic fire that attacks all the forest's creatures as well as the trees. Some of the animation is very sad and unsettling. Pan is called on to try to remedy things.

The Greek god Pan is the titular character in a very well animated short

[llltdesq · 9/10 · 29 September 2014]

This is a short in the Silly Symphonies series which was produced by Disney. There will be spoilers ahead:

This short has a plot of sorts. Pan, the faun, the Greek god of the wild, is playing his pipes and enjoying himself as various fauna and flora join him in dances. Fish, a turtle, flowers and such all dance to his pipes.

Two clouds get into the act and here there be trouble, as one strikes a tree with lightning and so begins a fire. This can be considered a stepping stone to Flowers and Trees in that trees come to life trying to save themselves from the fire.

Bears, squirrels, skunks and other woodland creatures try to fight the fire and/or save themselves from it until finally one goes to tell Pan what's happening. Pan manages to save the day, performing his duty as god of the wild, in an inventive way and all ends well.

This short is available on the Disney Treasures More Silly Symphonies DVD set and it and the set are well worth finding. Recommended.

Exceedingly charming!

[TheLittleSongbird · 10/10 · 27 March 2010]

There are Silly Symphonies that I absolutely love whether they are simple or not, The Old Mill, Ugly Duckling, Flowers and Trees, the Goddess of Spring and Water Babies. Playful Pan is one of them, exceedingly charming, while having no dialogue and being simple in plot. What makes this Silly Symphony is the animation, with solid backgrounds and convincing character features and the music from the charming, simple melodies played on the pipes to the more dramatic and stirring music as the fire started. The characters again are sweet, from the dancing flowers to the pipe-playing centaur. Overall, very charming with wonderful music especially. 10/10 Bethany Cox

Disney's Look At Mythological Demi-God

[Ron Oliver · 10/10 · 7 October 2000]

A Walt Disney SILLY SYMPHONY Cartoon Short.

Spring is in the air and PLAYFUL PAN is full of joy. The wild creatures romp to the music of his pipes, and even the flowers & trees join in - until a dreadful forest fire threatens to destroy all...

A simple plot and much action/reaction animation in this cartoon. That is unmistakably Walt voicing the cries of the bear cub.

The SILLY SYMPHONIES, which Walt Disney produced for a ten year period beginning in 1929, are among the most fascinating of all animated series. 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.