Three Orphan Kittens
Encyclopedia
Three Orphan Kittens is a 1935 animated
short film in the Silly Symphonies
series produced by Walt Disney Productions. It was the winner of the 1935 Academy Award for Best Short Subject (Cartoons). It was followed in 1936 by a sequel, More Kittens.
s (one black, one orange, and one gray) and their adventures in a house
. It begins with the kittens left out in the snow. They then notice the house nearby and enter it for shelter. They arrive at its kitchen
, and begin to play there after the house's African-American housekeeper
(possibly a prototype version of Mammy Two-Shoes
) has finished preparing a meal. After more playing in various areas of the house, the film switches its focus to one particular kitten (the black one), who is chasing a feather and eventually ends up on a piano keyboard. The kitten starts to play with the feather walking down the piano keyboard and the feather lands on the 'on' switch with the kitten presses and the then-revealed pianola begins to play, ironically it is playing a song called "Kitten On The Keys" a song composed by Zez Confrey
in 1921. The other two kittens (both orange and grey respectively) rejoin the first. When the pianola finishes its song, the kittens leave it and are caught by the housekeeper. As she prepares to throw them out, she is stopped by a little girl, who decides to adopt the kittens.
series. At the time, the Symphonies were being used as a vehicle to test the techniques which would be used in Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs
and to provide an informal on-the-job training program to prepare artists for the elaborate scenes that would be included in the studio's feature-length productions. As such, the films were intended to focus on the characters, which were intended to be cute, rather than a particularly developed narrative
. It was directed by David Hand
, who would later direct Snow White, and animated by Ken Anderson
. Like all Silly Symphonies made after 1932, it was produced in three-strip Technicolor
. The film was copyright
ed on November 20, 1935, nearly a month after its release.
theatrically
in the United States
on October 26, 1935. In 1937, it was re-released as part of the Academy Award Review of Walt Disney Cartoons
, along with four other Academy Award-winning Disney shorts. Following that, it was not released again until 1993, when it appeared in a compilation videocassette of Award-winning Disney shorts entitled How the Best Was Won. It has also been found on VHS tapes of Dumbo
, along with Father Noah's Ark and The Practical Pig. Most recently, it was released to DVD
in 2006 as part of the Walt Disney Treasures
compilation, More Silly Symphonies.
that, when flipped, becomes a stereotypical African-American girl, which shouts "Mammy
!" as the kitten approaches it. In the 1950s
and '60s
, when Disney began censoring
their cartoons before they were broadcast on television
, the scene was removed from the film. The film appeared uncensored, firstly on the VHS release of Dumbo
, then on the 2006 DVD More Silly Symphonies, where it was placed in a section entitled "From the Vault" along with other cartoons featuring stereotypes, which was prefaced with an introduction by Leonard Maltin
.
Animation
Animation is the rapid display of a sequence of images of 2-D or 3-D artwork or model positions in order to create an illusion of movement. The effect is an optical illusion of motion due to the phenomenon of persistence of vision, and can be created and demonstrated in several ways...
short film in the Silly Symphonies
Silly Symphonies
Silly Symphonies is a series of animated short subjects, 75 in total, produced by Walt Disney Productions from 1929 to 1939, while the studio was still located at Hyperion Avenue in the Silver Lake district of Los Angeles...
series produced by Walt Disney Productions. It was the winner of the 1935 Academy Award for Best Short Subject (Cartoons). It was followed in 1936 by a sequel, More Kittens.
Plot
The film tells the story of three kittenKitten
A kitten is a juvenile domesticated cat.The young of big cats are called cubs rather than kittens. Either term may be used for the young of smaller wild felids such as ocelots, caracals, and lynx, but "kitten" is usually more common for these species....
s (one black, one orange, and one gray) and their adventures in a house
House
A house is a building or structure that has the ability to be occupied for dwelling by human beings or other creatures. The term house includes many kinds of different dwellings ranging from rudimentary huts of nomadic tribes to free standing individual structures...
. It begins with the kittens left out in the snow. They then notice the house nearby and enter it for shelter. They arrive at its kitchen
Kitchen
A kitchen is a room or part of a room used for cooking and food preparation.In the West, a modern residential kitchen is typically equipped with a stove, a sink with hot and cold running water, a refrigerator and kitchen cabinets arranged according to a modular design. Many households have a...
, and begin to play there after the house's African-American housekeeper
Housekeeper (servant)
A housekeeper is an individual responsible for the cleaning and maintenance of the interior of a residence, including direction of subordinate maids...
(possibly a prototype version of Mammy Two-Shoes
Mammy Two-Shoes
Mammy Two Shoes is a recurring character in MGM's Tom and Jerry cartoons. She is a heavy-set middle-aged black woman who often has to deal with the mayhem generated by the lead characters....
) has finished preparing a meal. After more playing in various areas of the house, the film switches its focus to one particular kitten (the black one), who is chasing a feather and eventually ends up on a piano keyboard. The kitten starts to play with the feather walking down the piano keyboard and the feather lands on the 'on' switch with the kitten presses and the then-revealed pianola begins to play, ironically it is playing a song called "Kitten On The Keys" a song composed by Zez Confrey
Zez Confrey
Edward Elzear "Zez" Confrey was an American composer and performer of piano music. His most noted works were "Kitten on the Keys," and "Dizzy Fingers."-Life and career:...
in 1921. The other two kittens (both orange and grey respectively) rejoin the first. When the pianola finishes its song, the kittens leave it and are caught by the housekeeper. As she prepares to throw them out, she is stopped by a little girl, who decides to adopt the kittens.
Production
The film was produced as an entry in Disney's Silly SymphoniesSilly Symphonies
Silly Symphonies is a series of animated short subjects, 75 in total, produced by Walt Disney Productions from 1929 to 1939, while the studio was still located at Hyperion Avenue in the Silver Lake district of Los Angeles...
series. At the time, the Symphonies were being used as a vehicle to test the techniques which would be used in Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs
Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs (1937 film)
Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs is a 1937 American animated film based on Snow White, a German fairy tale by the Brothers Grimm. It was the first full-length cel-animated feature in motion picture history, as well as the first animated feature film produced in America, the first produced in full...
and to provide an informal on-the-job training program to prepare artists for the elaborate scenes that would be included in the studio's feature-length productions. As such, the films were intended to focus on the characters, which were intended to be cute, rather than a particularly developed narrative
Narrative
A narrative is a constructive format that describes a sequence of non-fictional or fictional events. The word derives from the Latin verb narrare, "to recount", and is related to the adjective gnarus, "knowing" or "skilled"...
. It was directed by David Hand
David Hand
Grand Chief the Most Reverend Geoffrey David Hand KBE GCL was the first Anglican Archbishop of Papua New Guinea.-Childhood and education:...
, who would later direct Snow White, and animated by Ken Anderson
Ken Anderson (animator)
Ken "Kenneth B." Anderson was an art director, writer, and animator at Walt Disney Animation Studios for 44 years.Anderson studied architecture at the University of Washington, graduating with a B.Arch. in 1934...
. Like all Silly Symphonies made after 1932, it was produced in three-strip Technicolor
Technicolor
Technicolor is a color motion picture process invented in 1916 and improved over several decades.It was the second major process, after Britain's Kinemacolor, and the most widely used color process in Hollywood from 1922 to 1952...
. The film was copyright
Copyright
Copyright is a legal concept, enacted by most governments, giving the creator of an original work exclusive rights to it, usually for a limited time...
ed on November 20, 1935, nearly a month after its release.
Releases
The film was originally releasedFilm release
A film release is the stage at which a completed film is legally authorized by its owner for public distribution.The process includes locating a distributor to handle the film...
theatrically
Movie theater
A movie theater, cinema, movie house, picture theater, film theater is a venue, usually a building, for viewing motion pictures ....
in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
on October 26, 1935. In 1937, it was re-released as part of the Academy Award Review of Walt Disney Cartoons
Academy Award Review of Walt Disney Cartoons
Academy Award Review of Walt Disney Cartoons was a Walt Disney animated film released in the United States on May 19, 1937 for a limited time to help promote the upcoming release of Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs. It was a collection of five Oscar-winning Silly Symphonies shorts, bridged together...
, along with four other Academy Award-winning Disney shorts. Following that, it was not released again until 1993, when it appeared in a compilation videocassette of Award-winning Disney shorts entitled How the Best Was Won. It has also been found on VHS tapes of Dumbo
Dumbo
Dumbo is a 1941 American animated film produced by Walt Disney and released on October 23, 1941, by RKO Radio Pictures.The fourth film in the Walt Disney Animated Classics series, Dumbo is based upon the storyline written by Helen Aberson and illustrated by Harold Pearl for the prototype of a...
, along with Father Noah's Ark and The Practical Pig. Most recently, it was released to DVD
DVD
A DVD is an optical disc storage media format, invented and developed by Philips, Sony, Toshiba, and Panasonic in 1995. DVDs offer higher storage capacity than Compact Discs while having the same dimensions....
in 2006 as part of the Walt Disney Treasures
Walt Disney Treasures
The Walt Disney Treasures is a two-disc DVD set of classic Disney works. They cover work from the studio's earliest days to their more recent work...
compilation, More Silly Symphonies.
Censorship
The original version of Three Orphan Kittens contains a scene in which one of the kittens encounter a dollDoll
A doll is a model of a human being, often used as a toy for children. Dolls have traditionally been used in magic and religious rituals throughout the world, and traditional dolls made of materials like clay and wood are found in the Americas, Asia, Africa and Europe. The earliest documented dolls...
that, when flipped, becomes a stereotypical African-American girl, which shouts "Mammy
Mammy archetype
The mammy archetype is perhaps one of the best-known archetypes of African American women. She is often portrayed within a narrative framework or other imagery as a domestic servant of African descent, generally good-natured, often overweight, very dark skinned, middle aged, and loud...
!" as the kitten approaches it. In the 1950s
1950s
The 1950s or The Fifties was the decade that began on January 1, 1950 and ended on December 31, 1959. The decade was the sixth decade of the 20th century...
and '60s
1960s
The 1960s was the decade that started on January 1, 1960, and ended on December 31, 1969. It was the seventh decade of the 20th century.The 1960s term also refers to an era more often called The Sixties, denoting the complex of inter-related cultural and political trends across the globe...
, when Disney began censoring
Self-censorship
Self-censorship is the act of censoring or classifying one's own work , out of fear of, or deference to, the sensibilities of others, without overt pressure from any specific party or institution of authority...
their cartoons before they were broadcast on television
Television
Television is a telecommunication medium for transmitting and receiving moving images that can be monochrome or colored, with accompanying sound...
, the scene was removed from the film. The film appeared uncensored, firstly on the VHS release of Dumbo
Dumbo
Dumbo is a 1941 American animated film produced by Walt Disney and released on October 23, 1941, by RKO Radio Pictures.The fourth film in the Walt Disney Animated Classics series, Dumbo is based upon the storyline written by Helen Aberson and illustrated by Harold Pearl for the prototype of a...
, then on the 2006 DVD More Silly Symphonies, where it was placed in a section entitled "From the Vault" along with other cartoons featuring stereotypes, which was prefaced with an introduction by Leonard Maltin
Leonard Maltin
Leonard Maltin is an American film and animated film critic and historian, author of several mainstream books on cinema, focusing on nostalgic, celebratory narratives.-Personal life:...
.