I have always had a soft spot for the Silly Symphonies, I have on the whole found them beautifully animated and orchestrated with good characters. The Clock Store is one of my favourites of not just the early Silly Symphonies but also overall. Story-wise it is thin, but it also has several interesting things to it and doesn't feel like an excuse to lump song and dance scenes together, not like other entries made around the same time. The animation is wonderful, the backgrounds have a certain smoothness to them, there are some very atmospheric effects and shadings and you can see a little of the Multiplane camera technique as well, but it was the character designs that really impressed, especially some of the most sophisticated and realistic human character designs I have seen for any cartoon. The music has always had lots of energy in this series of cartoons and even enhances the action. That is exactly what the music for The Clock Store does, such as in the lush ballroom sequence. The story even with the thin narrative structure is made entertaining by several scenes that really entertain and spark interest. The opening has a charming story-book feel to it, the ballroom sequence has lush music and truly great human animation and the scene with the Dutch boy and girl shows not just a sense of playfulness but also with the rounded facial features and clear expressions they do look real. The old man lighting the lamps was a lovely touch also. The characters are a delight, not just the old man, the people in the ballroom sequence and the little Dutch couple, but especially the clocks with a synchronised ringing of bells, Victorian clock figurines dancing and Grandfather/mother clocks dancing. Overall, can't recommend The Clock Store highly enough other than that I think it is one of the best examples of Disney Silly Symphonies. 10/10 Bethany Cox
Review of The Clock Store
