Playful Pan | 1930 | Animated Short

Title: Playful Pan | 1930 | Animated Short Director: Burt Gillett Studio: Walt Disney Productions Starring: (animated characters; no credited voice cast) Based on: Original animated Silly Symphony concept Release Date: December 27 1930 Runtime: Approximately 7 minutes Format: Black and white animated short with synchronized sound Country: United States Language: English Genres: Animation Music Comedy --- Chapters: 00:00:00 Pan enters forest and begins playing 00:01:30 Flora and fauna dance to the music 00:03:00 Clouds waltz and collide 00:04:30 Lightning strikes and fire begins 00:05:30 Creatures flee and seek safety 00:06:30 Pan lures fire into water and ends --- Summary: Playful Pan is a 1930 animated Silly Symphony in which the mythological god Pan plays his pan pipes in a forest, causing plants and animals to dance in harmony with his tunes. When two dancing clouds collide and produce lightning that ignites a forest fire, the joyful atmosphere turns to peril as the creatures flee the advancing flames. Pan responds by using his music to guide the fire’s movement, ultimately leading it into a body of water where it is extinguished, restoring peace to the woodland. The short blends rhythmic animation, visual gags, and a simple narrative driven by music and movement characteristic of the Silly Symphonies series, reflecting early sound animation experimentation. --- Background: Produced by Walt Disney Productions and distributed by Columbia Pictures, Playful Pan was released at the end of 1930 as part of Disney’s Silly Symphony cycle. Directed by Burt Gillett, it stands among the early entries in the series that paired expressive animation with classical and original musical scores, contributing to the evolution of animated storytelling in the sound era. --- Trivia: Playful Pan is one of the later Silly Symphony shorts of 1930, using mythology and music to drive its animation. The cartoon features personified flames and animated natural elements responding to Pan’s music and external events. It entered the public domain in the United States on January 1 2026 due to its 1930 release. --- Public Domain / Rights: Original Release: December 27 1930 Original Studio / Distributor: Walt Disney Productions / Columbia Pictures Copyright Status: Public Domain Renewal: Not applicable --- Hashtags: #PlayfulPan1930 #SillySymphonies #DisneyAnimation #ClassicCartoon #PublicDomain