Director: Wilfred Jackson, Graham Heid
Screenplay: Dick Rickard
9 mins. Approved.
Academy Award Winner: Best Short Subject, Cartoons

Today, a shorter piece on a Silly Symphony from nearly a century ago…

A thunderstorm is approaching, and numerous groupings of wildlife have taken up refuge in an old mill in an attempt to wait out the storm in safety. The frogs strike up a conversation. The bats frighten the others. A bird makes a nest in a small pocket only to discover that it’s the receiving end of a cog in the mill, and now she and her eggs are in grave danger.

A moody little musical piece, a tone poem, the creatures of the light embossed in total darkness, the wind strong enough to topple what’s left of the mill. This is a beautifully animated short film that took away the Oscar for the best animated short film at that year’s Academy Awards, and it’s easy to see why. There’s so much atmosphere jammed into this nine minutes, so much effectively moody feeling draped over, I distinctly recall leaping out of my chair as the mother bird came closer and closer to oblivion for her and her eggs, and yet she’s not the main character, no one is, and then we shift back to the frogs, who are carrying on with one another. Every piece of wind shakes the mill, and there’s a palpable sense of danger. My wife, who shared the experience with me, recalled how it’s not really horror in traditional terms and yet it’s all around the characters and environment…and even we as viewers.

This time of year tends to be associated with big horrors, but it’s just as important to recognize the ever-evolving seasons, the autumnal presence, and a reminder of the cyclical nature of our calendar; the bright and lively summer shifting into the cold, often desolate, seasonal-depression-laced winter. It is once again upon us, as it is the woodland critters, and we are powerless to do anything about it. We must, simply, weather the storm…

The Old Mill is simple in nature, complex in animation, and wholly effective at maintaining a slyly sinister mood. It’s an excellent dialogue-free piece that exists entirely on feeling, emotional atmosphere, and the lingering nature of its subjects weathering the storm.

You can find it on Disney+.

4/5
-Kyle A. Goethe