Hell's Bells (1929)

Demons, dancing, and spanking flames, oh my!

All screenshots are via the Internet Archive. Bless that rich, rich resource.

This is a delightful 1929 Disney cartoon of Hell called “Hell’s Bells” wherein all this fiery underworld’s (often cute and clever) residents are up to no good, but having a wonderful time doing so. They taunt and eat one another, dance around fire, milk an evil demon-cow-dragon for its fire milk, and look toasty as heck (it’s already very cold here). Of course, anything from the 1920s or 30s needs to show the bad guys getting their well-deserved ending (this one includes flames literally spanking the big daddy demon), but it looks so fun in the meanwhile.

The music is by Carl Stalling, who met Disney while Stalling was working as an organ player for silent films in theaters in Kansas City. Stalling, who kept in touch with Disney, was later put in charge of the “Silly Symphonies” cartoon series, with the iconic 1929 “Skeleton Dance” being the first one. Go spent the six minutes it requires to watch “Hell’s Bells”. Personally, I love how different eras choose to showcase Hell - you can be so creative and flex so many different muscles doing so.

Side note: Is this where the shitty tourists who bother the critters and go off the boardwalks in Yellowstone end up? (I HOPE SO.)

Told ya there’s spanking.