| All About Skeletons |
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The human skeleton consists of both fused and individual bones supported and supplemented by ligaments, tendons, muscles and cartilage. It serves as a scaffold which supports organs, anchors muscles, and protects organs such as the brain, lungs and heart. Much of the human skeleton maintains the ancient segmental pattern present in all vertebrates (mammals, birds, fish, reptiles and amphibians) with basic units being repeated. This segmental pattern is particularly evident in the vertebral column and in the ribcage. There are 206 bones in the adult human skeleton, a number which varies between individuals and with age - newborn babies have 270 bones some of which fuse together. These bones are organized into a longitudinal axis, the axial skeleton, to which the appendicular skeleton is attached. The skeleton provides the framework which supports the body, and maintains its shape. The joints between bones permit movement, some allowing a wider range of movement than others, e.g. the ball and socket joint allows a greater range of movement than the pivot joint at the neck. Jack Skellington is a skeleton known as the "Pumpkin King" of Halloween Town, a fictional world based solely on the holiday of Halloween. He is the main male protagonist of The Nightmare Before Christmas film and games. Normally, he is dressed in a black pin-striped suit and a bow tie resembling a bat. He has a pet ghost dog named Zero, who has a small glowing nose that looks like a jack'o'lantern. His love interest is Sally, a rag doll created by Dr. Finklestein. He is voiced by Chris Sarandon. His singing voice is provided by Danny Elfman. Jack Skellington is a well-loved character and is a popular design on bags, clothes, umbrellas, belt buckles, and other items. Jack is generally a young, vivacious, charismatic gentleman — a stark contrast to his undead status — and is fond of grand theatrics, which is likely a significant part of what makes him the best at what he does. He is quick and eager to make new friends, but on that note seems to assume (often incorrectly) that others are the same. Although kind-hearted, Jack has a tendency to be self-absorbed and more than a little oblivious, failing to notice both Sally's affections and Santa Claus's apparent dislike of him. He has a tendency to become fascinated with an idea to the exclusion of all others. Jack appears to believe in only using violence as a last resort. When angered or forced to fight, Jack is stern and solemn. It is possible that Jack Skellington and Oogie Boogie are foils: Jack is slender, good natured, kindhearted, artistic, and thoughtful where as Oogie is fat, sadistic, gross, and loudmouthed. It is also revealed that Jack holds Oogie Boogie in great contempt. His sometimes melodramatic disposition, and his dark appearance, has made Jack a very popular character with teenagers who belong to either emo or goth subcultures. The Halloween Tree is a 1993 feature-length animated film based on Ray Bradbury's 1972 fantasy novel The Halloween Tree. It tells the story of a group of trick-or-treating children who learn about the origins and influences of Halloween when one of their friends is spirited away by mysterious forces. This cartoon is often featured on Cartoon Network during the Halloween season. It features the voice of Leonard Nimoy as the children's guide, Mr. Moundshroud. Ray Bradbury himself provided the voice of the Narrator, and won an Emmy Award for writing the special's screenplay. The film changes the novel's group of night travelers from eight boys to three boys and a girl. Characters include: Mr. Moundshroud, Tom Skelton - The boy wearing the skeleton costume, Jenny - The girl wearing the witch costume, Ralph - The boy wearing the mummy costume, Wally - The boy wearing the gargoyle costume, Pip - The boy whose illness inspires the nighttime journey (he did not wear a costume, but was in fact a ghost throughout most of the film). The skeleton Dance is a 1929 Silly Symphonies animated short subject produced and directed by Walt Disney and animated by Ub Iwerks. In the film, four human skeletons dance and make music around a spooky graveyard. It is the first entry in the Silly Symphonies series. In 1994, it was voted #18 of the 50 Greatest Cartoons of all time by members of the animation field. While many claim that the musical score was adapted from the Saint-Saëns composition Danse Macabre, Carl Stalling explained, in a 1969 interview, that it was actually a foxtrot set in a minor key. Stalling suggested the idea for a series of musical one-shot cartoons to Disney at a gag meeting in 1929. Stalling also adapts Edvard Grieg's "The March of the Trolls" for part of the skeleton dance music. The skeletons dance in various ways and play makeshift musical instruments. In one scene, all four skeletons hold hands and dance in a circle, akin to schoolchildren dancing "Ring a Ring O'Roses". In another scene, a skeleton pulls the thigh bones off another and plays the thighless skeleton like a xylophone. A skeleton also plays a cat like a double bass, using a bow and the cat's tail as the strings. One skeleton dances part of the Charleston. It is notable for being the first animated cartoon to use non-post-sync sound. Animation from this short was later reused in the Mickey Mouse short Haunted House, in which Mickey, having taken shelter in a haunted house, is forced to play music for the dancing skeletons. |