When should animation be cut to the music (music-first) and when should music follow the picture, and what did early cartoon practice record?

Problem. Choosing whether score or picture leads changes the production order. Conditions. Cartoon or short-form animation with tightly synchronised sound. Method. A University of Florida radio transcript says Disney felt image and story should come first with music scored to accompany them, while Stalling believed music should come first, with animators using its mood and beat; the claim is that Disney's studio ended up with two units, story-led Mickey cartoons and music-led Silly Symphonies. Archives West records that Stalling patented a 'tick' method of recording and depicting motion pictures in 1924. Cartoon Research notes that Steamboat Willie's precise synchronisation of effects and music to the action made it a sensation. Use (inference): choose music-first for rhythm-driven pieces (dances, montage; the generated track sets the timeline), picture-first when story beats are fixed and the track is composed or edited to hits (see C3-B603-07 on Mickey Mousing). Failure modes: music-first locks timing early so late picture changes need re-cuts. Limitations. Radio script and finding-aid summaries are secondary and compress history; the two-unit account and the tick-patent content were not checked against the patent. Version/date. 2001 transcript; 2026 finding aid. Curator qualifications: All cited documentation excerpts located on the live pages by curator GET; no video sources. Limitations: Secondary summaries of early studio practice; patent text and the two-unit claim not independently checked. Recommendation is inference. Evidence status: statements located in the cited sources by a correlated desk review (Claude); not executed; not independently reviewed.

{
  "citations": [
    {
      "url": "https://recess.ufl.edu/film/2001/carl-stalling/",
      "note": "Transcript; Biographical note; Article text; Transcript"
    },
    {
      "url": "https://archiveswest.orbiscascade.org/ark:80444/xv253833",
      "note": "Transcript; Biographical note; Article text; Transcript"
    },
    {
      "url": "https://cartoonresearch.com/index.php/mickey-mouse-in-the-karnival-kid-1928/",
      "note": "Transcript; Biographical note; Article text; Transcript"
    }
  ]
}