Cartoon Music Part 3

Last week I talked about musical numbers in animated features using very strict guidelines for what constituted the list. I used more musical theatre standards for what a musical number is than film standards. So for today's post, I would like to include some feature animation sequences that couldn't necessarily fit into last week's list.

"The Sorcerer's Apprentice" from Fantasia

This is the mother of all musical animated features. I chose "Sorcerer's Apprentice" to showcase because it is quite nice and one of the few Mickey Mouse cartoons I actually like. But it could just as easily have been "Dance of the Hours" or "Night on Bald Mountain."

"Rhapsody in Blue" from Fantasia 2000

While we're talking about Fantasia, I might as well mention Fantasia 2000. On the whole, not a terribly great movie, but this sequence by Eric Goldberg based on the work of his hero Al Hirschfeld is quite brilliant. It's probably one of my favorites. Love the song, love the animation, love Hirschfeld. This one is right up my alley.

"The Circle of Life" from The Lion King

Technically probably fits more into the other category, but it didn't follow the rules of the other list, so I'll include it here.

"Pink Elephants on Parade" from Dumbo

Here's a nice little psychedelic piece from Dumbo. You either love this piece or you hate it. I personally think it's pretty cool.

Yellow Submarine

How could we mention psychedelia without this piece. I almost broke my rules last week and put this one on the other list. Here is the film in its entirety because I couldn't decide which one was best to include.

"When She Loved Me" from Toy Story 2

I know everyone thinks that I hate Pixar--not true--and that I hate Toy Story--also, not true--but if this number doesn't leave you a little choked up, there's something the matter with you. This is a little short film on its own.

"Digga Tunnah" from The Lion King 1 1/2

This is not great, and it certainly doesn't belong on a top anything in animation, but I really like this freakin' song.

"Worthless" from The Brave Little Toaster

Again, probably belongs on the musical number list, but not in the top ten, though it's quite chilling, and pretty creepy to watch when you're a little kid.

I could keep going and going with these, but you'd be watching clips all day. Like I have been. The point is that in animated features, music and action go hand in hand a lot more than in live action. In live action music can overpower the scene or work against the scene. In animation, the music and action work together symbiotically more often than not. It's a really cool thing to watch.

Side note: I know this list seems a little Disney heavy, but quite frankly the animated feature genre is a little Disney heavy. There haven't been many heavy hitters in the American animated feature racket until the last 20 years or so. I try to be even handed with showings from production companies, but what are you going to do?

CG