High Note (film)
High Note is a 1960 Warner Bros. Looney Tunes animated short directed by Chuck Jones.[2] It was originally released on December 3, 1960.[3] It is performed without dialogue, relying solely on the animation and music to carry the plot. This short was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Short Film (Cartoon) in 1961.[2]
| High Note | |
|---|---|
| Directed by | Chuck Jones |
| Produced by | John Burton, Sr. |
| Music by | Music directed and orchestrated by: Milt Franklyn |
| Edited by | Treg Brown[1] |
| Animation by | Character co-animation: Ken Harris Richard Thompson Uncredited effects animation: Harry Love |
| Layouts by | Character and background layout: Maurice Noble |
| Backgrounds by | Background co-paint: William Butler Philip DeGuard |
| Color process | Technicolor |
Production company | |
| Distributed by | Warner Bros. Pictures |
Release date | December 3, 1960 |
Running time | 6:31 minutes |
| Language | English |
Plot summary
Various musical notes set up sheet music in preparation for a performance of The Blue Danube Waltz. As the music begins, however, it is soon apparent that a note is missing. It turns out the note (a red-faced "High Note") is drunk; he staggers out of the "Little Brown Jug" sheet music.
The irritated music-note conductor chases the intoxicated note, intending to put him back in his place, so the waltz can properly continue. Throughout the chase, many objects are created from the simple musical notes: a dog, a slide, a clothes hanger, a lasso, horses, and more. Eventually, the rogue note is put back into place, but is again missing when the performance starts over. This time, though, the balance of the remaining music is also gone. The conductor discovers that all the notes have gone into the "Little Brown Jug" to get drunk. The original high note, who is in Berlin's "How Dry I Am", swaps the "I" for a "We".
Soundtrack
- The Blue Danube - Johann Strauss II
- How Dry I Am - Irving Berlin
- Little Brown Jug - Joseph Winner
- Brahms' Lullaby - Johannes Brahms
- Where, Oh Where, Has My Little Dog Gone?[1]
Availability
This short is featured as part of the Looney Tunes: Musical Masterpieces DVD, as well as Disc 2 of the Looney Tunes Platinum Collection: Volume 3 set.
See also
References
- "High Note". BCDB.com. Retrieved August 17, 2012.
- Beck, Jerry; Friedwald, Will (1989). Looney Tunes and Merrie Melodies: A Complete Illustrated Guide to the Warner Bros. Cartoons. Henry Holt and Co. p. 328. ISBN 0-8050-0894-2.
- Lenburg, Jeff (1999). The Encyclopedia of Animated Cartoons. Checkmark Books. pp. 100–102. ISBN 0-8160-3831-7. Retrieved 6 June 2020.