Musical Moments from Chopin

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Musical Moments from Chopin
Directed by Dick Lundy
Story by Ben Hardaway
Milt Schaffer
Produced by Walter Lantz
Music by Darrell Calker
Animation by Laverne Harding
Les Kline
Grim Natwick (unc.)
Paul J. Smith (unc.)
Casey Onaitis (unc.)
Sid Pillet (effects, unc.)
Backgrounds byFred Brunish
Color process Technicolor
Production
company
Distributed by Universal Pictures
Release date
February 24, 1947
Running time
7:46
LanguageEnglish

Musical Moments from Chopin (also known as Chopin's Musical Moments) [1] is a 1947 Musical Miniatures cartoon, co-starring Andy Panda and Woody Woodpecker. It was directed by Dick Lundy and was released on February 24, 1947.

Contents

It was nominated for an Academy Award for best short subject in 1946, losing to MGM's Tom and Jerry cartoon The Cat Concerto , which also featured a piano concert setting.

Plot

This short starts with Andy Panda performing a Chopin polonaise on stage. As he does so, Woody Woodpecker wanders out and starts polishing the piano, and seems impressed by Andy's playing. Woody then plays along with Andy on the following pieces, either on the same or another grand piano, with increasing cut-aways to the animal audience and their own antics. [2] At some point, an intoxicated horse up in the rafters who was trying to light his cigar tries to use a ceiling lamp to light it, but accidentally causes it to fall and spread a fire onto the stage. Andy manages to finish his piano performance while Woody extinguishes the flames.

Analysis

The short would be the first Musical Miniatures cartoon produced by the studio, and is the only entry to receive an Academy Award nomination for best short subject. [3] This was Lantz's eighth Academy Award nomination. [4]

Dick Lundy previously tested the concept in the 1946 Andy Panda cartoon, The Poet & Peasant. It was proven to be a success as it was also nominated for an Academy Award. Lundy would direct all of the remaining Musical Miniatures cartoons until the studios brief closure. [5]

The short features music by Frédéric Chopin played by Woody and Andy, which includes:

In 1958, the television show The Woody Woodpecker Show premiered, and continued on the air in various forms for the next four decades. Episode 18 of its first season included Musical Moments from Chopin along with other Lantz cartoons, and a making-of involving Lantz and storyboarding. [6]

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References

  1. "Results displayed by award category". Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. Archived from the original on October 29, 2013. Retrieved June 5, 2015.
  2. 1 2 3 4 Gengaro, Christine Lee (2017-12-20). Experiencing Chopin: A Listener's Companion. Rowman & Littlefield. p. 146. ISBN   978-1-4422-6087-0.
  3. Gitlin, Martin; Wos, Joseph (2018-03-15). A Celebration of Animation: The 100 Greatest Cartoon Characters in Television History. Rowman & Littlefield. p. 70. ISBN   978-1-63076-279-7.
  4. Lenburg, Jeff (2006). Who's who in Animated Cartoons: An International Guide to Film & Television's Award-winning and Legendary Animators. Hal Leonard Corporation. p. 198. ISBN   978-1-55783-671-7.
  5. Lenburg, Jeff (2006). Who's who in Animated Cartoons: An International Guide to Film & Television . Hal Leonard Corporation. p.  217. ISBN   155783671X . Retrieved June 5, 2015.
  6. "Wacky Weed/ Musical Moments From Chopin/A Moment With Walter Lantz/Beach Nut". TV.com . Retrieved June 5, 2015.