| High Note | |
|---|---|
| Directed by | Chuck Jones |
| Story by | Michael Maltese |
| Produced by | John Burton Sr. |
| Starring | Mel Blanc |
| Edited by | Treg Brown[1] |
| Music by | Milt Franklyn |
| Animation by | Ken Harris Richard Thompson |
| Layouts by | Maurice Noble |
| Backgrounds by | William Butler Philip DeGuard |
| Color process | Technicolor |
Production company | |
| Distributed by | Warner Bros. Pictures |
Release date |
|
Running time | 6:31 minutes |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
High Note is a 1960 Americananimatedshort film directed byChuck Jones and written byMichael Maltese.[2] It was originally released byWarner Bros. Pictures on December 3, 1960, as part of theLooney Tunes series.[3] The short features no dialogue, relying solely on the animation and music to carry the plot. It was nominated for anAcademy Award for Best Short Film (Cartoon) in 1961, losing toGene Deitch'sMunro.[2]
Various musical notes set up sheet music in preparation for a performance of "The Blue Danube". As the music begins, however, it becomes apparent that a note is missing. The note (a red-faced "High Note") is revealed to be drunk, staggering 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 pursuit, 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 inIrving Berlin's "How Dry I Am", replaces the "I" with "We."
Animation historianJerry Beck writes, "In today's world, where vintage cartoons are typically mistaken for children's fare, masterpieces likeHigh Note set the record straight — with a healthy dose of classically adult booze humor."[4]
This short is featured on Disc 3 of theWarner Bros. Home Entertainment Academy Awards Animation CollectionDVD set and on Disc 2 of theLooney Tunes Platinum Collection: Volume 3Blu-ray and DVD sets.
ThisLooney Tunes–related article is astub. You can help Wikipedia byexpanding it. |
