Oddball Films presents Tunes and Toons: Animated Adventures in Musicland, a night of charming, stunning and vibrant animation, all about the magical process of making music. Di$ney's Symposium on Popular Songs (1962) takes you through the first half of the 20th century of popular music through a mixture of cell-animation, stop-motion and paper cutouts, in gorgeous color (try not to lose your head when rutabagas start dancing!). The British musicians of the Hoffnung Palm Court Orchestra (1965) keep calm and carry on playing, even in the face of calamity. Ward Kimball's Academy Award-winning Toot Whistle Plunk and Boom (1953) is percussively savvy and a gorgeous demonstration of mid-century graphics. Fairy tales get a modern twist when a princess must choose between two musicians working to make a "new sound" in The Pretty Lady and the Electronic Musicians (1972). Gumby gets into a surreal battle of wits with a shape-shifting piano in the zippy Gumby Concerto (1957). George Pal carved hundreds of wooden puppet heads for the Art Deco marvel Cavalcade of Music (1934). Plus, a beatnik teases a Calypso Singer (1966), Will "California Raisins" Vinton directs the psychedelic claymation rock concert, Mountain Music (1975), the dazzling Blame it on the Samba (1948) and a surprise pre-show! Whether you're a musician, an animation enthusiast, or just in need of a bit of fun, Oddball's got the tune for you.
Date: Thursday, January 16th, 2014 at 8:00pm
Venue: Oddball Films, 275 Capp Street San Francisco
Admission: $10.00 Limited Seating RSVP to RSVP@oddballfilm.com or (415) 558-8117
Web: http://oddballfilms.blogspot.com
Featuring:
Special cartoon featurette made by D*sney features songs written by the Sherman Brothers with music arrangements by Tutti Camarata. Ludwig Von Drake invites the audience into his mansion where he tells all about popular music through the years, introducing several songs illustrated with great stop-motion animation. Nominated for an Academy Award as Best Cartoon Short Subject.
Hoffnung Palm Court Orchestra (Color, 1965)No matter what the calamity, from fire to shipwreck and beyond, this blissful trio plays on in sweet, sweet oblivion. A colorful cartoon take on the veddy, veddy British idea of keeping calm and carrying on, from the makers of Oddball fave Birds, Bees and Storks.
Toot Whistle Plunk and Boom (Color, 1953)Academy Award winner in stunning Technicolor- this short was originally released in theaters as part of the “Adventures in Music” educational series. Directed by the brilliant Ward Kimball, this is a classic of mid-century cartoon design and has been ranked one of the top 50 greatest cartoons.
The Pretty Lady and the Electronic Musicians (Color, 1972)
This curious mix of animation and live action tells the story of electronic music from the development of amplified sounds to full blown synthesizers and multitrack recording equipment, framed as a modern fairy tale. The vintage demonstrations are a real treat for music gearheads. (blacklight basement)
Blame it on the Samba (Color, 1948)
An unforgettable and mesmerizing Technicolor film mix of live action and animation featuring Ethel Smith, the Dinning Sisters and a dizzying array of animated characters. Produced by Walt D*sney.
An unforgettable and mesmerizing Technicolor film mix of live action and animation featuring Ethel Smith, the Dinning Sisters and a dizzying array of animated characters. Produced by Walt D*sney.
The Calypso Singer (Color, 1966)
Paul Glickman’s animated version of legendary hipster Stan Freberg's parody of Harry Belafonte's top ten hit “Day-O” (The Banana Boat Song). Here a beatnik bongo player berates a Calypso singer for his high decibel delivery. Freeberg was famous for his early rock and roll parodies and went on to win over 20 Clio awards in the field of advertising for his wacky takes on pop culture. Hilariously weird.
Cavalcade of Music (B+W, 1934)
The creative force behind some of the most inventive monsters in Fantasy film, Hungarian exile George Pal began his career pioneering a method of stop-motion used in his series of Puppetoons, earning him seven consecutive Oscar nominations. In one of his earliest Puppetoons, Cavalcade of Music, Pal creates an epic spectacle of music and dance all with carved wooden puppets. From the chic Art Deco bandstand, to an entire puppet jazz orchestra, to a puppet can-can, this film overwhelms with its imagination and scope.
Mountain Music (Color, 1975)
Truly bizarre claymation hippie music concert out in the sticks from Will "California Raisins" Vinton, the legendary creator of claymation. A pastoral nature scene slowly gives way to heavy rock freakout, with volcanic results!
Gumby Concerto (Color, 1956)
A surreal stop-motion masterpiece! Art Clokey's little green buddy must deal with doppelgangers, multiplying pianos and other bizarre shenanigans to entertain a pair of anthropomorphic musical notes that look like they were made out of hard-boiled eggs.
About Oddball Films
Oddball films is the film component of Oddball Film+Video, a stock footage company providing offbeat and unusual film footage for feature films like Milk, documentaries like The Summer of Love, television programs like Mythbusters, clips for Boing Boing and web projects around the world.