The Band Concert is a famous 1935
Walt DisneyWalter Elias "Walt" Disney was an American film producer, director, screenwriter, voice actor, animator, entrepreneur, entertainer, international icon and philanthropist. Disney is famous for his influence in the field of entertainment during the twentieth century. As the co-founder Walter Elias...
cartoonAnimation is the rapid display of a sequence of images of 2-D or 3-D artwork or model positions in order to create an illusion of movement. It is an optical illusion of motion due to the phenomenon of persistence of vision, and can be created and demonstrated in a number of ways...
in which
Mickey MouseMickey Mouse is a comic animal cartoon character who has become an icon for The Walt Disney Company. Mickey Mouse was created in 1928 by Walt Disney and Ub Iwerks and voiced by Walt Disney. The Walt Disney Company celebrates his birth as November 18, 1928 upon the release of Steamboat Willie...
is
conductorConducting is the act of directing a musical performance by way of visible gestures. Orchestras, choirs, concert bands and other musical ensembles often have conductors.-Nomenclature:...
of an outdoor
orchestraAn orchestra is an instrumental ensemble, usually fairly large with string, brass, woodwind sections, and possibly a percussion section as well. The term orchestra derives from the name for the area in front of an ancient Greek stage reserved for the Greek chorus...
.
Mickey's orchestra has the following lineup:
GoofyGoofy is an animated cartoon character from the Walt Disney's Mickey Mouse universe, and is one of Mickey Mouse's best friends. His original concept name was "Dippy Dawg" in cartoon shorts created during the 1930s; then his name was given as "George Geef" or "G.G. Geef" in cartoon shorts during...
(
clarinetThe clarinet is a musical instrument in the woodwind family. The name derives from adding the suffix -et to the Italian word clarino , as the first clarinets had a strident tone similar to that of a trumpet...
) and a similar character (Gideon Goat?) (
tromboneThe trombone is a musical instrument in the brass family. Like all brass instruments, sound is produced when the player’s vibrating lips cause the air column inside the instrument to vibrate...
),
Clarabelle CowClarabelle Cow is a Disney fictional character within the Mickey Mouse universe of characters. Clarabelle Cow was created by Walt Disney and Ub Iwerks in 1928. Clarabelle is one of Minnie Mouse's best friends and is usually depicted as the girlfriend of Horace Horsecollar, although she is...
(
fluteThe Western concert flute or C flute is a transverse woodwind instrument made of metal or wood. It is the most common variant of the flute...
),
Horace HorsecollarHorace Horsecollar is a funny animal cartoon character created by Ub Iwerks and Walt Disney.He is an anthropomorphic horse, one of Mickey Mouse's friends, and the boyfriend of Clarabelle Cow. Horace first appeared as Mickey's plough horse in the cartoon "The Plow Boy" in 1929...
(
percussionA percussion instrument is any object which produces a sound by being hit with an implement, shaken, rubbed, scraped, or by any other action which sets the object into vibration...
),
Peter PigPeter Pig is a fictional pig in Disney short films and comics of the 1930s. He was introduced in The Wise Little Hen ,. in which he is the lazy and greedy friend of his much more famous fellow first-appearance character Donald Duck...
(
trumpetThe trumpet is a musical instrument with the highest register in the brass family. Trumpets are among the oldest musical instruments, dating back to at least 1500 BC...
), and Paddy Pig (
tubaThe tuba is the largest and lowest pitched brass instrument. Sound is produced by vibrating or "buzzing" the lips into a large cupped mouthpiece. It is one of the most recent additions to the modern symphony orchestra, first appearing in the mid-19th century, when it largely replaced the...
).
The orchestra is performing the
William Tell OvertureThe overture to the opera William Tell, especially its high-energy finale, is a very familiar work composed by Gioachino Rossini. There has been repeated use of this overture in the popular media, most famously for being the theme music for the Lone Ranger radio and television shows, and it is...
, but then
Donald DuckDonald Duck is an American cartoon character from The Walt Disney Company. Donald is a white anthropomorphic duck with a yellow-orange bill, legs, and feet. He usually wears a sailor shirt, cap, and a red or black bow tie, but no trousers...
(in his third appearance in a Mickey cartoon) appears selling ice-cream.
The Band Concert is a famous 1935
Walt DisneyWalter Elias "Walt" Disney was an American film producer, director, screenwriter, voice actor, animator, entrepreneur, entertainer, international icon and philanthropist. Disney is famous for his influence in the field of entertainment during the twentieth century. As the co-founder Walter Elias...
cartoonAnimation is the rapid display of a sequence of images of 2-D or 3-D artwork or model positions in order to create an illusion of movement. It is an optical illusion of motion due to the phenomenon of persistence of vision, and can be created and demonstrated in a number of ways...
in which
Mickey MouseMickey Mouse is a comic animal cartoon character who has become an icon for The Walt Disney Company. Mickey Mouse was created in 1928 by Walt Disney and Ub Iwerks and voiced by Walt Disney. The Walt Disney Company celebrates his birth as November 18, 1928 upon the release of Steamboat Willie...
is
conductorConducting is the act of directing a musical performance by way of visible gestures. Orchestras, choirs, concert bands and other musical ensembles often have conductors.-Nomenclature:...
of an outdoor
orchestraAn orchestra is an instrumental ensemble, usually fairly large with string, brass, woodwind sections, and possibly a percussion section as well. The term orchestra derives from the name for the area in front of an ancient Greek stage reserved for the Greek chorus...
.
Plot
Mickey's orchestra has the following lineup:
GoofyGoofy is an animated cartoon character from the Walt Disney's Mickey Mouse universe, and is one of Mickey Mouse's best friends. His original concept name was "Dippy Dawg" in cartoon shorts created during the 1930s; then his name was given as "George Geef" or "G.G. Geef" in cartoon shorts during...
(
clarinetThe clarinet is a musical instrument in the woodwind family. The name derives from adding the suffix -et to the Italian word clarino , as the first clarinets had a strident tone similar to that of a trumpet...
) and a similar character (Gideon Goat?) (
tromboneThe trombone is a musical instrument in the brass family. Like all brass instruments, sound is produced when the player’s vibrating lips cause the air column inside the instrument to vibrate...
),
Clarabelle CowClarabelle Cow is a Disney fictional character within the Mickey Mouse universe of characters. Clarabelle Cow was created by Walt Disney and Ub Iwerks in 1928. Clarabelle is one of Minnie Mouse's best friends and is usually depicted as the girlfriend of Horace Horsecollar, although she is...
(
fluteThe Western concert flute or C flute is a transverse woodwind instrument made of metal or wood. It is the most common variant of the flute...
),
Horace HorsecollarHorace Horsecollar is a funny animal cartoon character created by Ub Iwerks and Walt Disney.He is an anthropomorphic horse, one of Mickey Mouse's friends, and the boyfriend of Clarabelle Cow. Horace first appeared as Mickey's plough horse in the cartoon "The Plow Boy" in 1929...
(
percussionA percussion instrument is any object which produces a sound by being hit with an implement, shaken, rubbed, scraped, or by any other action which sets the object into vibration...
),
Peter PigPeter Pig is a fictional pig in Disney short films and comics of the 1930s. He was introduced in The Wise Little Hen ,. in which he is the lazy and greedy friend of his much more famous fellow first-appearance character Donald Duck...
(
trumpetThe trumpet is a musical instrument with the highest register in the brass family. Trumpets are among the oldest musical instruments, dating back to at least 1500 BC...
), and Paddy Pig (
tubaThe tuba is the largest and lowest pitched brass instrument. Sound is produced by vibrating or "buzzing" the lips into a large cupped mouthpiece. It is one of the most recent additions to the modern symphony orchestra, first appearing in the mid-19th century, when it largely replaced the...
).
The orchestra is performing the
William Tell OvertureThe overture to the opera William Tell, especially its high-energy finale, is a very familiar work composed by Gioachino Rossini. There has been repeated use of this overture in the popular media, most famously for being the theme music for the Lone Ranger radio and television shows, and it is...
, but then
Donald DuckDonald Duck is an American cartoon character from The Walt Disney Company. Donald is a white anthropomorphic duck with a yellow-orange bill, legs, and feet. He usually wears a sailor shirt, cap, and a red or black bow tie, but no trousers...
(in his third appearance in a Mickey cartoon) appears selling ice-cream. Uninvited, Donald takes out his
fluteThe flute is a musical instrument of the woodwind group. Unlike woodwind instruments with reeds, a flute is an aerophone or reedless wind instrument that produces its sound from the flow of air across an opening...
and distracts the band into playing
Turkey in the Straw"Turkey in the Straw" is a well-known American folk song dating from the early 19th century. The song's tune was first popularized in the late 1820s and early 1830s by blackface performers, notably George Washington Dixon, Bob Farrell and George Nichols. Another song, "Zip Coon", was sung to the...
. Mickey tries to get rid of Donald by destroying his flute but it turns out the Duck has plenty of replacement flutes on hand.
As the cartoon continues, Mickey's band plays "The Storm" from the overture which seemingly summons an actual tornado. Despite being swept into the air, the Band continues playing regardless, even despite being flung into a tree. Donald plays "
Turkey in the Straw"Turkey in the Straw" is a well-known American folk song dating from the early 19th century. The song's tune was first popularized in the late 1820s and early 1830s by blackface performers, notably George Washington Dixon, Bob Farrell and George Nichols. Another song, "Zip Coon", was sung to the...
" again with another flute, finishing the final notes after another band member throws a tuba on top of him
Legacy
The cartoon is notable for being the first official Mickey Mouse film in
TechnicolorTechnicolor is the trademark for a series of color film processes pioneered by Technicolor Motion Picture Corporation , now a division of Thomson SA. Technicolor was the second major color film process, after Britain's Kinemacolor, and the most widely used color motion picture process in Hollywood...
. (He had already appeared in color in the two-minute short
Parade of the Award Nominees (1932), which was never intended for the general public.) It is one of the most well known and often repeated Mickey Mouse cartoons.
It is said that when conductor
Arturo ToscaniniArturo Toscanini was an Italian conductor. One of the most acclaimed musicians of the late 19th and 20th Centuries, he was renowned for his brilliant intensity, his restless perfectionism, his phenomenal ear for orchestral detail and sonority, and his photographic memory...
first saw the cartoon in a
movie theaterA movie theater, movie theatre, picture theatre, film theater or cinema is a venue, usually a building, for viewing motion pictures ....
, he was so delighted with it that he ran up to the projection booth and asked the projectionist to run it again.
In 1994 it was voted #3 of the 50 Greatest Cartoons of all time by members of the animation field (it was also the only Disney cartoon to end up in the top 10 of this list). Also, according to
Leonard MaltinLeonard Maltin is an American film critic and film historian. He has authored several mainstream books on the cinema, focusing on nostalgic, celebratory narratives.-Personal life:...
in a commentary for this film when it was included in one of the
Walt Disney TreasuresThe "Walt Disney Treasures" are two-disc DVD sets of classic Disney works, covering work from the studio's earliest days to more recent work....
,
The Band Concert was remade (somewhat) years later as
Symphony HourSymphony Hour was a cartoon made by Walt Disney starring Mickey Mouse in 1942.Mickey leads a radio orchestra who performs the overture to Light Cavalry . The sponsor loves the rehearsal, but come the actual performance, Goofy drops all the instruments under an elevator, destroying the instruments'...
.
In popular culture
In the 1942 wartime cartoon,
All Together, Mickey and his whole band from the cartoon is seen in the parade.
In the video game the Garden area of Disney Castle in
Kingdom Hearts IIis an action role-playing game developed by Square Enix and published by Buena Vista Games and Square Enix in 2005 for the Sony PlayStation 2 video game console...
, there is a
topiaryTopiary is the art of creating sculptures in the medium of clipped trees, shrubs and sub-shrubs. The word derives from the Latin word for an ornamental landscape gardener, topiarius, creator of topia or "places", a Greek word that Romans applied also to fictive indoor landscapes executed in fresco...
sculpture of all characters in the band besides Mickey, Donald, and Goofy.
The Band Concert was also the basis for, and title of the secret level in the game,
Mickey ManiaMickey Mania: The Timeless Adventures of Mickey Mouse is the title of a video game released for the 16-bit Sega Mega Drive/Genesis, Mega CD, and Super NES. In the game the player is Mickey Mouse, who navigates through various side-scrolling levels, each designed from classical Mickey Mouse cartoons...
: The Timeless Adventures of Mickey Mouse (for Super Nintendo, Sega Genesis, Sega CD and Sony PlayStation (as Mickey's Wild Adventure).
This cartoon was also the inspiration for the
Walt Disney World ResortWalt Disney World Resort is the largest and most visited recreational resort in the world, containing four theme parks; two water parks; 23 themed hotels; and numerous shopping, dining, entertainment and recreation venues. Owned and operated by the Walt Disney Parks and Resorts segment of The Walt...
Magic KingdomThe Magic Kingdom is a theme park at the Walt Disney World Resort. The first park built at the resort, it opened on October 1, 1971. The park saw an estimated 17 million visitors in 2008, making it the most visited theme park in the world....
show
Mickey's PhilharMagicMickey's PhilharMagic is a 3-D film attraction found at the Magic Kingdom theme park in the Walt Disney World Resort and at Hong Kong Disneyland. The film was directed by George Scribner, who is best known for directing Disney's 1988 animated film, Oliver and Company...
.
The short was one of the many featured in
Donald Duck's 50th BirthdayDonald Duck's 50th Birthday is the 1984 television special broadcast on The Magical World of Disney on November 13, 1984 on CBS. As the title suggests, it was produced for the 50th anniversary of the Donald Duck character....
, Donald remembers it in a psychiatric session with Dr.
Ludwig Von DrakeLudwig von Drake is one of Walt Disney's cartoon and comic book characters. He was first introduced on September 24, 1961, as the presenter in the cartoon An Adventure in Color, part of the first show of Walt Disney's Wonderful World of Color on NBC. Ludwig is a V.I.P. member of the Mickey Mouse...
and says that Mickey
invited Donald to play with his band.
The Band Concert is the major theme for the new attraction,
Silly Symphony SwingsSilly Symphony Swings will be a "wave swinger" attraction in Paradise Pier, at Disney's California Adventure, at the Disneyland Resort in California. Themed to Disney's The Band Concert, conductor Mickey Mouse conducts the attraction, and he sits high atop, synchronized with the music in motion...
at
Disney's California AdventureDisney's California Adventure Park is a theme park in Anaheim, California, adjacent to Disneyland Park and part of the larger Disneyland Resort. It opened on February 8, 2001...
.
External links