This is the last of four Oscar-nominated "Puppetoons" I watched as part of my ongoing Academy Awards marathon to commemorate George Pal's birthday. It is the most Disney-ish of the lot, involving an anthropomorphic orchestra. During rehearsal, a number of instruments get to play pretty melodies – while the tuba only supplies monotonous accompaniment; he pines for a chance at his own showpiece, but is ridiculed by the others for deluding himself. He goes off into the forest and runs into a frog, who teaches him that even an unattractive object can stand out from the crowd; rejoining the band, he breaks into a melody – surprising his colleagues who, after the initial shock, spontaneously join in and cheer the tuba's new-found strength. As with much of the era's animation, there is a moral at the heart of the narrative and it is usually a celebration of diversity and inner beauty. For the record, the TV-sourced credits in the copy I watched off "You Tube" misspell the title of this one as TUBBY THE TUBBA!
Review of Tubby the Tuba
