A beautifully simple Disney short about Mickey Mouse trying to conduct an outdoor concert while constantly being interrupted by, among other things, Donald Duck. This was Mickey's first color cartoon and it's a fun one, despite Mickey never speaking and most of the funny bits going to Donald. What really sells the short is the absolutely stunning Technicolor, particularly for the time in which it was made. I can't say enough about how gorgeous it is. Also the animation itself is really excellent. The characters and backgrounds are all well-drawn and the action scenes are terrific. The music is also enjoyable and, of course, the humor is great. Donald was probably the funniest of the Disney characters and here that's on full display. Lots of fun for Disney fans with some jaw-dropping Technicolor that one can't help but appreciate.
21 Reviews
And the band played on...
CuriosityKilledShawn23 May 2004
In this, first color, Mickey Mouse short, he stars as a music conductor at a country fair. His band are playing, in the most average way, The William Tell overture. It gets worse though when Donald (playing a loudmouth ice-cream vendor) comes along and muscles in on the band with his flute, playing a bizarre alternate take on the music and causing the band to stray off course.
Mickey gets mad (I like it when Mickey isn't always the clean-cut good guy) and tries his best to silence Donald. Once that's out the way a bee torments each and every band member, causing further collapse of Mickey's conducting. Once Mickey turns the page on his music script a rather difficult segment of music (called 'The Storm') is revealed. How appropriate, at that very moment a twister tears thru the countryside. The band are so lost in their performance that they don't even realize they're sucked up inside a tornado. It's the highlight of the cartoon, with some truly inventive animation and technically brilliant for it's day.
Mickey doesn't actually say anything in this one but his facial expression do all the acting. Like I said, I like it when Mickey isn't always the opposite of Donald (IE not moody and easily frustrated) and this is their pairing here in this cartoon.
Mickey gets mad (I like it when Mickey isn't always the clean-cut good guy) and tries his best to silence Donald. Once that's out the way a bee torments each and every band member, causing further collapse of Mickey's conducting. Once Mickey turns the page on his music script a rather difficult segment of music (called 'The Storm') is revealed. How appropriate, at that very moment a twister tears thru the countryside. The band are so lost in their performance that they don't even realize they're sucked up inside a tornado. It's the highlight of the cartoon, with some truly inventive animation and technically brilliant for it's day.
Mickey doesn't actually say anything in this one but his facial expression do all the acting. Like I said, I like it when Mickey isn't always the opposite of Donald (IE not moody and easily frustrated) and this is their pairing here in this cartoon.
Playing up a storm
ackstasis27 March 2009
Mickey Mouse's first official outing in Technicolor {after 'Parade of the Award Nominees (1932),' which wasn't intended for public release} was 'The Band Concert (1935),' directed by the ever-reliable Wilfred Jackson. Like many of Mickey's cartoons, this one is basically a Silly Symphony featuring Disney's most popular character, with relative newcomer Donald Duck (voiced by Clarence Nash) having a few lines of dialogue. Being a cartoon built around an already-existing piece of classical music Gioachino Rossini's "William Tell" overture, in this case 'The Band Concert' might be viewed as another important step towards the achievements of 'Fantasia (1940).' Mickey plays the irritable conductor of a country band, who is determined to finish his song against all odds. His dedicated band of performers (including Goofy, Clarabelle Cow, Horace Horsecollar and Peter Pig) continue playing despite the disruptions of Donald who briefly confuses them into performing "Turkey in the Straw" a mischievous bee, and a particularly violent tornado.
Donald is amusing, and the bee gags feel a little tired, but 'The Band Concert' reaches full stride in its final act, when a performance of "Storm" from the overture seemingly conjures a real-life tornado. Building upon his work in the Silly Symphony 'The Ugly Duckling (1931),' Jackson somehow turns this meteorological event into something operatic and almost apocalyptic. From the moment Mickey and his band commence this section of the overture, the mood of the cartoon subtly begins to change. Leaves begin to the whirl behind the musicians; the colours are slowly drained from the screen. With Mickey continuing feverishly to conduct the band, even with all this chaos being orchestrated around him, it almost seems as though he's also conducting the weather, suggesting the seeds of the "Sorceror's Apprentice" segment in 'Fantasia.' In 1994, 'The Band Concert' was rated the #3 American cartoon of all time, the highest-rated Disney release. For me, it doesn't beat 'The Old Mill (1937),' but is still a very worthy effort.
Donald is amusing, and the bee gags feel a little tired, but 'The Band Concert' reaches full stride in its final act, when a performance of "Storm" from the overture seemingly conjures a real-life tornado. Building upon his work in the Silly Symphony 'The Ugly Duckling (1931),' Jackson somehow turns this meteorological event into something operatic and almost apocalyptic. From the moment Mickey and his band commence this section of the overture, the mood of the cartoon subtly begins to change. Leaves begin to the whirl behind the musicians; the colours are slowly drained from the screen. With Mickey continuing feverishly to conduct the band, even with all this chaos being orchestrated around him, it almost seems as though he's also conducting the weather, suggesting the seeds of the "Sorceror's Apprentice" segment in 'Fantasia.' In 1994, 'The Band Concert' was rated the #3 American cartoon of all time, the highest-rated Disney release. For me, it doesn't beat 'The Old Mill (1937),' but is still a very worthy effort.
A classic Mickey Mouse short!
TheLittleSongbird8 July 2009
I have always found The Band Concert an unforgettable Disney short, and to me is a true classic. The animation, considering it was made in Technicolur and made in 1935, is very impressive indeed, and for a variety of reasons the short is compulsive viewing for Disney and classical music lovers. From Mickey Mouse conducting in his intentionally over-sized band conductor's uniform, to Donald Duck causing trouble during the band performance of Rossini's rousing William Tell overture. This is special to me, as my dad is a conductor, I love animation and I was raised on classical music. For all these reasons, I have always found the Band Concert a wonderful gem, that would enthrall the younger generation as well as educate them to the world of classical music for years to come, just as much as it has enthralled me. 10/10 Bethany Cox.
A Disney Gem
Ron Oliver3 March 2003
A Walt Disney MICKEY MOUSE Cartoon.
THE BAND CONCERT which Mickey is conducting in the City Park becomes a titanic contest of wills & determination as the Mouse lets absolutely nothing stop his little group from completing their performance.
Mickey Mouse made his Technicolor debut & Donald Duck became a full-fledged cinematic star in this truly classic cartoon. It is easy to read so many things into this little film - Mickey as the standard bearer for stubborn authority & Donald as the leader of the coming revolution, for example - but perhaps it's safer to leave the philosophizing to the greybeards. Walt Disney and his animators wanted nothing more than to entertain an audience for a few minutes before the main picture began. What we now recognize as one of animation's seminal moments didn't even earn an Oscar nomination at the time. It is with hindsight that true appreciation grows.
Perfection can be found in the details: Mickey's look of fierce resolve as he struggles to conduct in his oversized uniform jacket; Donald's insouciant legerdemain as he produces an endless supply of fifes; the naughty little bee which causes musical mayhem; the absorption with which Clarabelle Cow (flute), Horace Horsecollar (percussion) & Goofy (clarinet) relentlessly continue their performances; the tornado, perfectly cued to the band's music, frightening away not only the audience, but their park benches as well; Mickey, perched on his box, being swept through the storm's debris (including the detritus of a destructed home's living room) without ever missing a measure of the music. Any of these moments would have been the pride of a lesser film;here, they are simply individual gems strung together to create a stunning whole.
It is worth noting that Donald was originally slated to appear as the band's saxophonist, but Walt wanted his part expanded. The rest is history and the Duck (his unique voice supplied by Clarence Nash) never looked back. For the record, the music heard during the opening credits is from the 1831 opera Zampa, by the Frenchman Louis-Joseph-Ferdinand Herold (1791-1833). Mickey's main offering, of course, is the Overture to the 1829 opera William Tell, by the Italian Gioacchino Antonio Rossini (1792-1868). 'Turkey In The Straw' is the triumphant tune played by the Duck.
THE BAND CONCERT is the perfect short subject to watch before viewing either FANTASIA (1940) or FANTASIA 2000 (1999).
Walt Disney (1901-1966) was always intrigued by drawings. As a lad in Marceline, Missouri, he sketched farm animals on scraps of paper; later, as an ambulance driver in France during the First World War, he drew comic figures on the sides of his vehicle. Back in Kansas City, along with artist Ub Iwerks, Walt developed a primitive animation studio that provided animated commercials and tiny cartoons for the local movie theaters. Always the innovator, his ALICE IN CARTOONLAND series broke ground in placing a live figure in a cartoon universe. Business reversals sent Disney & Iwerks to Hollywood in 1923, where Walt's older brother Roy became his lifelong business manager & counselor. When a mildly successful series with Oswald The Lucky Rabbit was snatched away by the distributor, the character of Mickey Mouse sprung into Walt's imagination, ensuring Disney's immortality. The happy arrival of sound technology made Mickey's screen debut, STEAMBOAT WILLIE (1928), a tremendous audience success with its use of synchronized music. The SILLY SYMPHONIES soon appeared, and Walt's growing crew of marvelously talented animators were quickly conquering new territory with full color, illusions of depth and radical advancements in personality development, an arena in which Walt's genius was unbeatable. Mickey's feisty, naughty behavior had captured millions of fans, but he was soon to be joined by other animated companions: temperamental Donald Duck, intellectually-challenged Goofy and energetic Pluto. All this was in preparation for Walt's grandest dream - feature length animated films. Against a blizzard of doomsayers, Walt persevered and over the next decades delighted children of all ages with the adventures of Snow White, Pinocchio, Dumbo, Bambi & Peter Pan. Walt never forgot that his fortunes were all started by a mouse, or that childlike simplicity of message and lots of hard work will always pay off.
THE BAND CONCERT which Mickey is conducting in the City Park becomes a titanic contest of wills & determination as the Mouse lets absolutely nothing stop his little group from completing their performance.
Mickey Mouse made his Technicolor debut & Donald Duck became a full-fledged cinematic star in this truly classic cartoon. It is easy to read so many things into this little film - Mickey as the standard bearer for stubborn authority & Donald as the leader of the coming revolution, for example - but perhaps it's safer to leave the philosophizing to the greybeards. Walt Disney and his animators wanted nothing more than to entertain an audience for a few minutes before the main picture began. What we now recognize as one of animation's seminal moments didn't even earn an Oscar nomination at the time. It is with hindsight that true appreciation grows.
Perfection can be found in the details: Mickey's look of fierce resolve as he struggles to conduct in his oversized uniform jacket; Donald's insouciant legerdemain as he produces an endless supply of fifes; the naughty little bee which causes musical mayhem; the absorption with which Clarabelle Cow (flute), Horace Horsecollar (percussion) & Goofy (clarinet) relentlessly continue their performances; the tornado, perfectly cued to the band's music, frightening away not only the audience, but their park benches as well; Mickey, perched on his box, being swept through the storm's debris (including the detritus of a destructed home's living room) without ever missing a measure of the music. Any of these moments would have been the pride of a lesser film;here, they are simply individual gems strung together to create a stunning whole.
It is worth noting that Donald was originally slated to appear as the band's saxophonist, but Walt wanted his part expanded. The rest is history and the Duck (his unique voice supplied by Clarence Nash) never looked back. For the record, the music heard during the opening credits is from the 1831 opera Zampa, by the Frenchman Louis-Joseph-Ferdinand Herold (1791-1833). Mickey's main offering, of course, is the Overture to the 1829 opera William Tell, by the Italian Gioacchino Antonio Rossini (1792-1868). 'Turkey In The Straw' is the triumphant tune played by the Duck.
THE BAND CONCERT is the perfect short subject to watch before viewing either FANTASIA (1940) or FANTASIA 2000 (1999).
Walt Disney (1901-1966) was always intrigued by drawings. As a lad in Marceline, Missouri, he sketched farm animals on scraps of paper; later, as an ambulance driver in France during the First World War, he drew comic figures on the sides of his vehicle. Back in Kansas City, along with artist Ub Iwerks, Walt developed a primitive animation studio that provided animated commercials and tiny cartoons for the local movie theaters. Always the innovator, his ALICE IN CARTOONLAND series broke ground in placing a live figure in a cartoon universe. Business reversals sent Disney & Iwerks to Hollywood in 1923, where Walt's older brother Roy became his lifelong business manager & counselor. When a mildly successful series with Oswald The Lucky Rabbit was snatched away by the distributor, the character of Mickey Mouse sprung into Walt's imagination, ensuring Disney's immortality. The happy arrival of sound technology made Mickey's screen debut, STEAMBOAT WILLIE (1928), a tremendous audience success with its use of synchronized music. The SILLY SYMPHONIES soon appeared, and Walt's growing crew of marvelously talented animators were quickly conquering new territory with full color, illusions of depth and radical advancements in personality development, an arena in which Walt's genius was unbeatable. Mickey's feisty, naughty behavior had captured millions of fans, but he was soon to be joined by other animated companions: temperamental Donald Duck, intellectually-challenged Goofy and energetic Pluto. All this was in preparation for Walt's grandest dream - feature length animated films. Against a blizzard of doomsayers, Walt persevered and over the next decades delighted children of all ages with the adventures of Snow White, Pinocchio, Dumbo, Bambi & Peter Pan. Walt never forgot that his fortunes were all started by a mouse, or that childlike simplicity of message and lots of hard work will always pay off.
The first Mickey Mouse done in color
llltdesq21 April 2002
This short is the first one that Disney made starring Mickey in color and what a glorious way to bring the Mouse into color! This is one of the best animated shorts of all time. Often imitated, but never duplicated. Disney was at the top of the mountain as far as animation was concerned and this one is justifiably considered a classic. Well worth looking for. Most highly recommended.
perfection.
baz-1521 February 2002
All budding animators should see this one. It is one of the all time great cartoons. The scene when the twister lifts the band up is transcendent. It still awes after all these years. The cartoon starts off in a light way, with donald duck interfering with the band,playing turkey in the straw against their william tell overture. The action is guided by the music, and vice versa-when mickey tries to swat a bee by waving his arms, the band play his instructions,when he gets ice cream down his pants and tries to shake it off, they play some belly dance music. There's great attention to detail in the cartoon, the music script follows the band as they fly about in the storm, when mickey is flying about and passes through a window frame the blind shuts after him. And the music is great and complements the animation perfectly. They shoulda sent this cartoon into space with the other stuff on voyager.
The band concert
rbverhoef18 May 2003
This short is about Mickey Mouse leading a band. The band plays the famous William Tell Overture when Donald is selling ice cream, hears the band and grabs a flute to play along. Mickey is not very pleased with this.
The first Mickey Mouse short in color is nice but I was not as pleased as I normally am with a short like this. Still very nice and perfectly done.
The first Mickey Mouse short in color is nice but I was not as pleased as I normally am with a short like this. Still very nice and perfectly done.
Are You Kidding Me...In 1935!
Hitchcoc23 December 2015
Brilliant color, wonderful animation, and tremendous characterization. Mickey is the leader of a kind of community band. Among the members are somewhat crude versions of very familiar Disney characters. Goofy, Donald, Horace Horsecollar, Clarabelle Cow and so on. Mickey is doing fine. The band is to play the "William Tell Overture." Donald Duck with his familiar sailor suit, but with a really long neck (sort of like a goose) has a flute and insists on playing "Turkey in the Straw." Mickey's rage get the better of him and he confronts the irritating duck, but has no success in squelching his awful sounds. Of course, the efforts lead to his conducting the orchestra with a sense of pandemonium. Also, when another piece called "The Storm" is to be played, an actual tornado appears and it's every animated character for himself. The result is pure joy along with an unforgettable visual memory of this piece (other than the Lone Ranger connection).
The music is the highlight
Horst_In_Translation10 September 2015
Warning: Spoilers
"The Band Concert" is a Disney cartoon which runs for 9 minutes (unusually long, mostly they are 7 minutes) from 80 years ago. Mickey conducts an orchestra, but he and the musicians have to face several obstacles on their way to a great performance. First, ice cream vendor Donald goes on everybody nerves, then a disruptive bee enters the picture and finally, in accordance with the piece they are playing, a massive storm erupts. I cannot say that I was too impressed by the comedy here. There were a couple mildly funny scenes, but the heart and soul of this film is definitely the music. The director here is Wilfred Jackson who worked on many Disney classics in the decades after this short movie here. Another interesting aspect is that this was done during the early days of Donald and Mickey in color. Mickey still has completely black eyes and Donald has an unproportionally big bead compared to his head. This was going to change in the years after that. All in all, an okay little movie, not bad, but not among Disney's best either.
Micky Maestro
vmacek@mindspring.com4 December 2008
By the mid-1930s, Disney was hard at work pushing the boundaries of animation as groundwork for his feature films, his 'Silly Symphonies' were becoming more sophisticated at creating characters with physical weight and substance, moving through increasingly realistic surroundings with plenty of nuance in their 'acting'. He was turning the old 'short subject' diversion into serious art.
All this put his resident star Mickey Mouse into a curious spot originally the bouncy, anarchic free spirit, now bound in his Technicolor debut to driving his rubber-limbed barnyard co-stars to higher purpose. As band leader, he does his level best to create high art, but is stymied by the very realism he seeks to embrace. His music stand buckles under gravity, his realistically weighty jacket hinders and trips him up and against more realistic character design, his own facial features come into question. His trademark ears start to defy dimensional correctness to retain his distinct silhouette, and the free-floating pupils in his eyes show their limitations as he shoots sideways glares to his cowing orchestra.
With all this to contend with, in walks Donald Duck. Created as a model of disreputable behavior in "The Wise Little Hen", he was quickly overtaking Mickey in the hearts of movie audiences. Even with a weightier, more realistic design (much more duck-like than he would later become) he cheerfully dismisses the new realism with a wink to us he produces a seemingly infinite number of flutes from thin air! His breezy attitude easily infects the old-style band members, who quickly, repeatedly revert to their roots, veering off the 'William Tell Overture' into 'Turkey in the Straw' at Donald's lead.
Mickey soldiers on regardless, squaring off against both his box-office rival and the intimidating weight of his newly-realistic surroundings, summed up in a full-blown storm that swirls him and his old cohorts into the sky like autumn leaves. Through sheer determination, he holds things together to a triumphant end, proving himself up to this new world he's in but the Duck gets in the last laugh.
(Note: It may be pompous over-analysis to take what is simply a cartoon that's a technical masterpiece, consistently funny, and understandable to anyone, anywhere, at any age, and hold it up as a metaphor for Disney's internal struggle between his lofty ambitions and his lowbrow roots, but that's what being a do-it-yourself internet reviewer is all about.)
All this put his resident star Mickey Mouse into a curious spot originally the bouncy, anarchic free spirit, now bound in his Technicolor debut to driving his rubber-limbed barnyard co-stars to higher purpose. As band leader, he does his level best to create high art, but is stymied by the very realism he seeks to embrace. His music stand buckles under gravity, his realistically weighty jacket hinders and trips him up and against more realistic character design, his own facial features come into question. His trademark ears start to defy dimensional correctness to retain his distinct silhouette, and the free-floating pupils in his eyes show their limitations as he shoots sideways glares to his cowing orchestra.
With all this to contend with, in walks Donald Duck. Created as a model of disreputable behavior in "The Wise Little Hen", he was quickly overtaking Mickey in the hearts of movie audiences. Even with a weightier, more realistic design (much more duck-like than he would later become) he cheerfully dismisses the new realism with a wink to us he produces a seemingly infinite number of flutes from thin air! His breezy attitude easily infects the old-style band members, who quickly, repeatedly revert to their roots, veering off the 'William Tell Overture' into 'Turkey in the Straw' at Donald's lead.
Mickey soldiers on regardless, squaring off against both his box-office rival and the intimidating weight of his newly-realistic surroundings, summed up in a full-blown storm that swirls him and his old cohorts into the sky like autumn leaves. Through sheer determination, he holds things together to a triumphant end, proving himself up to this new world he's in but the Duck gets in the last laugh.
(Note: It may be pompous over-analysis to take what is simply a cartoon that's a technical masterpiece, consistently funny, and understandable to anyone, anywhere, at any age, and hold it up as a metaphor for Disney's internal struggle between his lofty ambitions and his lowbrow roots, but that's what being a do-it-yourself internet reviewer is all about.)
A classic!
afonsobritofalves5 April 2019
Swirling air concert.
Pjtaylor-96-13804430 March 2020
'The Band Concert (1935)' is a fantastic short film. It casts Mickey as a conductor trying to work his way through 'William Tell' as he contends with Donald Duck's mischievous flute playing and a cow-swallowing hurricane. The thing is entertaining right from the off. Its sight gags are splendid and it's genuinely funny. The animation is also just amazing, some of the best I've seen. It starts out a little slow, but it's a wonderful experience that should keep a smile on your face throughout. 8/10
Walt Disney, the Maestro of Animation...
ElMaruecan8230 June 2018
I'm no musical expert but I sure know about cartoons and I don't think there is one classic animated series that never used William Tell's "Overture". Walt Disney, Looney Tunes, Tex Avery, Tom and Jerry... and while we're at it, let's not forget the "Lone Ranger" intro and the infamous fast-motion orgy scene in a certain Kubrick movie.
I guess there's just something universally catchy to the ears about Rossini's music that its stature was bound to be enhanced by its abundant use in Pop Culture more than its roots in the world of classical music. The reason is simple, the music was perfect for animation because once you listen to it, a rich imagery flows over your mind. Many classical piece of music evoke ideas, emotions, abstractions, the Overture might be the most visually evocative.
Think about it, it starts with a sober and somber segment, then one of a pastoral serenity, after that you have the rhythmic segment, full of fury and intensity, then it concludes with the iconic march and its exhilarating finale. We see storms, horses, countryside, running, riding, sleeping, walking and It's like all the possible moods encapsulated in one piece of music. What else could surpass it as a standard of animation and inaugurate Mickey's first color appearance?
And the evolution of Mickey Mouse is integral to the film's significance. We all know the "started with a mouse" story but remember it took two or three cartoons before "Steamboat Willie" would use a pre-recorded soundtrack for the first time. Without that technological advance, cartoons would never have outlived the 'cute novelty' phase. In the following years, Disney made the Silly Symphony cartoons and created his most iconic characters (practically no one today lived a childhood devoid of Mickey Mouse, Donald Duck, Goofy, Pluto et al.
The cartoons grew more and more sophisticated leading inevitably to 1933 and the first use of colors with "Flowers and Trees" and Oscar-winner "The Three Little Pigs". 1934 was the year that introduced Donald Duck in "The Wise Little Hen", in color too. But, it's not until 1935 that the iconic mouse would leave the monochrome world in his turn. But it called for a celebration and with the exception of Minnie and Pluto, the cartoon was graced by the presence of prestigious guest stars such as Clarabelle Cow, Horace Horsecollar, Goofy and Donald Duck in one of his first scene-stealing performances... and given how prominent Mickey was for once, that's saying a lot.
"The Band Concert"; simply said; is the greatest cartoon of all time, actually voted the third but there's no way "What's Opera Doc?" is better. "The Band Concert" has the characters, the visuals and the music, a holy trinity no decent cartoon couldn't rely on. And yes it happens to be a Mickey Mouse cartoon, where he's the star, not the foil to the supporting cast, he's leading the show and by all the Gods, he's determined to lead it till the end, no matter how many little annoyances disrupt it, a long sleeve, a bee, or that annoying "Turkey in the Straw" constantly played by a hotdog vendor named Donald Duck.
The short made such an impression on me that whenever I hear the beginning of the march, I can't help having "Turkey in the Straw" sneaking into the melody and spoiling it all (or does it?). I don't know if Disney wanted "Turkey" as a reminder of the first music used in "Steamboat Willie", but maybe after seven years, he could finally pretend to higher musical levels... yet there's something irresistible in the way that little folksy song battles against the "big piece" and admirable in the way Mickey Mouse resists and is determined to play the music till the end no matter how many flutes Donald can magically get out of his hat. In other words, the show must go on!
The film features many inspired moments, where the action influences the music and vice versa. When Mickey gets ice cream in his neck, his movements turn the music he's conducting to "The Streets of Cairo", the kind of gag would be later used in classics like "Magical Maestro" but the symbiosis between characters and music has never been as wonderfully embodied as in this cartoon. Other sight gags include Horace trying to hit the bee with his cymbals and a hammer, and Goofy's clarinet delicately flirting with Clarabelle's flute, a tender and a quiet moment... before the storm.
And that cartoon wouldn't have been one tenth the legend it is today without its climax. "The "Storm" segments summons a hurricane that sucks everything out and forces the audience to leave, followed by the benches in another hilarious sight gag, Donald is deservedly knotted to trees while the orchestra determined to go on and on no matter what, continues playing, and what we've got is one of the greatest pieces of animation. In the beginning, the wind blown by the brass instrument made hats float in the air and turn for a moment, so you can imagine how the effect was amplified with the tornado.
The players turn around and come in contact with various objects flying over the head, including a shattered house but like the Titanic band they just go on and on. And to tell you who's the boss, even when Mickey stops conducting, the hurricane stops for a while before a finale that is still today one of my favorite Disney moments. And when you know that a conductor loved so much the film he wanted it to be projected again and invited Disney to Italy, you understand how good the short is.
Maybe he saw in Disney a fellow conductor, a Maestro who'd take his characters to the ultimate limit, and would never stop the show no matter the obstacles. I said in my "Fantasia" review that there was something of the Sorcere's Apprentice in Disney, i guess there's something of Disney in Mickey as a conductor in "The Band Concert".
I guess there's just something universally catchy to the ears about Rossini's music that its stature was bound to be enhanced by its abundant use in Pop Culture more than its roots in the world of classical music. The reason is simple, the music was perfect for animation because once you listen to it, a rich imagery flows over your mind. Many classical piece of music evoke ideas, emotions, abstractions, the Overture might be the most visually evocative.
Think about it, it starts with a sober and somber segment, then one of a pastoral serenity, after that you have the rhythmic segment, full of fury and intensity, then it concludes with the iconic march and its exhilarating finale. We see storms, horses, countryside, running, riding, sleeping, walking and It's like all the possible moods encapsulated in one piece of music. What else could surpass it as a standard of animation and inaugurate Mickey's first color appearance?
And the evolution of Mickey Mouse is integral to the film's significance. We all know the "started with a mouse" story but remember it took two or three cartoons before "Steamboat Willie" would use a pre-recorded soundtrack for the first time. Without that technological advance, cartoons would never have outlived the 'cute novelty' phase. In the following years, Disney made the Silly Symphony cartoons and created his most iconic characters (practically no one today lived a childhood devoid of Mickey Mouse, Donald Duck, Goofy, Pluto et al.
The cartoons grew more and more sophisticated leading inevitably to 1933 and the first use of colors with "Flowers and Trees" and Oscar-winner "The Three Little Pigs". 1934 was the year that introduced Donald Duck in "The Wise Little Hen", in color too. But, it's not until 1935 that the iconic mouse would leave the monochrome world in his turn. But it called for a celebration and with the exception of Minnie and Pluto, the cartoon was graced by the presence of prestigious guest stars such as Clarabelle Cow, Horace Horsecollar, Goofy and Donald Duck in one of his first scene-stealing performances... and given how prominent Mickey was for once, that's saying a lot.
"The Band Concert"; simply said; is the greatest cartoon of all time, actually voted the third but there's no way "What's Opera Doc?" is better. "The Band Concert" has the characters, the visuals and the music, a holy trinity no decent cartoon couldn't rely on. And yes it happens to be a Mickey Mouse cartoon, where he's the star, not the foil to the supporting cast, he's leading the show and by all the Gods, he's determined to lead it till the end, no matter how many little annoyances disrupt it, a long sleeve, a bee, or that annoying "Turkey in the Straw" constantly played by a hotdog vendor named Donald Duck.
The short made such an impression on me that whenever I hear the beginning of the march, I can't help having "Turkey in the Straw" sneaking into the melody and spoiling it all (or does it?). I don't know if Disney wanted "Turkey" as a reminder of the first music used in "Steamboat Willie", but maybe after seven years, he could finally pretend to higher musical levels... yet there's something irresistible in the way that little folksy song battles against the "big piece" and admirable in the way Mickey Mouse resists and is determined to play the music till the end no matter how many flutes Donald can magically get out of his hat. In other words, the show must go on!
The film features many inspired moments, where the action influences the music and vice versa. When Mickey gets ice cream in his neck, his movements turn the music he's conducting to "The Streets of Cairo", the kind of gag would be later used in classics like "Magical Maestro" but the symbiosis between characters and music has never been as wonderfully embodied as in this cartoon. Other sight gags include Horace trying to hit the bee with his cymbals and a hammer, and Goofy's clarinet delicately flirting with Clarabelle's flute, a tender and a quiet moment... before the storm.
And that cartoon wouldn't have been one tenth the legend it is today without its climax. "The "Storm" segments summons a hurricane that sucks everything out and forces the audience to leave, followed by the benches in another hilarious sight gag, Donald is deservedly knotted to trees while the orchestra determined to go on and on no matter what, continues playing, and what we've got is one of the greatest pieces of animation. In the beginning, the wind blown by the brass instrument made hats float in the air and turn for a moment, so you can imagine how the effect was amplified with the tornado.
The players turn around and come in contact with various objects flying over the head, including a shattered house but like the Titanic band they just go on and on. And to tell you who's the boss, even when Mickey stops conducting, the hurricane stops for a while before a finale that is still today one of my favorite Disney moments. And when you know that a conductor loved so much the film he wanted it to be projected again and invited Disney to Italy, you understand how good the short is.
Maybe he saw in Disney a fellow conductor, a Maestro who'd take his characters to the ultimate limit, and would never stop the show no matter the obstacles. I said in my "Fantasia" review that there was something of the Sorcere's Apprentice in Disney, i guess there's something of Disney in Mickey as a conductor in "The Band Concert".
A great film from Mickey's golden age.
planktonrules13 January 2011
Mickey is conducting a band concert in the park. However, Donald manages to interrupt everything. Later, however, the problem isn't Donald but a freak wind storm that makes a mess of everything. All this is accompanied by very suitable music and actually would seem to be the inspiration for the Magic Kingdom's great 3-D movie "Fantasmic"--starring Mickey, Donald and a wind storm (or sorts).
Technically speaking, this might be one of the best looking Mickey Mouse cartoons--as were so many during the mid-1930s when Disney started showing the Mouse in very vivid full-color. But, as it still bears much of the look of the early Disney characters, it's quite charming and nostalgic at the same time. Great fun for all ages--even if they are not great music fans.
Technically speaking, this might be one of the best looking Mickey Mouse cartoons--as were so many during the mid-1930s when Disney started showing the Mouse in very vivid full-color. But, as it still bears much of the look of the early Disney characters, it's quite charming and nostalgic at the same time. Great fun for all ages--even if they are not great music fans.
The best concert!
OllieSuave-0077 October 2015
Mickey Mouse conducts a symphony performing the William Tell Overture at the park, all the while Donald Duck playfully interferes with the conducting and while a ferocious tornado crashes the concert. This is musical fun from start to finish, from the frolicking of the birds during the peaceful sounds of the overture to the hilariously chaotic mêlée of the tornado during the overture's storm sequence.
While Mickey Mouse tries to keep everything in order, Donald Duck is definitely the highlight of the cartoon short, with him hilariously trying to annoy Mickey with this flute playing, and him trying to outrun the tornado - sending lots of laughs to the audience.
This cartoon short is where I first heard the William Tell Overture. It's a classic Disney cartoon that is among my favorites and brings back great childhood memories!
Grade A
While Mickey Mouse tries to keep everything in order, Donald Duck is definitely the highlight of the cartoon short, with him hilariously trying to annoy Mickey with this flute playing, and him trying to outrun the tornado - sending lots of laughs to the audience.
This cartoon short is where I first heard the William Tell Overture. It's a classic Disney cartoon that is among my favorites and brings back great childhood memories!
Grade A
"Bravo, bravo, bravo..."
classicsoncall1 July 2016
Warning: Spoilers
I try to picture myself as an audience member in the theater watching this for the very first time back in 1935. That had to be quite the experience, not only because it was Walt Disney's first Mickey Mouse cartoon in color, but the vibrancy and dynamic action make it a blast to watch even today. There's just so much going on when the picture first starts out that it's difficult to zero in on any one item, you just don't want to miss anything. As conductor Mickey gets the William Tell Overture under way, Donald Duck begins hawking ice cream, and then a busy bee starts to give Mickey fits. As a huge, black tornado breaks things up, the creativity of the cartoon artists really comes into play. As a fan, I found this to be a wonderful treat, certainly raising the bar for future Disney endeavors and other studios as well.
Anyone who has played in a high school concert band . . .
oscaralbert14 January 2022
Warning: Spoilers
. . . will deem THE BAND CONCERT to be a gross understatement of what it's like to be in a co-ed band. For instance, "The William Tell Overture" is pretty tame stuff compared to "The Overture of 1812," which inevitably sees the percussionists on vocational studies tracks building homemade cannons, bazookas and pipe bombs for the big finale. Mickey may be directing his pep band from a few feet off the ground during the tornado, but our local band director often waves his baton within the Asteroid Belt during "The Planets" by Holst. And though Donald Duck's flute counter melody is mildly distracting in this cartoon, it cannot hold a cantata to the cacophonous racket raised by a pair of French horn gals ragging behind.
Such a precious short, this little piece of animated magic took the world by storm!
Foreverisacastironmess12319 December 2015
In terms of the concept, final result and the longevity of its vibrant and joyful spirit, this iconic cartoon is amazingly well constructed. No way did it ever deserve to lose against "Three Orphan Kittens" in 1935, that Silly Symphony just doesn't compare to this one in terms of meaning and overall worth to the history of animation. Some say it's the first cartoon ever to be in colour, and if that really was the case, it used every last bit of colour at its disposal to wonderful effect with Mickey's adorably conductor's uniform in particular standing out and being very memorable! Donald is such a rude squawking menace to Mickey as he just tries to complete a rehearsal and the flute playing duck won't let him! Donald's cranky shtick always worked much better when he had a nicer character to bounce it off. The first part is good, but it truly becomes something special and takes off both figuratively and literally as the tornado hits and the band is lifted up into the air and continues to play on! It takes on such a grand scale then and is incredible to watch. It's quite cacophonous, with so many precise gags all going on at once in a swirling motion, but there's a kind of flow to it all that goes fantastically with the music, and the airborne merry-go-round band is an animated marvel to behold!!! This is one of those old, funny, and very precious cartoons that everyone loved to watch in their early childhoods and I love it, it's so nostalgic and wonderful... Without a doubt it deserves a perfect ten! X
and the Band played on.
southdavid15 September 2022
Back to watching all the shorts on Disney Plus and, though some have been a touch underwhelming, watching something as excellent as "The Band Concert" reminds me why being open to watching whatever is next on the list can sometimes bring forth unexpected, or long forgotten, delights.
Mickey Mouse is the conductor of a band playing an outdoor concert. Peanut vendor, and frustrated flautist, Donald Duck (Clarence Nash) attempts to join in but finds that Mickey and other members of his band are resistant. With the concert back in full swing, a tornado comes close, but the band play gamely on.
That you see things like "Cuphead" emulating this animation style goes to show just how beloved it is. It hard not to assess this 1935 short as being brilliant. Though both Mickey and Donald aren't quite the characters we'd come to know them as, both in terms of temperament and character design, the level of rich detail in the characters, the impeccable timing and the genuinely funny moments make this a real must see.
Mickey Mouse is the conductor of a band playing an outdoor concert. Peanut vendor, and frustrated flautist, Donald Duck (Clarence Nash) attempts to join in but finds that Mickey and other members of his band are resistant. With the concert back in full swing, a tornado comes close, but the band play gamely on.
That you see things like "Cuphead" emulating this animation style goes to show just how beloved it is. It hard not to assess this 1935 short as being brilliant. Though both Mickey and Donald aren't quite the characters we'd come to know them as, both in terms of temperament and character design, the level of rich detail in the characters, the impeccable timing and the genuinely funny moments make this a real must see.
Regarded as Disney's Best Short Cartoon
springfieldrental6 May 2023
For almost three years since Walt Disney bought the exclusive rights to Technicolor's three-strip system for cartoons beginning with his "Silly Symphonies Flowers and Trees," his Mickey Mouse series was so popular he didn't think he needed to spend the immense amount of money it took to make his cartoons in color. But Disney decided to take the plunge and create Mickey's 73rd short film, February 1935's "The Band Concert," a full-color affair.
Disney was especially attentive in making sure Mickey's color debut was a success. He had his top director, Wilfred Jackson, handle his studio's best artists to create the eight-minute cartoon. Audiences applauded the new look of Mickey in "The Band Concert". The world's most respected conductor, Italy's Arturo Toscanini, was so impress by the cartoon he asked the movie theater's projectionist to rewind the reel and play it again, for a total of six times. So moved by the cartoon he invited Walt to stay at his Italian villa whenever he was in the neighborhood.
Mickey is a conductor of a local orchestra playing in a city park in "The Band Concert." Several Mickey Mouse regulars are in the band, including Goofy, Clarabelle and Peter Pig. Donald Duck arrives on the scene with his truck selling popcorn, peanuts and ice cream. Mr. Duck causes a fuss by playing 'Turkey in the Straw." Mickey gets all bent out of shape before the exciting climax, where a tornado rips through the park while the band is playing Gioachino Rossini's 'The William Tell Overture.' Despite all the chaos, the musicians don't miss a beat as they continue playing while caught up in the whirling tornado.
Film critic Leonard Maltin praised "The Band Concert," acclaiming it as "one of the best cartoons ever made anywhere. There are nuances of expression in Mickey's character throughout this film that had seldom been explored in earlier shorts. The pacing is also entirely different from the standard Mickey Mouse comedies of the early thirties. Instead of trying to pack in a thousand gags a minute, The Band Concert takes its time and builds to a crescendo." The Mickey short has been polled by animation professionals as the best Disney cartoon ever made, ranking third in the 'The 50 Greatest Cartoons' reference book.
Disney was especially attentive in making sure Mickey's color debut was a success. He had his top director, Wilfred Jackson, handle his studio's best artists to create the eight-minute cartoon. Audiences applauded the new look of Mickey in "The Band Concert". The world's most respected conductor, Italy's Arturo Toscanini, was so impress by the cartoon he asked the movie theater's projectionist to rewind the reel and play it again, for a total of six times. So moved by the cartoon he invited Walt to stay at his Italian villa whenever he was in the neighborhood.
Mickey is a conductor of a local orchestra playing in a city park in "The Band Concert." Several Mickey Mouse regulars are in the band, including Goofy, Clarabelle and Peter Pig. Donald Duck arrives on the scene with his truck selling popcorn, peanuts and ice cream. Mr. Duck causes a fuss by playing 'Turkey in the Straw." Mickey gets all bent out of shape before the exciting climax, where a tornado rips through the park while the band is playing Gioachino Rossini's 'The William Tell Overture.' Despite all the chaos, the musicians don't miss a beat as they continue playing while caught up in the whirling tornado.
Film critic Leonard Maltin praised "The Band Concert," acclaiming it as "one of the best cartoons ever made anywhere. There are nuances of expression in Mickey's character throughout this film that had seldom been explored in earlier shorts. The pacing is also entirely different from the standard Mickey Mouse comedies of the early thirties. Instead of trying to pack in a thousand gags a minute, The Band Concert takes its time and builds to a crescendo." The Mickey short has been polled by animation professionals as the best Disney cartoon ever made, ranking third in the 'The 50 Greatest Cartoons' reference book.
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