Toot, Whistle, Plunk and Boom
November. 10,1953 NR
In this short subject (which mostly represents a departure from Disney's traditional approach to animation), a stuffy owl teacher lectures his feathered flock on the origins of Western musical instruments. Starting with cavepeople, whose crude implements could only "toot, whistle, plunk and boom," the owl explains how these beginnings led to the development of the four basic types of Western musical instruments: brass, woodwinds, strings, and percussion.
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Reviews
Good story, Not enough for a whole film
It’s fine. It's literally the definition of a fine movie. You’ve seen it before, you know every beat and outcome before the characters even do. Only question is how much escapism you’re looking for.
This is a dark and sometimes deeply uncomfortable drama
It is encouraging that the film ends so strongly.Otherwise, it wouldn't have been a particularly memorable film
"Toot Whistle Plunk and Boom" is an American cartoon from 1953, so this one has its 65th anniversary this year and at slightly over 10 minutes, it is a bit longer than most cartoons from that time. Maybe this runtime is one of the components that had this film make enough of a difference to win an Academy Award. It certainly cannot be the film itself can it? Here and there it is informative admittedly, but the animation did very little for me and the story/plot, if there even is such a thing in here, could not impress me either. It feels very rushed and not like a worthy tribute to the wonderful world of music (instruments). I am surprised this one is fairly well known still, especially as it doesn't have any of the famous Disney duck/mouse characters in it. Maybe the Oscar helped. In any case I am not sure who I'd recommend this one to, certainly not music classes or their teachers, cartoon lovers or music lovers won't really like what they see in here either. Maybe it is for film historian curious about a fairly unusual Disney work. As for me, it came indeed pretty short. My suggestion is to watch something else instead. Not recommended.
Oh! It's one of them "educational" films. This is a masterful look at the dynamics and science of musical instruments. It gives a rudimentary history of all things instrumental. The four words in the title refer to horns, wood winds, strings, and percussion, the four sections of the orchestra. It is done in a fun and visually interesting way. I recall seeing "Donald Duck in Mathemagic Land," in my math classes, an excellent teaching tool created by the Disney animators. The only part I had trouble with was that chorus of birds singing in the Andrews Sisters style. Many of the Dr. Seuss cartoons used this choral style and it becomes pretty tiresome at times. But it needed narration and this is they way they got it.
The best thing about "Toot, Whistle, Plunk, and Boom" is that I actually learned something from it! Who knew I would learn something from a cartoon at the age of 22?! I've never been that involved in musical instruments, but it was very interesting and easy to learn from TWP&B on why horns are shaped the way they are. The short is also hilarious as we see how the caveman learned to make music in their primitive ways and how that music evolved over the ages. It's also fun to see the cavemen collaborate with the modern-day symphonies. There are just some great gags and jokes throughout this jam-packed cartoon.We're also reintroduced to that school of singing birds from the cartoon short, "Melody." They were fun, but I thought they were a little annoying in this short. I was glad when they made the transition to the cavemen, because those cavemen stole the show! I've even seen them make cameos on the recent cartoon series, "Disney's House of Mouse." Hey, maybe we can even see them in the theme parks!!! That would be fun!There are a lot of memorable and educational moments from this cartoon, and it will always remain a classic. In my opinion, the only thing holding it back a little are those birds. They've done better! Better just let the cavemen get the show going!!My IMDb Rating: 9/10
If you think that Disney animators were only good at drawing cutesy animals in the 1950's then you need to see this film. The animation style is like nothing you've ever seen in a Disney film. While it does have its share of cute animals (the setting is a classroom full of birds), many of the characters are strange, geometric looking creations. I especially enjoyed the ancient Egyptian characters modeled after ancient Egyptian art. This is an educational short on the origins of music, but also works as a great comedy. The "Plunk" section is the best! It's a one joke bit, but it never gets old.
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