Michael_Elliott The Corny Concerto (1943)*** 1/2 (out of 4) Warner Brothers's spoof of Disney's FANTASIA has Elmer Fudd playing the orchestra leader and then we get two different sequences. The first has Porky Pig and his dog stalking Bugs Bunny while the second has a group of stuck up white ducks not playing well with a baby Daffy. This here is certainly a classic film for the series as it really does do Disney better than Disney did in FANTASIA. Both of the stories are extremely good and that's certainly the cast for the first one. I thought the little back and forth between Porky and his dog was quite funny. Of course, the real highlight here was the wonderful music and how it was used for the animation.

slymusic "A Corny Concerto" is a brilliant Warner Bros. musical cartoon directed by Bob Clampett. A splendid rip-off of Walt Disney's "Fantasia", it casts Elmer Fudd, of all people, as the orchestral conductor who introduces two familiar pieces of music by our favorite "waltz king" Johann Strauss, Jr. Co-starring Bugs Bunny, Porky Pig, and a baby Daffy Duck, with absolutely no dialogue! (Somebody once remarked that "A Corny Concerto" is one of the only Bugs Bunny films in which Elmer Fudd has the last word.) My favorite scenes from this charming cartoon: Elmer is hilarious as he struggles with his loose-fitting attire. Porky and his dog are also very funny when they cry in waltz time as Bugs supposedly lies dead. When the buzzard snatches away the three baby swans, it is revealed that one of them is cheating by using a motor. Determined to save the three little swans from the clutches of the buzzard, Daffy essentially becomes a fierce bomber airplane, and the swans become paratroopers (with a nice sound effect).The best thing about "A Corny Concerto" is the action that occurs COMPLETELY in synchronization with the musical accompaniment, which is hence where the humor of this cartoon lies. In addition, take note of the superb background paintings in this film, particularly during the opening "Tales from the Vienna Woods" segment.

theowinthrop Nicely made Warner's Cartoon "Merrie Melody" from 1943. The Warners' Cartoon stable occasionally took a swipe at the far most prestigious Disney group across town. Here they decide to have a go at Disney's one attempt at grand art - his musical cartoon movie FANTASIA, which did episodes such as alligators and hippopotomi dancing ballet, or Mickey Mouse in the cartoon's most famous sequence: The Sorceror's Apprentice, or Moussorgski's A NIGHT ON BALD MOUNTAIN followed by Schubert's Ave Maria.The Warners Cartoons never (at that time) expanded beyond nine minutes - usually they were seven to eight minutes. So there was no full scale spoof on the Disney masterpiece. But everyone could see the spoof by the appearance of the shadow on the podium (Leopold Stowkowski in FANTASIA - here it was Elmer Fudd). Elmer introduces the two segments (both Johann Strauss the Younger standbys: THE TALES FROM THE VIENNA WOODS and ON THE BEAUTIFUL BLUE DANUBE). He too tries to uplift the cultural level of the audience, by explaining how the melody flows around and around, "and it comes out here". To people not around in the 1940s, it is a reference to a popular tune, "THE MUSIC GOES ROUND AND ROUND". Elmer's attempt at cultural awareness is undercut by his shirtfront, which keeps popping up and hitting him in the face. He eventually tears the shirt off. Later he strips even more.THE TALES FROM THE VIENNA WOODS is a ballet with Porky as the hunter (filling in for master of ceremonies Elmer), hunting Bugs. He has brought along his hunting dog, and Bugs (progressively more effeminate in this ballet than usual) is able to fool them. There is a bit of a knock at SWAN LAKE here, with Bugs disarming the hunters, only to enrage a squirrel by hitting him with the rifle. Then, for the first time in any Bugs Bunny cartoon, Bugs dies (briefly). His resurrection, involving a brazier, is also unique in his cartoons.ON THE BEAUTIFUL BLUE DANUBE deals with a variant on the "ugly Duckling" of Hans Christian Anderson. Lonely baby Daffy wants to be accepted by a family of Swans (a mother and her three daughters), but he is obviously a duck. He proves himself when he bests a vulture who momentarily grabs the three baby swans. The avenging Daffy takes on the appearance of a U.S. Air Force fighter plane, while the vulture suddenly takes on a yellow coloring. The most subtle point in this sequence is when the mother Swan faints after failing to find her three children. She has fallen faint in the center of a pond or lake surrounded with water. A shocked Daffy runs off, gets a pail of water, and flings it on the Swan - without any effect whatsoever to the Swan.A delightful romp into cultural pratfalls, to the strings of Strauss.

Lee Eisenberg One of the great things about the classic Looney Tunes cartoons is how they introduced children to elements of culture. "What's Opera, Doc?" was probably their most famous cartoon involving opera, but there was also "A Corny Concerto". Elmer Fudd - having some trouble with his clothes - presents two short films with opera music in the background. And both come out very well.The one with Porky Pig hunting Bugs Bunny had ending that seems like it would have been a little risqué for 1943 (especially in a cartoon), but that's what makes these cartoons so good; they weren't afraid to push the limits. But the one with a black duckling - possibly Daffy Duck - is truly the highlight; but how could it not be, featuring "The Blue Danube"? One scene there gave the cartoon a real feeling of WWII.So, this is truly one of the classics. Up in that great animation studio in the sky, Mel Blanc, Bob Clampett, Chuck Jones, and that whole crew can take pleasure knowing that their work continues to impress us to this day.