Now’s a good time to mention all characters are copyrights of their respective owners. I mean no ill will; I just wanted to illustrate my points. :d
Cartoons and music — what more could you ask for? If I’ve wanted to do Orpheus & Eurydice since I was 16, then I’ve wanted to do this strip since I was five. Not only did I grow up on cartoons, as I went back and watched ones I haven’t seen in years, I noticed an uncomfortable amount of slang, cadence and facial expressions that shaped who I am today. (ahem) By the way, I am definitely covering Carl Stalling and Raymond Scott in the future. Too much good stuff to pass up!
Honorable mentions:
Pigs in a Polka (1945, Looney Tunes) – Use of Brahms’ Hungarian Dances 5, 7, 6 and 17 (in that order!) as a backdrop to the Three Little Pigs.
A Corny Concerto (1943, Looney Tunes) – Elmer Fudd conducts a Strauss-driven orchestra that covers two songs: Tales from the Vienna Woods, and The Blue Danube.
The Band Concert (1935, Disney) – Mickey leads Rossini (another one!)’s William Tell Overture, while Donald keeps interrupting with a flute version of “Turkey in the Straw.” Like “Long-Haired Hare,” big contrast between classical and “lowbrow” music.
Pink, Plunk, Plink (1966, Pink Panther) – Similar to the above entry, Pink is determined to get on stage during Beethoven’s 5th and let loose with Henry Mancini’s theme song instead. Ultra-meta cameo: Henry Mancini.
Carmen Get It! (1962, Tom & Jerry) – Tom sneaks into an opera house to chase Jerry around, while Carmen’s going on around them.
Three Little Bops (1957, Looney Tunes) – The Three Little Pigs again, jazzed up and modernized. Not classical, but still really cool.
I wish I’d had the time to read Chuck Jones’ autobiography. The more I read about him, the more the man was everything I wanted to be: smart, clever, hard-working, talented, just plain nice. That one person you always wanted to hang around, to joke around with or to pick their brain.
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