"A Mickey Mouse Cartoon"

Release Date February 23, 1935

Running Time 9:18

Synopsis

Mickey leads his band through a rendition of "The William Tell Overture" while Donald Duck and a passing tornado interrupt.

Characters

Mickey Mouse

Donald Duck

Goofy (in two possible rolls)

Clarabelle Cow

Horace Horsecollar

Peter Pig

Credits

Director : Wilfred Jackson

Animators

Johnny Cannon

Les Clark

Ugo D'Orsi

Frenchy De Tremaudan

Gerri Geronomi

Hustzi Horvath

Dick Huemer

Jack Kinney

Wolfgang Reitherman

Archie Robin

Louie Schmitt

Dick Williams

Roy Williams

Cy Young

Story and Layout

Hugh Hennesy

Terrell Stapp

Milestones

The first complete Mickey Mouse cartoon made in color.

Awards

Won the Venice Film Festival Golden Medal (Best Animation - 1935)

Videos

United States

Cartoon Classics : First Series : Volume 10: Mickey's Crazy Careers

The Spirit of Mickey

Germany

Donald Ducks Tolldreiste Abenteuer

Mickys Größte Hits

Italy

Cartoons Disney 1

Topolino e Soci

Laserdiscs

United States

The Spirit of Mickey

Japan

Donald Duck : A Star is Born

Mickey's Greatest Hits

Milestones for Mickey

DVD

Disney Treasures : Mickey Mouse in Living Color

Region 1 : United States

Region 2 : France

Region 2 : Germany

Region 2 : Italy

Region 2 : Sweden

Region 2 : United Kingdom

Region 1 : United States

Make Mine Music

Television

The Ink and Paint Club : #2 : Mickey Landmarks

Mickey's Mouse Tracks : Episode 30

Walt Disney Presents : The Adventures of Mickey Mouse

Technical Specifications

Color Type : Techicolor

Animation type : Standard

Sound mix : Mono

Aspect ration : 1.37 : 1

Negative format : 35mm

Print format : 35mm

Cinematographic process : Spherical

Original language : English

Production Number : 3503

Released by United Artists Pictures, Inc.

Gallery

Click on the thumbnail for the full-sized picture

Comments

From Tom Wilkins : Probably the greatest Mickey Mouse cartoon ever made, at least in my opinion. I guess politics were in order when 1935's Three Orphan Kittens won the short subject. For all 9:26 of the cartoon, Donald is at his best, especially in the harmony department. I guess William "didn't" Tell Donald to knock off what he was doing, which is a marvelous thing! Something else to consider, the 1941 short All Together has some of this animation reused.

From Michael Brown : It is, of course, a wonderful piece of animation. I do, however wonder what is the meaning of "Selections from Zampa"? As far as I know, the "Overture from 'William Tell'" is just that, the overture from an opera by Rossini, entitled "William Tell." This has been a source of confusion to me ever since I first saw the cartoon, and I would be grateful for any enlightenment you can give me.

From Patrick Malone : This is a little bit of a crossed message on the part of Disney. The music that is heard at the very beginning (over the main titles) is from the "Overture from Zampa'", an opera by the French composer Ferdinand Herold. The music for the remainder of the short, however, is "The William Tell Overture" by Rossini (as shown on Mickey's score.) It's quite probable that the animators just weren't musically knowledgable enough to know one from the other.

From Calvin Daprice : It sure was funny when Donald kept annoying Mickey and the rest of the band by continuosly playing "Turkey in the Straw" on his flutes, but somebody just has to wonder where the hell he got all of those flutes. All identical too. It's like he had been planning this for quite a while.

From Joe Manning : I recently saw this cartoon on a laserdisc that I have at home. I think this was wonderful because it was a milestone in Mickey's career.

From Jerry Edwards : One of my top favorite cartoons - Disney or non-Disney. A wonderful choice for Mickey's first color cartoon. I love the gag of Donald being able to pull flutes out of nowhere when his previous flutes are taken away. I would have liked Donald more if Disney had kept this ability more often in later shorts. The only other short I can think of that Donald shows this "ability" is the 1937 Modern Inventions, where Donald pulls new hats out of nowhere each time a robot butler takes away his hat. The tornado sequence is especially well animated. I enjoyed the music they began to play prior to the tornado was titled "The Storm."

From Ryan : It's been a while, but Mickey has finally made his color debut. This was definitely a classic short. The funniest part was where Donald kept annoying the whole band by playing his various flutes that he had stowed away in his sailor suit.

From Richard P. Huemer : My late father, who animated Donald Duck in this film, regarded "The Band Concert" as the most perfect animated short ever made.

From Ted : I save the "10" ratings for those true classics that I savor watching again and again and again. This one is the best of the 10's! The fact that it is so darn musical AND full of precision gags makes it satisfying to see 2 or 3 times in one sitting... even slowing the action down in spots for a frame-by-frame analysis of what's going on! If I didn't have a VCR, I would buy one to have access to this classic cartoon.

From Gijs Grob : One of my all time favorite cartoons. The blending of the Wilhelm Tell Overture with 'Turkey in the Straw' is very natural, and the different parts of the overture are so convincingly altered in order, that I was surprised that they were not arranged that way, when I heard the original. There are some reminiscents of the black-and-white era (fleeing benches), but there is wonderful character animation, especially in Mickey and his oversized uniform, and Donald, with his multitude of flutes. The Band Concert is easily the greatest of all concert cartoons, including such fine pictures as "The Cat's Concerto", "The Magical Maestro" and "Baton Bunny"

From Taylor Kerekes : One of my favorite shorts. I've seen this short on the Disney Movie: The Spirit of Mickey. You know, Mickey should be a great conductor sometimes. Donald always kept annoying Mickey with those flutes, and I don't find that so funny. The tornado sequence in this short is great. And I sure like that section that Mickey's band plays to it called The Storm. I believe that the Storm section must've summoned that tornado. And they don't see anything except the music and seem oblivious to everything around them, including the tornado. This should definitly be a great music short.

From Baruch Weiss : From begining to end this short has great music just like any other Disney short. It's also similar to a Warner Brothers short titled "Baton Bunny" because in both shorts neither Mickey Mouse or Bugs Bunny talk throughout the entire short and they have sombody disturbing them.

From Matthew Swartz : I'd give it an "8". They played the William Tell Overture out of order and I wish that the last time that you hear the William Tell Overture (before Donald Duck plays "Turkey in the Straw" at the end) was the actual finale to it.

From Billy Joe : Sadly, I don't own a whole lot of Disney's wonderful shorts. Fortunately, I own a copy of this masterpiece. The Band Concert was the first color Mickey Mouse cartoon. I think this film is very funny, because Mickey and Donald do not want to play the same song. It has some pretty funny cartoon gags as well. Oh, and I don't think that shaggy dog in the band is Goofy.

Referenced Comments

Steamboat Willie (1928)

Modern Inventions (1937)

Polar Trappers (1938)

Symphony Hour (1942)

The Barnyard Concert (1930)

Blue Rhythm (1931)

Parade of the Award Nominees (1932)

Mickey's Good Deed (1932)

"The Band Concert" stands, to my mind, as the pinnacle of the shorts during Disney's golden age of animation. Most critics agree that it the best that Disney ever came up with, both artistically and musically. The musical segues between the classical "William Tell Overture" and the folksong "Turkey in the Straw" (among other styles) are seamless; worthy of P. D. Q. Bach. Arturo Toscanini adored it, and some have said that it was a screening of this short that inspired Leopold Stokowski to volunteer his help with Disney's feature "Fantasia."

In a way, "The Band Concert" was also the impetus for this website itself. I was always a big Disney fan, but I tended to concentrate (as most do) on the feature films. One day I was going through my video collection (most of which I picked up from a local video store that was going out of business) and came across one called "Mickey's Crazy Careers." Just to kill time I put it on. When "The Band Concert" came on, I was mesmerised, and by the time it was over I was rolling on the floor. I went to the web to try to find more information on it and found very little on it, or any other shorts as well. Thus, the Encyclopedia was born.

Besides the major gags, this short is filled with smaller touches that highlight the film throughout: the hats that fly off of the band and back on in perfect time with the music; Mickey's uniform which seems to be two sizes too big as evidenced by the sleeves that keep slouching over his gloves; Donald Duck's tail which gives a little twitch right before he begins to cause mischief (watch for it) and his inexhaustible supply of flutes; and, of course, Mickey's conducting which holds the band together and forms the music almost as if by sheer power of will.

The short begins with Mickey and his band on the bandstand, acknowledging their applause of the audience and preparing for a performance of "The William Tell Overture." They begin, Mickey coaxing music out of the band using nothing more than baton movements and facial expressions. Donald Duck as a refreshment vendor wanders in and decides that he wants to join in with the band, but in his own way of course. What follows is a wonderful sequence where Donald continually takes over the band by playing "Turkey in the Straw" while Mickey vainly tries to regain control. The second that Mickey takes Donald's flute away, Donald just comes up with another one. (At one point, the trombone player grabs Donald with his trombone and shakes a pile of flutes out of him!)

A bee buzzes through and various members of the band go througi different ways of getting rid of it. When Mickey uses his baton to try to rid himself of the bee, the band and the music faithfully play alone with his movements. The highlight of the sequence come when Horace Horsecollar, the percussionist, tries to kill the bee; first with a pair of cymbals, and then with a sledgehammer. Both times the clarinet player gets in the way, to hilarious results.

The following sequence, however, is the topper. Mickey turns the page of his score to the next section, "The Storm." (You can tell this is going to be an especially difficult section as extra pieces of paper have been taped onto the score to accommodate the more extreme notes.) Mickey rolls up his sleeves, Horace takes off his jacket and they begin. The clarinetist is first to play; note how he has his legs locked under the chair as if he's ready to give it everything he's got. Of course, as they begin the section a real storm comes along: a tornado, which begins to tear apart the countryside. The audience sees it and runs away; even the benches they are sitting on run away, but Mickey and his band see nothing but their music and keep on playing. Seemingly oblivious to what is going on around them, concentrating only on the music, swept up into the tornado, going through doors, goosed by fences, blinded by flying underwear, they play on, never missing a beat. The most wonderful thing is how Mickey's music stand stays with him all the way.

And then, in a miraculous moment, when the storm and the music is at its peak, Mickey raises his arms to stop .... and everything freezes. Then the music and the winds start to wind down as Mickey begins again, as if he is conducting not just the music but the tornado itself. The storm brings them back down to earth, depositing them among the branches of a large tree which has somehow survived the storm, and plopping Mickey down in front of it, music stand and all. He brings the band to a magnificent coda; a magical Christmas tree of musicians and music.

Mickey turns to accept the applause of the audience. But is there anyone left? Yes, one member, Donald, who amid the catcalls of the band, manages to get the last (musical) word in.