High Note (1960)

High Note Review

High Note is a 1960 animated short film from the Looney Tunes series. It is a tremendously strong cartoon.

This is one of those classic animations that focus on no dialogue, but rely on visuals and music to tell a story. It follows various musical notes as they prepare to play The Blue Danube. However, one note is missing and they find it being drunk. Although the short started out slow and it took some time to really find its groove, the second half was truly outstanding.

The ending could have been even stronger, though it was amusing enough. The real strength of this short lies in the humor that is very adult in the booze gags that are consistently not only funny, but also charming in their own right. The score is beautifully incorporated into the story while the animation is just gorgeous in its minimalist backgrounds and character designs. These just consist of sticks, yet they felt very human in their expressiveness. The film was nominated for an Oscar, but it undeservedly failed to win it.

High Note is one of the most gorgeously artistic Warner Bros. shorts. It features excellent adult humor, a superbly incorporated score and an incredible visual style.

My Rating – 4.5