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Toot, Whistle, Plunk and Boom

An Educational Cartoon

Release Date : November 10, 1953

Running Time : 10:18

Synopsis

A History of music through the ages, from prehistoric man to the modern symphony orchestra.

Characters

Bertie Birdbrain
Canary Sisters
Penelope Pinfeather
Professor Owl
Suzy Sparrow

Credits

Director
Charles Nichols
Ward Kimball
Animation
Ward Kimball
Julius Svendsen
Marc Davis
Henry Tanous
Art Stevens
Xavier "X" Atencio
Story
Dick Heumer
Music
Joseph S. Dubin
Sonny Burke
Jack Elliot
Character Design
Tom Oreb
Color and Styling
Eyvind Earle
Art Director
A. Kendell O' Connor
Asst. Art Director
Victor Haboush

Awards

Academy Award winner (Short Subjects - Cartoons)

Milestones

The first animated film released in CinemaScope

Cut Scenes

Some oriental and black stereotypes have been edited from this short.

Video

United States
Cartoon Classics : Limited Gold Editions I : Disney's Best : The Fabulous 50's
Italy
Il Meglio di Disney
Cartoon Classics : Limited Gold Editions I : Il Meglio Di Disney

CED

United States
Limited Gold Editions - Disney's Best - The Fabulous Fifttes

Laserdiscs

Japan
The Fabulous Fifties : Limited Gold Editions

DVD

United States
Fantasia 2000
Disney Rarities: Celebrated Shorts, 1920s - 1960s
Germany
Fantasia 2000
Italy
Fantasia 2000

Television

The Ink and Paint Club: Episode 36: Award Winners II

Technical Specification

Color Type: Technicolor
Animation Type: Standard animation
Sound Mix: Mono
Aspect Ratio: 2.35 : 1 - Cinemascope
Negative Format: 35mm
Print Format: 35mm
Cinematographic Process: Spherical
Original Language: English

Comments

From Patrick Wilkinson : I have found this useful in teaching a unit on "Sound" on the Middle School level.
From David Willmann : This short has always been a favorite of mine. I first saw it when I was in Grade school. It was a great introduction into the world of music. It inspired me so that I took up an instrument (The Drums) BOOM! I played the drums from Elementary through High school.
From Lelia : This is a great short! Funny and imaginative as well as educational. It's been available to music educators (I'm one) since probably before I was in grade school as an old-fashioned movie needing a projector. The copy my school has has long ago disintegrated, and for the life of me I cannot find it on video. I really wish Disney would re-release it in some way.
From Rich C. : I have this particular cartoon on video. Toot, Whistle, Plunk, and Boom is not just another great Disney cartoon, but is also the best example I can think of that represents the super-cool style of 50's "space age" animation. The images are all very geometric. Colors and outlines do not necessarily match. Different use of perspective and distance, especially, results in some very wild results. This cartoon is just super hip.
From Brad Bethel : I saw this cartoon a bunch of times, and it's pretty interesting. The UPA designs are opposite of a normal Disney cartoon, but it's okay in this case. Some of the geometric designs makes the cartoon very funny at times. I used to play the trumpet, which I think counts 'toot'.

Toot, Whistle, Plunk, and Boom won a 1954 Oscar for Disney, winning a competition with UPA's cartoons at the time. The cartoon was also among the 8 Disney cartoons listed in the book, "The 50 Greatest Cartoons" (1994). A true classic.

From Sue Schwartz : Brilliant, gorgeous, and formative. I probably saw it at least 42 times between 1961 and l966. I would kill to see it again. "That's where the music comes from...."
From Ryan : Despite the poor animation of this cartoon compared to that of cartoons of the past, I rather enjoyed this short that focuses on the history of music. It begins with Professor Owl teaching his students about music.
From Karla Ober : Great educational 'toon! I use it as a springboard for teaching the four main instrumental groups.
From Andrew Leal : Brilliant short, and long one of my favorites (and one of Ward Kimball's too few opportunities to direct a short, though he did handle several featurettes and TV programs.) Matter of fact, Ward Kimball animated the Roman trumpeter himself (according to Frank and Ollie's Too Funny For Words) and I'm informed by Animation Blast editor Amid Amidi that Art Stevens, who he recently made contact with, animated most of the string musicians. "That's where the music comes from!"
From Baruch Weiss : This short is okay but only the music made it worth while. Because when it comes to music only Disney can do it. For Disney video trivia buffs Professor Owl was host for the Disney Sing Along Songs series.
From Cheryl Raine : This is the most educational, entertaining, delightful, fun and clever movie ever made to explain the history of music. I teach elementary music and need to have it! I love the song, too!
From Sam Burnes : I have used this in various schools over the decades and am now going to use it with post high schoolers. Its wonderful, lively, and teaches with lots of music and fun.
From Grace : This is a excellent short. This is a great example of music history and it does have pretty much gags, scenes and music you'll enjoy. I highly recommend this short! P.S I'm so happy that it won an Academy Award plus it deserves it!
From Billy Joe : This is a very important cartoon. It teaches the audience music starts from either a toot, a whistle, a plunk, or a boom. Professor Owl uses cavemen (who later make cameos in House of Mouse) as a fun example. The sounds start out as primitive noises produced by cavemen. As time evolved, the noises evolved making the beautiful sounds we hear today.

This cartoon's look and animation is rather abstract. The look may of inspired Pixar's only traditional animated short, Your Friend the Rat. Toot, Whistle, Plunk, and Boom is also the first cartoon filmed in Cinemascope, which was widescreen. Following Disney cartoons, such as Donald Duck and Humphrey the Bear cartoons of the 1950s, "Lady and the Tramp", and even Goofy's most recent cartoon, How to Hook Up Your Home Theater, were also filmed in Cinemascope.

From Neo Stryder : One of the best cartoons ever created, it teaches us in a simple way how musical instruments evolved from stone age to XX Century. It keeps Disney's legacy of animation and music that sadly has been lost in recent years (except, maybe, in Phineas and Ferb). The difference from its previous animated short film, Melody, is this have not so many fun scenes or where some are more focused in the students. But is a perfect sample that animation and education are not two sides in a balance.
From Jonathan Harriman Lhota : Those cavemen also appeared at the end of the Marsupilami episode "The Wizard of Mars" Which was a spoof of The Wizard of Oz. In that episode of Disney's Marsupilami, The cavemen from Toot, Whistle, Plunk, and Boom had Beatles accent.

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