''Musical Moments from Chopin'' (also known as ''Chopin's Musical Moments'') is a 1947 Musical Miniature cartoon, co-starring Andy Panda and

Woody Woodpecker Woody Woodpecker is an animated character that appeared in theatrical short films produced by the Walter Lantz Studio and distributed by Universal Studios between 1940 and 1972. Woody, an anthropomorphic woodpecker, was created in 1940 by ...

. It was directed by Dick Lundy and was released on February 24, 1947. It was nominated for an

Academy Award The Academy Awards, better known as the Oscars, are awards for artistic and technical merit for the American and international film industry. The awards are regarded by many as the most prestigious, significant awards in the entertainment ind ...

for best short subject in 1946, losing to MGM's

Tom and Jerry ''Tom and Jerry'' is an American Animated cartoon, animated media franchise and series of comedy short films created in 1940 by William Hanna and Joseph Barbera. Best known for its 161 theatrical short films by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, the series c ...

cartoon

The Cat Concerto ''The Cat Concerto'' is a 1947 American one-reel animated cartoon and is the 29th ''Tom and Jerry'' short, released to theatres on April 26, 1947. It was produced by Fred Quimby and directed by William Hanna and Joseph Barbera, with musical sup ...

, which also featured a piano concert setting.

Plot

This short starts with Andy Panda performing a Chopin

polonaise The polonaise (, ; pl, polonez ) is a dance of Polish origin, one of the five Polish national dances in time. Its name is French for "Polish" adjective feminine/"Polish woman"/"girl". The original Polish name of the dance is Chodzony, meani ...

on stage. As he does so, Woody Woodpecker wanders out and starts polishing the piano, and seems impressed by Andy's playing. Woody then plays along with Andy on the following pieces, either on the same or another

grand piano The piano is a stringed keyboard instrument in which the strings are struck by wooden hammers that are coated with a softer material (modern hammers are covered with dense wool felt; some early pianos used leather). It is played using a keybo ...

, with increasing cut-aways to the animal audience and their own antics. At some point, a horse who was trying to light his cigar tried to use a ceiling lamp to light it, but accidentally causes it to fall and spread a fire onto the stage. Andy manages to finish his piano performance while Woody extinguishes the flames.

Analysis

The short would be the first Musical Miniature cartoon produced by the studio, and is the only entry to receive an

for best short subject. This was Lantz’s eight Academy Award nomination. Dick Lundy previously tested the concept in the 1946 Andy Panda cartoon, ''The Poet & Peasant.'' It was proven to be a success as it was also nominated for an Academy Award. Lundy would direct all of the remaining Musical Miniature cartoons until the studios brief closure. The short features music by Frédéric Chopin played by Woody and Andy, which includes: * Polonaise in A major, Op. 40, No. 1 *

Polonaise in A-flat major, Op. 53 ] The Polonaise (dance), Polonaise in A♭ major, Op. 53 (french: Polonaise héroïque, ''Heroic Polonaise''; pl, Heroiczny) for solo piano, was written by Frédéric Chopin in 1842. This composition is one of Chopin's most admired compositions and ...

* Fantaisie-Impromptu, Fantaisie-Impromptu in C-sharp minor, Op. 66 * Ecossaise in D major, Op.72/3 * Mazurka in B-flat major, Op. 7/1 * Scherzo No. 2 in B-flat minor, Op. 31 In 1958, the television show ''

The Woody Woodpecker Show ''The Woody Woodpecker Show'' is a long-running 30-minute American television series mainly composed of the animated cartoon shorts of Woody Woodpecker and other Walter Lantz characters including Andy Panda, Chilly Willy, The Beary Family and Inspe ...

'' premiered, and continued on the air in various forms for the next four decades. Episode 18 of its first season included ''Musical Moments from Chopin'' along with other Lantz cartoons, and a

making-of In cinema, behind-the-scenes (BTS), also known as the making-of, the set, or on the set, is a type of documentary film that features the production of a film or television program. This is often referred to as the EPK (electronic press kit) vid ...

involving Lantz and storyboarding.

References

External links

* {{Chopin 1946 animated films Films about music and musicians Animated films without speech Films directed by Dick Lundy Walter Lantz Productions shorts 1940s American animated films Andy Panda films Woody Woodpecker films Universal Pictures animated short films Animated films about animals Films about bears Animated films about birds 1946 films Cultural depictions of Frédéric Chopin