Wile E. Coyote and Road Runner
We’ve all heard of the Looney Tunes cartoons. Many of us watched them growing up. They were fun enough and short enough to keep us entertained. Watching a couple clips for the first time in a long time today made me see and hear things I never noticed before.
First, call me thick headed, but I always associated the “Tunes” part of Looney Tunes with carTOON, not the musical term “tune.” Turns out Looney Tunes is a variation of Silly Symphonies, the name of Walt Disney’s concurrent music based cartoon shorts, was a precursor to Merrie Melodies, and (d’uh) was in reference to music.
Reading comprehension skills aside, I have a new found appreciation for the role the music played in these cartoons – especially in the Looney Tune Cartoons without any dialogue, i.e. Wile E. Coyote and Road Runner. The music isn’t there just to compliment the story – it’s actually telling the story (I know, deep, huh?)
Listen to how the scoring can accentuate a sudden impact, abruptly change mood from one character to character, and build up a moment of suspense. The marriage of visual and music tells the story in a way words couldn’t come close.
Pretty cool stuff for a kids cartoon.
Leave some comments w/ time stamps about the moments that stick out to you.
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If you ever get a chance, check out Bugs Bunny on Broadway. This is a touring show that is performed by local symphonies that explains the back story of how the Warner Bros. cartoons of the 30’s and 40’s came to be.
the music has this BD 04 thing going on when he’s on the tracks
hahaha, the horns before he jumps off the clips in the 1st video
@clint.e and when he smashes into the cliff ^^
:45 in video 2 when he nods his head, the music does the same. Also, a bit later in that video, when he is cranking the wheel making the steel door go down, and the gear is turning the music seems to assist that as well