THE MUSIC

Animated Musicals

OK so here’s the thing:

When I watch most official Musicals, whether a Movie or a Broadway Play, I generally find there is an emphasis on the word MUSIC.

Well DUH!

No what I mean is there is about 80% effort placed on the music and only about 20% on the story. As a result there is a lot of show to sit through but the story suffers. The resolution in the end usually comes down to something like:

“We just sung a big song and dance number, now I think I’ve figured out how to solve our dispute.” The end.

Not much depth as far as the plot goes, very little character development, and rarely any  intricacies, action scenes, romance, mystery, or final confrontations. The work simply serves as an excuse to sing songs.

Now if that’s what you like that’s fine. There’s nothing wrong with sitting down to a night of singing.

But if that’s the case then what’s the point of even having a story?

Ever heard of a piece called “Songs for a New World?” 

If the fictional part is going to take a back seat, you might as well just watch a concert. Am I right?

BUT IN AN ANIMATED FILM…

… there isn’t enough time for that.

You see there’s this sick notion in the film industry: “ANIMATION = SHORT”.

Trivia Fact: "Dumbo is the shortest Disney Feature of all time."

This is something that has always annoyed me as someone who sees animation as just as legitimate a form of art as anything else. Why is it that an animated movie always has to be shorter than a live action?

“…because kids have shorter attention spans, GIB, they HAVE to be shorter…”

OK, first of all, don’t get me started on the legitimacy of cartoons and who they should be marketed to. But regardless; in an age where nearly ALL movies are blooming to 2 ½ to 3 hours long, can we not at least have a full length animated movie?

Seriously.

HOWEVER!

In the case of a musical this is sort of a good thing.

Because an animated musical is the length it is, it is not 4 hours long with a 10 minute overture that makes you wanna pull your hair out and an intermission that is ironically too short to get a snack. It is an hour and a 30, maybe 45 minutes. The producers don’t have time to include 16 songs about everything under the cardboard sun hanging overhead. They must prioritize.

The average animated feature film has classically had about 4 to 6 songs within the time frame and all are generally a slight bit shorter than your average radio track, so the emphasis is placed roughly 50/50, on the music vs. the story. 

Maybe 60/40 depending upon how many songs there are.

What’s more is that the songs are written so as to move the plot along. 

You’ll almost never see a song like this…

F.Y.I. - Contrary to what the title sounds like,

"White Christmas" has nothing to do with snow.

When your time is crunched you don’t have time to simply sit and sing about some random idea: The concept of snow, A pair of dancing shoes, why there will never be a musical staring Justin Bieber. Every song has to be an important part of the script. 

Good musicals do this in several ways.

- They exist as rhythmic extensions of dialogue.

- They introduce characters and plot devices quickly.

- They serve to teach personal lessons or help a character feel a certain way.

- Montague scenes can move time along for a sequence of events.
- The're funny. (This one doesn't really save time but it makes the time more enjoyable.)

The best type of animated song is one that can serve several purposes. For instance:

Opens the movie, introduces a main character, a village, the villain and his minion, explains Bells disposition in the village, and gives a feel for the French countryside, all in one. 
It can’t be boring because no one character holds a line for more than about 8 seconds. The visuals are everywhere and the song has at least 4 sections of melody. 
It also has hilarious parts sung by Gaston and the Bimbettes, and wonderful melodic choreography among the townspeople. 
AND it sets the stage for the movie’s sound track with 2 unforgettable themes that repeat throughout the movie.

NOW THAT IS HOW YOU MULTI-TASK.

I would give the song: “Bell” from Beauty and the Beast, the award for greatest animated musical piece. 
Of course you may disagree.

What are YOUR favorite Animated Songs?

Stay TOONED!