Juke Box Jamboree

This short, nominated for an Academy Award, is a very cute (almost too cute in spots), very well animated cartoon. Given its title, an excellent use of music is to be expected and that's precisely what you have-the animation and score going hand in glove smoothly, like a single unit, a strength of the Lantz studio in particular, although they were hardly alone. All of the major studios did the same, but Lantz and Warner Brothers were probably the best at matching music and animation rhythms. Well worth watching. Recommended.

. . . by the Tinsel Townies tasked with doling out the gelded statuettes at their annual awards gala by instead instigating the most deadly phase of World War Two in recognizing a film designed to rile up Time Magazine's "Man of the Year" from four years earlier. Due to this intentional provocation of the Prussian problem-maker, countless atrocities followed and millions literally died. Raised by a family of squirrels, Walnut Dizzy lacked parental guidance, basic social skills and plain Common Sense about the issue of throwing rocks at distant targets, knowing that if you were lucky and hit your mark, countless others standing between him and you would suffer the dire consequences of your actions, while you were raking in big bucks from the safety of your home easy chair. JUICE BOX JAMBOREE was far more fitting to win the title of Best Brief Cartoon of 1942--NOT a puerile cheap shot endangering half the planet's population.

There were a few reasons in wanting to see 'Juke Box Jamboree'. One is because of being a fan of animation. Two because of it being an Oscar nominee, and there have been so many deserving Oscar nominees for Best Animated Short Film over the years as well as a small handful of questionable ones. Three because of liking enough of Walter Lantz's work and the Swing Symphony series is a very interesting one with all of the fifteen cartoons being well worth watching.

'Juke Box Jamboree' is definitely my definition of a well worth watching cartoon. There are better Swing Symphony cartoons, such as 'The Hams that Couldn't be Cured'. But nonetheless 'Juke Box Jamboree' is very well done in almost every area with the best of the good things being outstanding (i.e. The music). Very little really is wrong here and the couple of issues found with it (i.e. The story) are, or can be seen as, nit picky.

Its weakest aspect is the story, which is very slight to the point of being plotless. Which was common with the series, though a few like 'The Hams that Couldn't be Cured' showed signs of one.

Will agree that it gets slightly too cute in spots, like with the turtles and at the end.

However, everything else is very good to outstanding. The music once again steals the show, just love its characterful energy, vibrant rhythms, sumptuous orchestration and how cleverly and enthusiastically it's performed all round. Close behind in quality is the animation, which is lush and colourful with vivid attention to detail and inventive movements in the sight gags (i.e. The animals transitioning into objects). The ghosts' designs are very 'Lonesome Ghosts'-like but suitably spooky.

Regarding the gag count, 'Juke Box Jamboree' is hardly short changed and while they are not hilarious they are clever, well timed and a lot of fun. The lobster's Carmen Miranda impression was my favourite. The energy is non stop, the surreal atmosphere was quite intoxicating and all the characters are colourful in energy and well used. The mouse risked being bland or/and too cute, but apart from the start those traps were avoided.

Overall, lots of fun. 8/10.