Now Hear This

While there have been several, other Looney Tunes and Merrie Melodies shorts that are like-minded in what they have in common (the various kinds of comedy or humor being the most evident), this just may be one of the most humorous and left-of-center LT and/or MM shorts ever made. Although there are other things featured in this besides the sound effects, the sound effects are the main focus around which this short revolves. It's so unique, it just may be one of the most unique cartoons, whether by WB or otherwise, ever made. Having both an avant-garde and psychedelic vibe to it, it surely has both of those before the latter came into full swing and it certainly fits well into the time that it was created, and released.

As other reviewers have described this, it involves three characters: the Devil, an elderly, British man in green, and a shorter man in purple and wearing a pointy hat. The Devil loses one of his horns and goes searching for it, the British man finds the horn which he mistakes for a megaphone or hearing aid, and the shorter man shows up again, and again randomly. Every time the Brit uses the horn, some thing happens that he wasn't expecting, not just with the various sounds that come out of it, but also with the various things that happen to him. Following all of those mishaps he suffers thanks to the extraordinary object, he's had enough as it caused him an abundance of trouble and disposes it. Since it's been nothing about a nuisance to him, he prefers to use his green, horn-shaped hearing aid instead, he gets that back, and as he does so, the British national anthem is played, and he's pleased with this. The Devil would eventually find his horn and put it back in place.

This is among the LT and MM shorts I remember well watching in my childhood. It genuinely is one of the oddest by Warners or otherwise ever made. One of the most different too, but it's good. It's one of the better LT and MM of the '60s, especially from the former half of that decade, when the old studio's cartoons were still considered to be high and at their best. This peculiar 'toon may not be for everyone, but I'm one of those who can handle it. All the characters in this are still interesting in the way of carrying out their actions rather than relying on and using dialogue. The actions clearly are what say it all and that's all we need, despite the plot being seemingly thin and senseless. The background scenes are mostly white, with the colors being on only the characters and the objects. Both sound effects and music are played well. The animation may be limited, but somehow it, like UPA, actually outdoes that of the Hanna-Barbera and Filmation studios' cartoons of the late '50s, '60s and '70s. I haven't gotten all that much into avant-garde music, although I've been more specifically into the avant-rock of bands like Tin Huey and one of its influences, Roxy Music. But for me it all depends, some of that I can take, others not so much. As especially some certain avant-garde music can be bad, especially if any of y'all who may be reading this fall asleep to it, it may cause nightmares. This is another grasping, experimental short directed by the late Chuck Jones, but I think I like his other directed WB cartoon short, High Note, even more, out of the two if I were to chose. Nonetheless, recommended, for those who are looking to step out of the normal zone and into the abnormal. Abnormal and abstract are just exactly what they are about it.

As beloved as animation pioneer Chuck Jones was in artistically revolutionizing the Warner Bros cartoons, he did lend towards pretension a lot in many of his later efforts. In the case of his one off experiment Now Hear This, it was a fascinating attempt at trying out something new with the media of animation and sound design. Despite the short being nominated for an Oscar, it has now been regarded as somewhat of a polarizing picture in its own regard. Considering that Jones himself admitted that he didn't understand what he was trying to achieve, perhaps looking at this short should be taken under face value.

The basic premise follows an elderly British man who mistakes one of Satan's horns as an ear trumpet and proceeds to fall into hijinks and chaos. With the right comedic timing and all the sound effects courtesy of legendary LT editor Treg Brown, this short could easily be a delight throughout. Unfortunately, what bogs it all down is how sluggish and labored the pacing becomes, making a lot of the surprises feel more off putting than funny. Outside of the variety of sound effects which do at least convey a lot in how they're utilized, much of the humor is executed through eye popping pop art, making the short feel too dated for its own good. As a result, much of what happens as a result of the hellish horn feels as made up as it goes along, with the so-called wacky nonsense feeling all over the place. Unlike any other cartoon where you empathize with the unfortunate victim in this circumstance while also being entertained by all the inventive trickery on screen, the short makes you feel sorry for the old man and wish he could get out of this nightmarish predicament.

If there is one notable quality that does actually pay off in the cartoon's favor, at least controversial musical composer William Lava made the most with the material. Lava's work in the later WB cartoons paled in comparison to the likes of Carl Stalling and Milt Franklyn as his trademark style favored experimental cutting edge tracks over classic vaudeville or jazzy bands. That being said, as this short goes all over the place in its execution, it actually allows for a lot of free range in the usage of musical instruments, conveying the tone a lot better than any of the writing or animation does. As mechanical and alienesque as Lava's work tended to sound in the later WB shorts, this one fully displayed his talent through careful planning and pay off. Also, the pantomime acting Chuck Jones was known for in a lot of his best work like Feed the Kitty and Mouse Warming lends itself well in how much emotional turmoil the old man is going through. Even at a time when the UPA influence in animation was still at play, albeit not so effectively, Jones was still able to lend his solid tropes well.

So despite an interesting concept and some fine details sprinkled throughout, Now Hear This fails as an experimental piece by indulging too much in its minimal grandeur. It should go without saying that while any animated short film has the right to go outside what is expected from casual viewers, it should at least understand what it's trying to accomplish while entertaining whoever is interested in it. If it's supposed to be for a niche market, it should at least know what is to be expected in the long run. Perhaps recommending this short is up to whoever lies in that type of field.

As a youngster I always eagerly looked forward to a Warner Bros. cartoon coming on TV but I was always disappointed when the opening titles featured, in place of the classic concentric circles, the angular, modern titles that became synonymous with the deeply inferior, latter day Warner shorts. These jutting triangles, accompanied by an ugly re-imagining of the Merrie Melodies theme, almost always signified the arrival of a dreaded Speedy and Daffy cartoon. However, there was always the slimmest of slim chances that you might luck out and instead be rewarded with Chuck Jones's 'Now Hear This'.

'Now Hear This' was the cartoon which first introduced the modern title sequence which would go on to be defiled by the Depatie-Freleng monstrosities. The most abstract cartoon Warner Bros. ever released, 'Now Hear This' is a clear forerunner for any number of surrealist animations from 'Yellow Submarine' to Bob Godfrey's superb 'Do-It-Yourself Cartoon Kit'. Having experimented with just about ever visual and narrative device available, with 'Now Hear This' Jones turns his attention to sound. The visuals here are minimalist, with highly stylised characters performing against a backdrop of nothingness. The cartoons begins with a frustrated devil searching for his missing horn (he wanders through the opening credits, showing a demonic contempt for convention). The horn is discovered by a stuffy English man (recognisable as English by his monocle and moustache even before the confirmation of a 'Keep Britain Tidy' sign and a burst of the British national anthem) who swaps his battered old ear trumpet for this new discovery. Thus begins his descent into aural hell! There is very little logic to the events of 'Now Hear This' but the images flow so beautifully that questioning them seems churlish. The impeccably chosen and synchronised bursts of sound (courtesy of genius sound man Treg Brown) are at once extraordinarily disturbing and this eerie edge to the cartoon cannot have escaped the attention of children's programmers since 'Now Hear This' was rarely seen on kid's TV. It is far more akin to the sort of cartoon I used to discover on TV at about 1am and then be haunted by for weeks for some indistinguishable reason. Like all such cartoons, 'Now Hear This' is utterly compelling and unpredictable. Testament to Chuck Jones's ongoing crusade to keep imagination alive, 'Now Hear This' is both a visual and aural treat.

One would think this was intended as some sort of response towards stuff like The Pink Panther, though this actually predates Pink Panther's cinematic debut by a year.

While Chuck Jones was no stranger to experimentation (Just see Duck Amuck!), this is a considerable departure from his previous work, not only due its semi-abstract visuals (Though Jones's signature art style remains perfectly recognizable, especially in the demon's design), but also because of its dry, surreal sense of humor, feelling closer to the minimalistic films by UPA rather than Looney Tunes.

I guess such unusual approach might be the reason of its obscure status, though there is an undeniable cleverness displayed here, featuring a rather stylish aesthetic despite the limited animation.

No, it's definitely not Jones's best work, nor his funniest, but it's very interesting nonetheless.

Without a doubt, a product of its time (a difficult time, by the way, for Warner Bros animation) with a refined charm that will certainly appeal more to adult audiences (specially animation historians) than children.

This cartoon, which was nominated for an Oscar (losing out to the remarkable short, The Hole), is an exceptional use of limited animation. In order to compensate for the drawbacks inherent in limited animation, something else isneeded to counterbalance the lack of motion. Through very creative use of color and sound (as well as a fascinating and thought-provoking idea), Chuck Jones manages to turn a weakness into a strength and the result is truly inspired. This runs relatively often on Cartoon Network on the weekends and doubtless will run on the Chuck Jones Show eventually, if it hasn't already. Most highly recommended.