Pixie Picnic

A bunch of Disney-looking Dwarfs play the overture to La Gazza Ladra and do some Rip van Winkle style bowling in this pretty good Walter Lantz Musical Miniature.

Although not the best of the Lantz musical cartoons of this period -- those were the swing-style efforts directed by Seamus Culhane -- this one certainly keeps moving along. The style may seem a little antiquated by 1958, being pretty much the "Synchronized Music" style of cartoon that were typical of the earliest sound Mickey Mouse cartoons. Still, the budget and direction were very much up-to-date and the occasional all-musical effort made it worthwhile to dig back into older techniques. This one won't win any new fans for Rossini or director Dick Lundy, but it's certainly fun.

. . . PIXIE PICNIC tackles the Hard Cider Crisis. A community picnic and band concert is totally ruined, sabotaged and destroyed when one of the gnomes present falls into a well of fermented apple squeezing's, and gets blotto, buzzed and badly blitzed. If one rotten apple spoils the barrel, one glazed and groggy gnome is enough to poison the village well. Despite this warning provided by PIXIE PICNIC, many American regions still are falling victim to Hard Cider. In Michigan, for instance, Big Apples carries more weight than even the beer industry. While every beer can sold in the Mitten State carries a ten-cent bounty, the Cider Cartel weaseled in a loophole making their booze--often with double the alcohol content of beer--deposit free. Such corruption merely breeds contempt for sober drivers.

Dick Lundy was responsible for many good and more cartoons both as animator and as director, with extensive work on Disney and Walter Lantz cartoons. The main reason for seeing 'Pixie Picnic', other than being an animation lover, was that it was a cartoon revolving around music. It is a premise that has been done many times in animation before and since, but this reviewer actually doesn't care about that as it is one of the few that is timeless and has been done brilliantly many times.

'Pixie Picnic' is not one of the best examples of classical music themed/cartoons revolving around performing music there is, but it is well worth watching. It is a lot of fun and a lot less cutesy than some of the synopsis and the title sound, doing a very good job with a timeless concept and shows really well why this reviewer loves it so much. Rossini's work lends itself really well to animation, proven with Looney Tunes and Lantz and 'Pixie Picnic' did nothing to change my mind.

It is slight and rather old fashioned and doesn't find momentum straightaway. Anybody wanting something new done with the formula will be disappointed.

Some occasional corniness here and there too, with the drunken pixie's antics going on a little too long.

However, 'Pixie Picnic' is still a joy. The best aspect is the music, which is outstanding. Well it is Rossini and another one of the most iconic overtures in all opera, this time the one from 'The Thieving Magpie', that has been very popular in popular culture for decades. It is very cleverly arranged, with it not only adding to the action but enhancing it too, especially in the climax. Really liked the animation, which is at its best excellent. Very rich and vibrant in colour with clever nuanced details whether big and small.

Much of 'Pixie Picnic' is very funny, with some nice well timed and visually inventive gags involving food. The climax is a riot and wonderfully manic. The gnomes are cute and amusing, with nice enough if never individual or distinctive personalities.

Concluding, lots of fun. 8/10.