independent
Independent or Independents may refer to:
Arts, entertainment, and media Artist groups
* Independents (artist group), a group of modernist painters based in the New Hope, Pennsylvania, area of the United States during the early 1930s
* Independ ...
animated
Animation is a method by which still figures are manipulated to appear as moving images. In traditional animation, images are drawn or painted by hand on transparent celluloid sheets to be photographed and exhibited on film. Today, most ani ...
comedy film
A comedy film is a category of film which emphasizes humor. These films are designed to make the audience laugh through amusement. Films in this style traditionally have a happy ending (black comedy being an exception). Comedy is one of the ol ...
directed by
Bill Plympton
Bill Plympton (born April 30, 1946) is an American animator, graphic designer, cartoonist, and filmmaker best known for his 1987 Academy Awards-nominated animated short '' Your Face'' and his series of shorts featuring a dog character starting wit ...
.Indie Animation King Bill Plympton, Animation Magazine /ref>
Plot summary
Del, a hard-working
songwriter
A songwriter is a musician who professionally composes musical compositions or writes lyrics for songs, or both. The writer of the music for a song can be called a composer, although this term tends to be used mainly in the classical music ...
, is trying to write the perfect song for his slimeball boss, Mr. Mega, so he can keep his job and his girlfriend, Didi. As he rushes to work, he gets lost in a cloverleaf highway and ends up lost in a town called Flooby Nooby, where he meets the town's singing and swingin' mayor, an
Elvis
Elvis Aaron Presley (January 8, 1935 – August 16, 1977), or simply Elvis, was an American singer and actor. Dubbed the " King of Rock and Roll", he is regarded as one of the most significant cultural figures of the 20th century. His ener ...
-impersonating dog, a noseless cab driver, and a psychotic bellhop as he tries to get to Mr. Mega's office to deliver the song.
Production
''The Tune'', was Bill Plympton's first feature-length film and incorporates earlier shorts released by Plympton, including ''The Wiseman'' (1991), ''Dig My Do'' (1990), and ''Tango Schmango'' (1990). It was self-funded and took two years to make. Its music was composed by Maureen McElheron, a longtime friend of Plympton's who has composed the music for most of his films.
Reception
''The Tune'' premiered April 25, 1992 at the Sundance Film Festival. It was also shown at the
Cannes Film Festival
The Cannes Festival (; french: link=no, Festival de Cannes), until 2003 called the International Film Festival (') and known in English as the Cannes Film Festival, is an annual film festival held in Cannes, France, which previews new films o ...
before being released in the United States on September 4, 1992. At least one critic observed that the incorporated shorts seemed out-of-place with the film's original material. ''The Tune'' was nominated for a number of awards in 1992 and 1993. The film was preserved by the
Academy Film Archive
The Academy Film Archive is part of the Academy Foundation, established in 1944 with the purpose of organizing and overseeing the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences’ educational and cultural activities, including the preservation of m ...
in 2016.
See also
*''
The Point!
''The Point!'' is the sixth studio album by American songwriter and musician Harry Nilsson, released in late 1970. It was accompanied by an animated film adaptation directed by Fred Wolf, which aired in early February 1971 on the ABC-TV netw ...
''
*
List of animated feature films
These lists of animated feature films compiles animated feature films from around the world and is organized alphabetically under the year of release (the year the completed film was first released to the public). Theatrical releases as well as ...