A Year in Shorts Day 181: "Now Hear This"
Boy, it’s been a whole week since we last discussed a Chuck Jones short! And we are tackling a weird one today. How weird are we talking? Well try this- it was so weird that even Chuck Jones didn’t understand it. And if the guy who made it didn’t get it, what chance do the rest of us have? Well, that’s the sixties for you I guess. Either way, let’s take a look at Now Hear This, one of the strangest Looney Tunes you or I have ever seen! (via Wikipedia) Released in either 1962 or 1963 depending on who you ask, Now Hear This! (co-directed by Maurice Noble) is an interesting short for a variety of reasons. It doesn't really have any plot to speak of, and is instead just a series of loosely collected gags about the subject of sound. Its style of animation is nothing like the usual Warner Bros. fare, adopting more of a limited UPA style. And while I think the only people who did UPA style animation right were the people at UPA, I think Jones and his team do an admirable job with this