I love the work of Chuck Jones, I think when it comes to animation he is a genius. Now Hear This shows Jones's talent so well and one of his all-time masterpieces.
What impressed me so much about Now Hear This was how much material it fitted in such a short running time. The cartoon is just six and a half minutes or so, yet it has so many funny moments both visually and sound effects wise especially with the egg. This is all helped by the snappy pacing, Now Hear This does go very quickly without feeling rushed and there is never a dull moment.
The story of Now Hear This is a simple one, yet in its structure it is wonderfully abstract too. It wasn't just the material and pace that impressed me, the animation is wonderful with a great colourful stylistic look to it and very minimalist in style. The colours are audacious, the backgrounds are interesting and the characters are typical Jones in their design and when I say that I mean that in a good way.
The music is energetic and breezy, with the use of Mendelssohn's Spring Song never becoming annoying, a fun rendition of Yankee Doodle and a fun if bizarre variation of the Looney Tunes theme song. There are the sound effects as well, it isn't just the sound effects that make Now Hear This work, there are some truly great and creative sound effects and not one of them feel misplaced. Apart from one word, Quiet!, there is no dialogue, but that isn't a flaw in any way as it is the visuals and sound that drives Now Hear This.
All in all, a Chuck Jones masterpiece. 10/10 Bethany Cox
What impressed me so much about Now Hear This was how much material it fitted in such a short running time. The cartoon is just six and a half minutes or so, yet it has so many funny moments both visually and sound effects wise especially with the egg. This is all helped by the snappy pacing, Now Hear This does go very quickly without feeling rushed and there is never a dull moment.
The story of Now Hear This is a simple one, yet in its structure it is wonderfully abstract too. It wasn't just the material and pace that impressed me, the animation is wonderful with a great colourful stylistic look to it and very minimalist in style. The colours are audacious, the backgrounds are interesting and the characters are typical Jones in their design and when I say that I mean that in a good way.
The music is energetic and breezy, with the use of Mendelssohn's Spring Song never becoming annoying, a fun rendition of Yankee Doodle and a fun if bizarre variation of the Looney Tunes theme song. There are the sound effects as well, it isn't just the sound effects that make Now Hear This work, there are some truly great and creative sound effects and not one of them feel misplaced. Apart from one word, Quiet!, there is no dialogue, but that isn't a flaw in any way as it is the visuals and sound that drives Now Hear This.
All in all, a Chuck Jones masterpiece. 10/10 Bethany Cox