First, I should note that I'm not a Disney fan. I always preferred the irreverent cartoons from Warner Bros to the "cute" stuff from the Mouse House. That said, "Music Land" is fairly interesting. Had it been up to me, though, I would have made the Isle of Jazz the Isle of Blues. I guess that one of those either/or pop culture debates ("Star Wars" or "Star Trek", Ginger or Mary Ann, etc) could be jazz or blues. I've always preferred the blues (as well as "Star Trek" and Ginger).So, "Music Land" is an OK cartoon. I interpreted the content as a look at the burgeoning generation gap of the 1930s (I understand that the older generation of white people DID NOT like that the young people were into a type of music created by African-Americans). Tex Avery's "I Love to Singa" dealt with this. Of course, I can't hear "Ride of the Valkyries" without picturing Elmer Fudd wearing a horned helmet to hunt Bugs Bunny.I bet that within a few years, no children will understand the metronome reference. When was the last time that anyone in the 21st century saw a metronome?

Unlike some of Disney's Silly Symphony shorts, this one doesn't hold up so well today. Part of it is because the style of animation looks very dated. Part of it is because the story itself is very 1930s--when people actually LIKED insipid musical cartoons! Regardless, today it certainly does not rank as one of the better Disney shorts of the era.This short features lots of musical instruments in anthropomorphic form. It's the story of a lady violin and a young man saxophone and the difficulty that results when they fall in love and their families disapprove of such a mixed marriage! It's all set to big-band music and is animated using very splashy 1930s Technicolor. Not a great film but worth seeing--particularly if you are a nut about all things Disney.

Watching this short, I as struck by several points: first, that the "voices" of the various characters were the notes played by the instrument in question. Second, they actually "converse" in musical phrases with each other (surely by design, rather than by accident) throughout the cartoon. Third, Jazz and Classical music are more closely interrelated than many in either camp would feel comfortable acknowledging (at least publicly). There's a novelty to the use of music here through visual and audio cues, particularly in the latter third of the cartoon. One of the Silly Symphonies' shining moments, this belongs squarely at the top, along with Skeleton Dance and Flowers and Trees as among Disney's finest shorts.(Small spoiler) The "battle" sequence is absolutely marvelous and bears close scrutiny!Well worth watching. Most highly recommended.

The cartoon is undeniably appealing and well-made. If this is actually about the cultural conflict between classical and jazz, though, it's a little vague about what the reconciliation is supposed to be - what kind of 'crossover' music is getting played on the bridge of harmony? Is George Gershwin the hero here? The soundtrack at the end makes it sound as if the real solution was just for the snooty queen of classical music to, uh, loosen up a little and join the party. Just putting a string section underneath the jazz doesn't make it classical.Anyway, what's most impressive about this cartoon is the high quality of the instrumental voice imitation, which out-wah-WAHs Charlie Brown's teacher any day. "I now pronounce you man and wife" is amazing!Another favorite bit - the goofy little scales in the score, while the two instruments are chasing each other around the tree...the composer was clearly having fun.Is anyone else uneasy when the king twangs the ukelele's strings?