So Much for So Little
So Much for So Little
NR | 01 January 1949 (USA)
So Much for So Little Trailers

Little Johnny Jones, to be born in the next year, is shown growing to a ripe, healthy old age, thanks to the efforts of his local public health officers. But without them, he might be one of the 5% or so that dies in the first year. The price for the public health service: about 3 cents a week.

Reviews
TheLittleSongbird

Love animation, it was a big part of my life as a child, particularly Disney, Looney Tunes and Tom and Jerry, and still love it whether it's film, television or cartoons.Chuck Jones deserved his status as one of animation's most legendary, greatest and most important directors/animators. He may have lacked the outrageousness and wild wackiness of Bob Clampett and Tex Avery, but the visual imagination, wit and what he did with some of the best-known and most iconic characters ever were just as special. 'So Much for So Little' is interesting and well made, but did it deserve its Oscar Win? Not to me, while appreciating it highly of Jones' three Oscar-winning cartoons it's perhaps my least favourite.'So Much for So Little's' portrayal of inoculations is somewhat one-sided agreed and some of the content is very of the time and would be very different now. With that being said, what we are told and how it's executed on the whole is fascinating, engaging, important and entertaining, making its points without preaching too much. The voice acting from Mel Blanc and Frank Graham is as spot on as can be. Two multi-talented voice actors on top form. Jones' direction is solid and the cartoon is paced in a lively fashion.Animation is excellent, it's fluid in movement, crisp in design, vibrant in colour and very meticulous in detail.Ever the master, Carl Stalling's music is typically superb. It is as always lushly orchestrated, full of lively energy and characterful in rhythm, not only adding to the action but also enhancing it.In summation, very interesting and well done but didn't blow me away and won't be for everybody. 8/10 Bethany Cox

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phantom_tollbooth

"2,621,392. A nice even figure. That's the number of babies who'll be born next year in the United States. Of these babies, 118,481 will die before reaching their first birthday." So begins Chuck Jones's 'So Much for So Little', an Academy Award winning cartoon. Doesn't sound like the recipe for comedy gold, does it? Well, the truth is 'So Much for So Little' is not primarily a comedy short. It is an educational picture about the importance of a good health service. Sounds dull, right? Fortunately, Chuck Jones works his magic on this public information film to create a thoroughly entertaining cartoon. Although he's basically illustrating a voice-over narration, Jones manages to draw us in to the story of Johnny Jones, one of those 2,621,392 babies who may end up being one of the 118,481 dead. Why should we care? Well, Jones makes us care by segueing into the story of Johnny's life, incorporating his school days, his falling in love, marriage and retirement. He does this so engagingly that we forget we are hearing the tale of a baby we've been told has a good chance of being amongst the percentage that will die. Jones returns to this fact right at the end of the short, abruptly reminding us of the information that we have forgotten while becoming emotionally involved in the character's potential life. 'So Much for So Little' advocates a worthy cause in a totally convincing, captivating and (crucially) entertaining way and was fully deserving of its Oscar win.

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mightyquinninwky

You have to realize what is motivating someone's comments, and anger can be one of the most blinding of motivators. If something unfortunate happens to a young one that have to blame the world and take out their short comings and mistakes on everyone else. The fact is vaccination has saved innumerable lives and all but eradicated dreaded diseases such as small pox and the German Measles. There will always be a small few that it hurts (then than 1%) and that is a small price to pay when you look at what toll these diseases took when they were allowed to run rampant. Today we have people that are irrationally blaming SIDS and autism on these vaccines, but truly no research (and there has been plenty) has found a link. People must quit being irrational and understand that there is a risk that comes with anything good and pardon the cliché "don't throw the baby out with the bath water". As far as this cartoon goes; great animation and excellent writing! All pros working on this and you can tell. No wonder it won the Oscar, a great piece of animation as is most of the stuff from Warner's during this time period. Don't take one angry persons word, watch it, check the science, then make your judgment. I can't believe they allowed his post to begin wit; anyway well worth the watch!!

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movieman_kev

Horribly one sided, this propaganda piece spouts the supposed merits of inoculations (whill conveniently NOT telling that those same shots can in some instances be MORE harmful than what they innoculate against) I learned of THAT travesty first hand and it's a bitch. That part of the animated short made me so damn mad that it tainted everything that was said afterwords. Not only is this pure unadulterated propaganda crap, it's also EXTREMELY dated and isn't worth watching due to it's horrendous use of fear tactics. This animated short can be seen as an extra in the "From the Vaults" section on Disc 4 of the Looney Tunes Golden Collection Volume 2.My Grade: F

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