Product Details

• Actors: Paul McCartney
• Format: Color, DVD, NTSC
• Language: English (Dolby Digital 5.1)
• Subtitles: Spanish
• Region: Region 1 (U.S. and Canada only. Read more about DVD formats.)
  
• Aspect Ratio: 1.78:1
• Number of discs: 1
• Rated: NR (Not Rated)
• Studio: Miramax Home Entertainment
• DVD Release Date: April 13, 2004
• Run Time: 43 minutes
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (10 customer reviews)
• ASIN: B0001A79HG
• Amazon Bestsellers Rank: #82,874 in Movies & TV (See Top 100 in Movies & TV)

  #19 in

  Movies & TV > Music Video & Concerts > Artists > The Beatles > Paul McCartney

• For more information about "Paul McCartney - Music & Animation Collection" visit the Internet Movie Database (IMDb)

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com

Being a wealthy ex-Beatle has its advantages, and with his enchanting Music and Animation Collection, Paul McCartney shares his creative privileges with the rest of us. "Macca" served as executive producer, composer, and voice artist for this delightful trio of shorts, and animation director Geoff Dunbar deserves ample credit as well, along with his talented team of collaborators, since their work here is every bit as impressive--and arguably more entertaining--than anything in Fantasia. "Tropical Island Hum" discreetly advances the late Linda McCartney's vegetarian cause with its charming sing-song by a variety of animals who've been neglected or abused by humans... including a frog who lost a leg to "some French guys." Dedicated to Linda McCartney's memory, the dreamily amusing "Tuesday" (based on the award-winning children's book by David Wiesner) offers the fantastical vision of jubilant frogs on flying-carpet lily pads, floating merrily along on their nocturnal adventure, entering the homes of unsuspecting humans and, just as quickly, hopping to earth again as their magical night gives way to sunrise. Amiable amphibians also star in "Rupert and the Frog Song" (originally produced to accompany McCartney's 1985 film Give My Regards to Broad Street), in which the beloved children's book character, Rupert the Bear, witnesses the once-in-a-lifetime vision of frogs performing a glorious midnight concert. All three of these wonderful shorts celebrate nature, animal welfare, and the imaginative innocence of childhood, and McCartney (working with Beatles producer George Martin) can be proud of his role in their creation. --Jeff Shannon

Product Description

Paul McCartney proudly presents a collection of award-winning animated films and soundtracks including "Tropic Island Hum," "Tuesday," and "Rupert And The Frog Song." "The ideas that turned me on as a kid are the same ones that fascinate me today. I don't know that we ever outgrow our passion for adventure, humor, or romance. There's a childlike quality to the art of animation and married with a bit of music, it seemed the perfect way to bring these magical stories to life. I hope you enjoy watching them as much as I enjoyed making them." -- Paul McCartney

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

32 of 32 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Genius...No. Enjoyable...Yes., April 13, 2004

By	Matthew McCallum "sacramento_stealth" (Redding, California USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This review is from: Paul McCartney - Music & Animation Collection (DVD)

This DVD is a mixed bag, containing three different cartoons created over the last 20 years. To thoroughly vet the offerings, I viewed this disc with my three expert cartoon critics, ages 9, 7 and 6.

I've been anticipating "Tropical Island Hum" for a few years now since the project was previewed during the "Flaming Pie" sessions. And the problem with expectations is they are often dashed. The cartoon is virtually plotless and merely a showcase for the eponymous song, a tune that is subpar by McCartney standards. The kids found it pretty dull too. A giggle here and there, but not much beyond that. Sadly, the closing credits were almost as long as the cartoon (and more enjoyable).

"Tuesday", on the other hand, is a wondrous cartoon full of magic, delight and hosts a splendid soundtrack. And the kids enjoyed it very much too. This enchanting story about the nocturnal travels of lillypad flying frogs is beautifully drawn and almost worth the price of the DVD on its own.

"Rupert and the Frog Song" is the golden oldie on the disc, dating back to 1984. It's been 15 years since I last saw that cartoon and it was a joy to finally share this with my children. They'd heard the tune "We All Stand Together" often on Daddy's stereo and delighted in actually seeing the "frogs" behind the music. It was a great cartoon two decades ago, and remains so today, absolutely enchanting my little guys.

The major flaw with this disc is the price -- half the run time of a regular feature at 1.5 times the cost. The collection could have been a bit less expensive, or alternatively have included the cartoons "Oriental Nightfish" and "Seaside Woman" which were collected on the early Rupert VHS. Still, it's only money, and considering the kids will wear out the disc viewing the last two cartoons over and over, on a cost per viewing basis, it'll prove to be a safe investment.

19 of 21 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Still magical after all these years..., May 3, 2004

By	Lee (Los Angeles, CA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Paul McCartney - Music & Animation Collection (DVD)

This DVD collects three short films directed by Geoff Dunbar based on ideas/music/songs by Sir Paul McCartney: "Tropic Island Hum," from 1997; "Tuesday," from 2000; and finally "Rupert and the Frog Song," from 1985.

"Rupert and the Frog Song" is the real gem on this collection. It follows legendary comic character Rupert the Bear as he explores the country one night and finds a special gathering of frogs. I bought the DVD because of this piece; it was such a huge favorite of mine as a child I just had to revisit it and see if it still held the same magic it did as a child. I have to say, it still holds up very well. The song in it, "We All Stand Together" is a great song written by Paul and arranged by the Beatle's producer George Martin.

"Tropic Island Hum" is a fun little cartoon that Paul and his late wife Linda produced. Paul and Linda do nearly all the voices. It has a very good song at its core but doesn't quite capture the magic of Rupert. Interestingly, it was one of the last cartoons ever to be produced purely by hand animation where all the coloring is done by hand. Nowadays all the coloring in "hand-animated" films is done with a computer after the outlines are drawn by hand.

"Tuesday" has almost no dialog and features only a musical score with no song. It follows a group of bored frogs one Tuesday night as their lily pads take off and fly into the town so the frogs can have a night of fun for a change. I think it's the least successful of the three films because there are no main characters to follow. But it is a very atmospheric cartoon with great music. It's based on a storybook and follows the pictures in it almost exactly.

The three films together have a running time of about 45 minutes, including a short intro with Paul in a library expressing his love for animation.

Extras on the DVD are plentiful... There is a making of documentary for both Tuesday and Tropic Island Hum that are quite interesting and obviously had high production values since animation is actually interweaved with the live action in the documentary in a few places (kinda like the "Who Framed Roger Rabbit" effect). We get to see the animators in action, Geoff Dunbar directing it, and how Paul guides the whole process.

There is also a short interview with Paul in which he talks about how each film came to be and what his future plans for animation are (he wants to make a feature of Trpoic Island Hum).
There are line-drawings, storyboards and line tests for each film. These are hard to watch unless you are really interested in the in-depth technical details of animation. The rest of us will find this very tedious since it basically involves watching the films as line sketches without music in some cases. Still, it's nice they're archived for posterity on this DVD.

I would give 5 stars to this DVD but unfortunately it loses a star because it does not include the short animations "Oriental Nightfish" and "Seaside Woman" that were on the VHS of Rupert and the Frog Song.

Overall, I highly recommend this DVD to fans of family-oriented animation fans (and rabid Paul McCartney fans, since he is featured heavily on this disc). It has a very high re-watchability factor and I know if I had kids in the future they would love it, and I would enjoy watching it with them!

11 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Watch Out Disney!, April 14, 2004

By	Frank C. Branchini "beatlefanfcb" (Edgewater, MD USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This review is from: Paul McCartney - Music & Animation Collection (DVD)

You can see the Disney influence from the outset in the way McCartney introduces the videos just as Walt used to do.

There are three short animated features. Tropic Island Hum is the first. It is a story about an island where animals find sanctuary from hunters and other forms of abuse. It is light, whimsical, and fun. Some of the artwork is quite astoundingly beautiful: look at the sunsets. This is a lovely tribute to Linda McCartney who was a great animal protection advocate.

Second up is Tuesday which is about a day when frogs go on an extraordinary adventure. This is based on an award winning book of the same name by David Wiesner. The animation includes voice work by Dustin Hoffman. This is the best of the three. It is surreal, funny, and completely charming. The music is absolutely stunning and I hope it will be released. This one is just plain exquisite.

The third video is Rupert And the Frog Song featuring the song We All Stand Togther and voice work by June Whitfield who plays Edwina Monsoon's mother on Absolutely Fabulous. I love the song and love the video,

Bonus features include a McCartney interview and short "Making of" films. Don't miss the cartoon Paul and Linda dancing on the beach. What a beautiful and touching image! This is completely delightful and magnificent. It is a must have!!!!!!!!!!