Tubby the Tuba

This Puppetoon was nominated for an Oscar in 1947 and is absolutely delightful to watch. It shows that, no matter who you are, being true to yourself is not just a good thing for you, but, in the long run, for others as well. Amazing in the detail work and simply and grandly wonderful. I cannot recommend this strongly enough. A marvelous effort!

From such a young age, I have loved music, ever since my granddad introduced two musical gems to me and my brother and sisters. One was Sparky's Magic Piano. The other was this, Tubby the Tuba. Tubby the Tuba is simply wonderful for so many reasons. The detail in my opinion of the visuals are to be admired, and the music is outstanding, some of my friends and I have taught ourselves Tubby's theme and still hum it. The story is sweet and engaging, and Tubby the Tuba does have a wonderful, and I think important, message of it's great to be yourself. I also love the charm and quirkiness of the characters, Piccolo, Senor Pizzicato and of course the endearing little tuba Tubby himself. And the narration is well written and brilliantly delivered. Overall, a wonderful Puppetoon, and a childhood favourite. 10/10 Bethany Cox

George Pal was a force to be reckoned with. After leaving Hungry to move to the United States,he inked a deal with Paramont Pictures to produce/direct/animate a long running series of beautiful stop motion animated "puppet" shorts for that studio. Tubby The Tuba,from 1947 is just one of those shorts. Adapted from a popular children's record of the time,Tubby dreams of being a soloist in the orchestra,only to be reminded that he's only an instrument in the harmonic section of the orchestra. Tubby,not listening to the others,decides to test his fate. Does he manage to fulfill his quest? All I can say is,just watch & find out (good luck,as the Paramont shorts have all but been sucked into the proverbial black hole in space,although 'Tubby'has turned up on a few video releases in the 'El Cheapo' budget video section in certain department stores. Not rated,but perfect for the small fry's

I first saw this when I was a little kid. I felt sad for the single instrument in a symphony orchestra. He has no melodies, only accompanies. But as he finds out, he can stretch himself to be the best at what he does. He's also an integral part to the overall sound produced. Quite a lovely little story for those who have something to give but don't realize it.

This is the last of four Oscar-nominated "Puppetoons" I watched as part of my ongoing Academy Awards marathon to commemorate George Pal's birthday. It is the most Disney-ish of the lot, involving an anthropomorphic orchestra. During rehearsal, a number of instruments get to play pretty melodies – while the tuba only supplies monotonous accompaniment; he pines for a chance at his own showpiece, but is ridiculed by the others for deluding himself. He goes off into the forest and runs into a frog, who teaches him that even an unattractive object can stand out from the crowd; rejoining the band, he breaks into a melody – surprising his colleagues who, after the initial shock, spontaneously join in and cheer the tuba's new-found strength. As with much of the era's animation, there is a moral at the heart of the narrative and it is usually a celebration of diversity and inner beauty. For the record, the TV-sourced credits in the copy I watched off "You Tube" misspell the title of this one as TUBBY THE TUBBA!