Paul McCartney - Music & Animation Collection
Being a wealthy ex-Beatle has its advantages, and with his enchantingMusic 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 inFantasia. "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-winningchildren's bookby 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 filmGive 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