Legendary animator and cartoonist Bill Plympton’s first feature, THE TUNE is a wildly surreal animated musical comedy about a struggling songwriter named Del (voiced by Daniel Neiden), desperate to write a hit tune to save his relationship with his long-suffering girlfriend Didi (voiced by Maureen McElheron, who co-wrote the script and composed the music). On his way to meet her and his boss, Del gets sidetracked in the cheerfully deranged Alternate Universe of Flooby Nooby: a strangely nostalgic vision of 1950s middle-class America as filtered through the affectionate-but-twisted sensibilities of David Lynch, Talking Heads, and classic Warner Bros. Bugs Bunny cartoons. There’s a Doggie Elvis who croons about his pompadour; a love duet between a Burger and Fry, a slice of Cherry Pie and a Scoop of Ice Cream; and a joyfully sadistic Bellhop at The Love Sick Hotel, all singing lovably warped tunes like “Dig My Do,” “No Nose Blues” and “Tango Shmango”. Plympton’s famed animation style, done in colored pencils with a gorgeous pastel palette, is perfectly suited to this beautifully off-kilter saga of a man who loses his way only to find his heart: “Lost?” “No, I just don’t know where I am.”

For thoughts on The Tune, please check out our discussion on The Video Attic:

[youtube https://youtu.be/FZa2peI-zyg?si=PkaTLdkwbPwuKVtO&t=972]

Video Quality

The Tune debuts on Blu-Ray in its original 1.33:1 aspect ratio with a 1080p master derived from a 2K restoration of the Original Camera Negative by the Academy Film Archive. After hours of removing dust and water spots, this film looks immaculate. Every single creative choice within the animation is left intact with no unsightly digital manipulation to ruin the natural look. The magical colors newly supervised by director Bill Plympton are incredibly vibrant with these bright hues swirling around one another while maintaining crisp delineation. Black levels are impressive with no serious issue of banding or compression issues.

With every year that passes, we get more unexpected hidden gems restored to their full glory, but this one still feels like a big, welcome surprise. The unique character designs and every distinct line and mark of the animation are preserved in this newest release. The textures of the surreal environments look naturally filmic and give the journey the appropriate amount of depth. This Blu-Ray is a peerless experience that allows this to exist in its ideal state. Deaf Crocodile is not playing around when it comes to preserving classic animation.

Audio Quality

This Blu-Ray comes with the original LPCM 2.0 mono track in the original English which delivers in every way it needs to. The music is a focal element of this odyssey, and every song is brought to life perfectly in your speakers. Every clever line within each song holds up with flawless fidelity. Dialogue comes through clearly without sound effects or the music overshadowing vital information. The film conjures sound effects that are given the appropriate presence within the mix. The track handles atmospheric effects well all around. The audio stands tall no matter what is thrown at it. There are optional English SDH subtitles provided.

Special Features

Audio Commentaries: There are two commentary tracks provided – one by those who worked on the project as well as one with fans and collaborators of the creatives which each offer a great perspective from the personal and historical side of the equation. Both are great additions that fans of the film should definitely check out.

- Audio Commentary #1 (Archival): Director/writer/producer Bill Plympton and composer/co-writer/voice actor Maureen McElheron

- Audio Commentary #2 (New): Animation producer and podcaster Adam Rackoff and podcaster and film critic James Hancock

Bill Plympton Short Films: A trio of animated shorts from Bill Plympton is provided that show some of the immense creativity of Plympton. These are some tremendously entertaining films.

- Your Face (1987) (HD – Restored by Academy Film Archive) (3:21)

- How To Kiss (1988) (HD Upscale of Best Available SD Master) (6:41)

- Guard Dog (2004) (HD – Restored by Academy Film Archive) (4:49)

The Flying House – Dreams of a Rarebit Fiend (1921/2011): A nearly nine-minute animated short from Winsor McCay is provided here in a remastered form courtesy of Bill Plympton’s Plymptoon studio with additional color, voice work, and a new score. The voice work comes courtesy of Patricia Clarkson and Matthew Modine. This is a really cool bit of preservation innovation.

Interview with Bill Plympton, Maureen McElheron, and Daniel Neiden: A 56-minute interview with director/writer/producer Bill Plympton, composer/co-writer/voice actor Maureen McElheron, and voice actor Daniel Neiden conducted by Deaf Crocodile’s Dennis Bartok is provided in which the trio discuss their backgrounds, early influences, developing the musical numbers, the surrealist imagery, how they covered so many different musical genres, the casting of the other voices in the film, and much more that is well worth a listen.

Trailers: This disc provides the minute-and-a-half-long 2023 trailer for The Tune. There is also a four-and-a-half-minute piece in which Bill Plympton introduces his new film Slide.

Booklet: A multi-page booklet is included in this release which features the essay “The Tune” by film historian and documentary producer Walter Chaw which gives a great amount of context to the work of Bill Plympton, the creation of this project, and more.

Final Thoughts

The Tune is a fun ode to the whimsy of films like Yellow Submarine where not everything makes complete sense yet it does not matter. The story is very simple which allows the songs to be given the prominence they deserve with a range of different musical stylings on display. The animation is stunning as the color pencil style is elevated to breathtaking heights. A few songs are a bit less dazzling than the others, but this is a really unique and fun adventure worth taking. Deaf Crocodile has released a Blu-Ray which sports a magnificent A/V presentation and a stellar assortment of special features. Animation is made to push boundaries, and this one has fun crashing through a whole slew of them. Recommended

The Tune is currently available to purchase on Standard Edition Blu-Ray or with a Limited Edition Slipcover exclusively through Deaf Crocodile and OCN Distribution.

Note: Images presented in this review are not reflective of the image quality of the Blu-Ray.

Disclaimer: Deaf Crocodile and OCN Distribution have supplied a copy of this disc free of charge for review purposes. All opinions in this review are the honest reactions of the author.