Classical Music In Cartoons, Movies, Commercials

Classical music in cartoons and commercials. Teach elementary music appreciation with Bugs Bunny, Elmer Fudd, popular television and movie music.

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Classical Music In Cartoons, Movies, Commercials

(Published in Directory : Fine Arts : Music)

My father and I used to have an ongoing game when I was growing up. Every time a piece of classical music came on the radio, we would both try to guess (if we didn't already know) who the composer was, and what the name of the composition was. It occurs to me that very few children have enough experience with the 'classics' to play such a game; many don't even know who Beethoven or Bach were.

So here is a variation on the game my father and I used to play; it's a simple way of introducing a few of the 'classics' to children in a way that they will appreciate. Instead of guessing the composer or composition title, children will attempt to guess where they've heard the music. The goal, of course, is to inspire curiosity about and appreciation for classical music. Many children will be surprised to find themselves humming along with the classics.

The following is a list of compositions, and the place where children are likely to have heard them. There are many more that could be added to this list. If you can think of others (try to keep to ones that children are likely to have seen) please post them in the community forum, so others can make use of your additions!

Organ Symphony #3 by Saint-Saens, heard in the movie Babe
Overture to the Barber of Seville by Rossini, heard in a Bugs Bunny cartoon
Sabre Dance by Aram Khatchaturian, heard in the 'Scrubbing Bubbles' commercials
Also Sprach Zarathustra by Richard Strauss, heard in the movie 2001, and a Sesame Street takeoff on the movie
Rhapsody in Blue by George Gershwin, heard in United Airlines commercial
Rodeo: HoeDown by Aaron Copland, heard in beef commercials
Sorcerer's Apprentice by Paul Dukas, heard in Fantasia
Tannhäuser: Pilgrims Chorus and Die Walküre:
Ride of the Valkyries by Wagner, heard in a Bugs Bunny cartoon
William Tell Overture by Rossini, heard in The Lone Ranger

About the Author

Name: Douglas Twitchell

Website: http://www.jeorgethedodo.com/dougblog/

Bio: I am the designer, maintainer, and editor of this site (Articles For Educators).

I am a former educator in both elementary and secondary math and science. In addition to this site, I also built and maintain the following educational sites: The Problem Site, Tile Puzzler, and Quote Puzzler.

I'm also a ventriloquist, and you can find more about my puppets here: Jeorge The Dodo

Recommended Resources

Mad About Cartoons
Cartoons Greatest Hits
The Carl Stalling Project
The Carl Stalling Project (Vol.2)
About These Resources

Selected Member Comments

Below you will find selected member comments about this article. To view all the user comments, please click here: Member Comments Page

Douglas Twitchell wrote on Feb 25, 2005	quote options
Hey all, I just thought of something from a while back. I remember going to the cinema and seeing a trailer for the (then) upcoming X men sequel (X2). In the trailer they played music from Gustav Holtz's "Mars - The Bringer Of War" from "The Planets". Does anyone know if that piece of music was actually used in the movie itself? Or just the trailer?
Marcus J. wrote on Feb 25, 2005	quote options
Fantasia pieces...I actually found a listing of the Fantasia 2000 pieces: Ludwig von Beethoven's Fifth Symphony, a computer-animated sequence with fluttering triangles/butterflies, etc. Ottorino Respighi's Pines of Rome, featuring acrobatic humpback whales George Gershwin's Rhapsody in Blue, a grayish-blue sequence with Al Hirschfeld-inspired line drawings of Depression-era human characters Dmitri Shostakovich's Piano Concerto No. 2, alongside Hans Christian Andersen's short story The Steadfast Tin Soldier, about a one-legged toy soldier coming to life to save a music-box ballerina from an evil Jack-in-the-box Camille Saint-Saëns' Carnival of the Animals, with a flock of yoyo-playing flamingos a reprise of Paul Dukas' The Sorcerer's Apprentice sequence from the original film Edward Elgar's Pomp and Circumstance March, featuring the Noah's Ark story with Donald Duck as an assistant the climactic 1919 version of Igor Stravinsky's Firebird Suite, about the death (by volcano) and Spring rebirth (aided by a magical sprite) of a forest -edited by Marcus J. on Feb 25, 2005
joanofarc wrote on Mar 26, 2005	quote options
Well, last night I had the Charlie Brown Easter Special on, and noticed that towards the end they played part of a Beethoven Symphony...Number Seven, I think. And if that wasn't enough classical music for one evening, a little bit later on there was a milk commercial that used part of the Tchaikovsky Violin Concerto.