The Carl Stalling Project

You have probably seen the man's name - Carl Stalling - a thousand times without realizing it, or if you did, without appreciating it.

Carl Stalling is, without exaggeration, one of animated film's most important composers and is, without exaggeration, one of the most influential music-makers in American history. He should be ranked among greats like Ennio Morricone and John Williams in terms of his cultural status and legend, and yet, his name is rarely mentioned in the same breath as those other greats, if it is even mentioned at all.

Carl Stalling was, if you cannot recall the name, the genius behind nearly all of the music found in Warner Bros. cartoon shorts produced from 1936 until 1958. Some of the best, funniest, and most revolutionary theatrical cartoons were produced by Warner Bros. during this period, and Carl Stalling was one of the most consistent and hardest working talents to have contributed to their making. Only Scott Bradley of MGM has even come close.

Stalling’s genius was in repurposing and remixing a vast mental library of well-known classical pieces, old-fashioned standards, and obscure folk tunes from over a century ago, into a recognizable yet hilarious form of musical celebration. His cartoon sound tracks became so ubiquitous in Saturday morning TV slots that his music introduced several generations of children, in a subtle yet effective way, to classical and folk music.

Warner Bros. records decided to give this unsung hero of their cartoon department his due and released a record called The Carl Stalling Project: Music from Warner Bros. Cartoons 1936 – 1958. This album is available for purchase through the usual venues but individual excerpts are available on YouTube and two of the best are embedded below.


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I was once berated by a ballet dancer girlfriend for complimenting this sort of complimentary music. "Cartoon music deserves cartoon praise and cartoonish followers."
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