:The Tune

{{Infobox film

| image=

| caption= Official poster for Bill Plympton's The Tune

| writer= Bill Plympton
Maureen McElheron
P. C. Vey

| narrator=

| starring= Daniel Neiden
Maureen McElheron
Marty Nelson
Emily Bindiger
Chris Hoffman
Jimmy Ceribello
Ned Reynolds
Jeffrey Knight
Jennifer Senko

| music= Maureen McElheron

| cinematography =John Donnelly

| editing= Merril Stern

| studio=

| distributor= October Films

| released={{Film date|1992|04|25|Sundance|1992|09|04|U.S.}}

| runtime=69 min.

| country=United States

| language=English

| budget= $175,000{{cite magazine|magazine=Daily Variety|date=May 21, 1992|page=2|title=October Wins 'Tune' Rights|last=Frook|first=John Evan}}

| gross=

}}

The Tune is a 1992 independent animated musical-comedy film directed by Bill Plympton.{{cite book |last1=Lenburg |first1=Jeff |title=The Encyclopedia of Animated Cartoons |date=1999 |publisher=Checkmark Books |isbn=0-8160-3831-7 |accessdate=6 June 2020 |url=https://archive.org/details/isbn_9780816038312/page/211/mode/2up |page=211}}[https://www.animationmagazine.net/2006/09/indie-animation-king-bill-plympton/ Indie Animation King Bill Plympton|Animation Magazine]

Plot summary

Del, a hard-working songwriter, is trying to write the perfect song for his slimeball boss, Mr. Mega, so he can keep his job and his girlfriend, Didi. As he rushes to work, he gets lost in a cloverleaf highway and ends up lost in a town called Flooby Nooby, where he meets the town's singing and swingin' mayor, an Elvis-impersonating dog, a noseless cab driver, and a psychotic bellhop as he tries to get to Mr. Mega's office to deliver the song.

Production

The Tune, was Bill Plympton's first feature-length film and incorporates earlier shorts released by Plympton, including The Wiseman (1991), Dig My Do (1990), and Tango Schmango (1990). It was self-funded and took two years to make. Its music was composed by Maureen McElheron, a longtime friend of Plympton's who has composed the music for most of his films.

Reception

The Tune premiered April 25, 1992 at the Sundance Film Festival. It was also shown at the Cannes Film Festival before being released in the United States on September 4, 1992.{{Citation needed|date=October 2012}} At least one critic observed that the incorporated shorts seemed out-of-place with the film's original material.{{Cite web|url=http://tech.mit.edu/V112/N48/tune.48a.html|title=Animator Bill Plympton creates an enjoyable Tune - the Tech}} The Tune was nominated for a number of awards in 1992 and 1993.{{Citation needed|date=October 2012}} The film was preserved by the Academy Film Archive in 2016.{{cite web|title=Preserved Projects|url=https://www.oscars.org/academy-film-archive/preserved-projects?title=tune&filmmaker=&category=All&collection=All|website=Academy Film Archive}}