Too much of everything

Far from Perfect, Far from Terrible

I wanted to like it more than I actually did... But much of the humor totally escaped me and I walked out only mildly impressed.

It's the kind of movie you'll want to see a second time with someone who hasn't seen it yet, to remember what it was like to watch it for the first time.

If you aren't familiar with Will Vinton, he's the animator responsible for those $#%@ dancing raisins in the 1980s. I say it this way because at the time they were ubiquitous--and I found I got very tired of this TV ad campaign as well as the spin off cartoon series. I hated them, but admit the claymation quality was very, very good."Mountain Music" is a good look at what Vinton was doing before those accursed raisins--and it is very nice. The film begins with some amazing shots that look as if Vinton and his crew created a forest and mountains just for the short--and that's exactly what they did. You see the camera panning across them and the effect is wonderful. During this shot, you hear lots of sounds of nature and it's very relaxing. Then, a group of young folks appear and begin playing music. At first, it's very nice. But, when they start disrespecting this beautiful scene with LOUD music, nature gets the last laugh.If you want to look at what independent animators were doing back then, and unfortunately, there wasn't much at that time, then please see this film. It's among the better animations of the 70s and it still holds up very well today. Also, another Vinton Studio classic, "Closed Mondays" is also worth your time.