Oscar's Orchestra (1995–1996) User Reviews

Rather bizarre, but brilliant fun

[waggedy-doyng · 9/10 · 17 October 2008]

I personally loved this show as a kid - my parents used to take me to concerts and play classical music at home, (I also played the violin), so whenever I heard a famous piece on the programme I loved it! The characters were pretty well-defined for a kids' TV programme, which is probably why the show was successful for so long. I loved the baddies - especially Lucius and Goodtooth - and the goodies - Oscar & Monty - alike.

Admittedly, some of the settings and extra characters were a little bizarre (as were the colours, the hairstyles, and some of the accents), but kids are usually prepared to overlook things like that - I certainly was.

The fairly straightforward premise of the show meant that they could set it anywhere - in frozen Siberia, outer space, Bach's back room, a Spanish bullring, a luminescent sewer, Chicago's gangster scene, troll-infested caves - with talking rats, clockwork soldiers, Martians, and a talking elephant. Wearing a baseball cap.

Yes, it was a bit madcap, and I doubt everyone that watched it really developed an interest in the classical music (which was sort of the point) - but for the music-mad, it was brilliant.

The music of my Childhood

[tiginfl · 8/10 · 22 January 2007]

I absolutely loved this when i was a kid so i was a bit surprised to see it listed as 2002. I watched it all the way through junior school and I left there in 1999! It was one of those programmes you didn't have to concentrate on and was perfect after school viewing. (I was traditional CBBC all the way, I never watched CITV) One of my favourite episodes was about the Phantom of the Opera! *He was allergic to the strawberries in Thadius's birthday cake! He was Thadius's music teacher.*

All in all a great programme to watch, I'm no media student it's just pure entertainment! Enjoy.

Childhood memories

[Josephpr1990 · 7/10 · 10 January 2016]

I always remember this British cartoon. I watched it for the first time when I was about 5 or 6 and I thought it was very good and enjoyable. It was shown on TCC (The Children's Channel) but sadly TCC went out of business in spring 1998 and it is now defunct. That was just a shame, wasn't it? It was also shown on the BBC as part of their children's block, CBBC and ViacomCBS (now known as Paramount Global) - owned Nickelodeon UK and Ireland.

It was produced by the same popular British animation studio who produces other such animated TV series and films as Dennis the Menace, Captain Zed and Zee Zone, The Secret Show and Rarg in association with Warner Music Vision and Europe Images.

It's about an evil dictator of the world, Thaddius Vent who has banned music forever and it's up to the talking piano called Oscar and his other fellow musical instruments to plot the evil madman Vent and his henchmen Lucius and Tank and soothsayer, Goodtooth. It is set in the distant future, the year 2743 in a city called New Vienna (we know it's in Austria).

A musical journey through lesson-learning.

[Victor Field · 21 July 2003]

"Oscar's Orchestra" got more attention than most children's animated TV shows, not least because Oscar was voiced by Dudley Moore. It would be nice to say that this series had more than that going for it, but...

The series was set in the Vienna of the future, a time where the evil Emperor Thaddeus Vent has banned all music from the home of Johann Strauss (because when he was young he was horrible at it, or something; I can't remember for sure), and any instruments found are to be removed from the city forthwith. But the Emperor's old piano, Oscar, is on the run and teams up with a set of other rogue instruments (a triangle, a harp, a violin etc) and a human friend in the battle to bring the sounds of music back to Vienna...

The problem with the show was that its surface intentions - to give young viewers an appreciation of classical music instead of all that dreadful popular music - never fully meshed with its status as a would-be diverting show; Oscar and his friends never really engaged, and the fact that Warner Music Vision was one of the production companies... plus the fact that a classical compilation album tied in to the series was released on WMV... it's hard not to be just a bit suspicious.

It all makes you wonder who it was aimed at; adults are more likely to appreciate the presence of the late comedian-musician (Dud's musical gifts are much less renowned than his comic ones), children already interested in the likes of Schubert, Vivaldi et al won't need this show to help them along, and children who aren't can't have been encouraged by this disappointing venture. Tony Collingwood did far better with "Captain Zed and the Zee Zone" and his delightful short film "Rarg." And if you choose them over "Oscar's Orchestra," so will you.

Before "Oscar's Orchestra" was even on the drawing board . . .

[pixrox1 · 6/10 · 28 February 2020]

. . . the MEL-O-TOONS show covered another variation of HALL OF THE MOUNTAIN KING (Oscar's Orchestra Season 2, Episode 7) titled IN THE HALL OF THE MOUNTAIN KING (1960). During this earlier iteration, Edvard Grieg's title music is performed by "The Continental Symphony Orchestra." The narrator is Art Gilmore, NOT Pat McGeehan. Since Mr. Gilmore speaks ALL of the dialog during IN THE HALL OF THE MOUNTAIN KING, he is the only member of its voice cast (and the only individual credited on-screen). "Peer Gynt," a compulsive liar, is the main character of IN THE HALL OF THE MOUNTAIN KING. When Peer's girlfriend dumps him on the grounds of his serial prevarication, this fibber goes for a long walk in the woods and falls asleep at the entrance to a cave. Ugly creatures then carry the unconscious Peer to the throne of the Troll King. Awakening, Peer identifies himself as a Prince of Norway. "I was going to let you go, but because you're a prince, now you have to marry my daughter," the Mountain Monarch responds. Since said wench has seaweed for hair and fangs for teeth, Peer then skidaddles. This animated short is #6 of 14 "Stories of Adventure" on Disc 5 of "Cartoon Classics: Superman and Friends."