Every fan of the Looney Tunes and Merrie Melodies cartoons is familiar with pieces like the “William Tell Overture” (Rossini), “Blue Danube” (Strauss), “Hungarian Rhapsody Number 2” (Liszt), “Dance of the Comedians” (Smetana), and others, but there were a good number of great classical music pieces that weren’t used in any of them at all. When you think about them, however, you realize that these pieces not being any cartoons was certainly a missed opportunity. Without further ado, here are five pieces in particular that I could see work perfectly in a Warner cartoon:

5. Octet for Strings- Mendelssohn

Mendelssohn has been represented plenty in Warner cartoons, most often through “Spring Song”, “Wedding March”, “Violin Concerto in E Minor”, and “Fingal’s Cave Overture”, but this one had never been utilized. It’s a fast-paced and energetic violin composition that would fit onscreen action.

4. New World Symphony- Dvorak

A triumphant-sounding piece, I could see this one playing in any scene where a character who rarely triumphs actually does so.

3. In the Hall of the Mountain King- Grieg

Grieg’s music rarely appeared in Golden Age cartoons, but one of his compositions (“March of the Trolls”, to be exact) did make a memorable appearance in Disney’s first Silly Symphony, “The Skeleton Dance” (1929), which Carl Stalling coincidentally contributed to. Of all of Grieg’s compositions, “In the Hall of the Mountain King” is the closest that feels like it’d work perfectly in a Warner cartoon, specifically any cartoon with an ominous feel to it.

2. Symphony No. 40- Mozart

Shockingly, Mozart wasn’t used a whole lot, but his “Piano Sonata No. 16” did pop up a few times as Granny’s theme in a few cartoons and also in “Love and Curses”. “The Magic Flute” also appeared in the notorious “Bugs Bunny Nips the Nips”. Even though it was used after the Golden Age in the Looney Tunes Cartoons episode, “Pardon the Garden” (2021), “Symphony No. 40” is by far my favorite composition of his, as it is an absolute joy to listen to from start to finish, and makes one wish that either Carl Stalling or Milt Franklyn utilized it just once (I especially love the fast-paced first and fourth movements).

1. 1812 Overture- Tchaikovsky

Even though this literally explosive masterpiece was strangely never used in a Warner cartoon, it is hands down, my favorite piece of classical music because everything about it screams fun and hype music (it would most definitely be appropriate for any scene involving cannons, shotgun blasts, or explosions). Ever since the summer of 2020, I’ve always thought of Rod Scribner whenever I listen to “1812 Overture” as it fits his wild, frantic style of animation like a glove. It WAS used in a Walter Lantz cartoon, however, with that being the Woody Woodpecker cartoon “Peck of Trouble” (1968). Coincidentally, Walter Greene scored that one and during his brief stint at DePatie-Freleng (where literally everything he scored there is an absolute banger), he scored the final six cartoons they produced for Warner Bros., so it was really awesome hearing his take on it. “1812 Overture” also appears during one scene of the 1965 Beatles movie, “Help”, which actually makes some other nods to classical music as well, such as utilizing Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony and Rossini’s Barber of Seville Overture (the latter of which was of course used in “Rabbit of Seville”).