Transylvania 6-5000 (1963)

Transylvania 6-5000 Review

Transylvania 6-5000 is a 1963 animated short film from the Merry Melodies series. It is a classic short.

Bugs demonstrates how to handle a pesky vampire with six simple magic incantations. This is one of the most atmospheric shorts in the Warner Bros. canon. It evokes the horror atmosphere of its setting remarkably well. Transylvania here looks superb with the darker colors, inventive character designs and some very cool imagery. The score is also impeccable at amplifying its eerie atmosphere. The voice acting is terrific too.

As for its plot, it’s mostly excellent. One may wish that they’d done even more with this admittedly awesome premise as the action was somewhat repetitive in the second half, but those gags were still a whole lot of fun. How Bugs initially used magic unknowingly was hilarious. Eventually, the two engaged in a full-blown magic duel and that was the highlight of the picture. The ending was also suitably iconic and well built up from the start. That bird with two talking heads stole the show, but the vampire himself was also very well realized and Bugs is just as competent and funny as ever.

Transylvania 6-5000 is easily one of the greatest Merry Melodies from this period. It features a phenomenal atmosphere, score and animation while the characters are iconic as well.

My Rating – 4.5