THE EMPEROR'S NEWEST CLOTHES on HBO

[Alex Kulak2]

Posted: 9/11/25 at 11:20am

https://youtu.be/dyQg302D1tE?si=OD6g8AIxEivjT4tu

Somehow this completely escaped me until this week. A 30-minute cartoon based on The Emperor's New Clothes that aired on HBO in 2018, featuring Jeff Daniels, Tim Heidecker, Alan Alda, and Allison Pill, with songs by the late great William Finn.

The animation is trash, the voice acting is iffy, and it looks like it was thrown together quickly and sloppily, but the songs are surprisingly catchy and well-written (if unevenly sung). It's kind of cool that Finn was able to lean into his style as much as he did for a kid's project.

As far as I can tell, this is the last musical project that William Finn worked on in his lifetime. It may not be perfect, but it's nice to hear a few more tunes from one of my favorite composers.

[Menken Fan]

Posted: 9/11/25 at 6:44pm

Yes, this was weirdly entertaining, and the songs have that signature Finn quirkiness. 
 

I don’t think he worked on much after this, but there is a world premiere presentation of a show he wrote, with music by someone else, at 54 Below in November. Since it is set during the COVID pandemic, it’s likely the last thing he worked on. 
 

Once Every Hundred Years at 54 Below

[Alex Kulak2]

Posted: 9/11/25 at 7:11pm

I remember reading about that song cycle in his obituary, but I didn't know if it was finished or not. It's exciting that it'll see the light of day.

Coincidentally, the composer for the cycle was also the co-arranger for The Emperor's Newest Clothes.