Bass, a man skilled and proud street performer, plays a routine tune on his wind and percussion instruments in a deserted Italian village square in the afternoon, waiting for a pedestrian to tip him in his rusty iron cup.

Soon, he spots Tippy, a humble peasant girl clutching a big gold coin, intending to drop it in the large plaza fountain to make a wish.

Treble, a suave and flamboyant street performer, plays a more attractive tune on his string instruments, effectively stealing Tippy's attention, much to Bass' anger.

When they come up empty-handed, Tippy takes one of Treble's violins and Bass's iron cup in an attempt to get her money back by playing solo.

She tunes the violin and plays it like a true virtuoso, prompting an unidentified passing pedestrian to drop a large bag of gold coins onto her cup.

The short was pitched to Pixar CEO John Lasseter and The Incredibles director Brad Bird, who quickly accepted the film for production.