The Queen’s Cartoonists’ “Holiday Hurrah” pairs live music with vintage animation and comes to the Tower Theatre Dec. 16.

On Saturday, Bend’s Tower Theatre (835 NW Wall St.) will host jazz ensemble The Queen’s Cartoonists in a matinee performance of its family-friendly “Holiday Hurrah” show.

The sextet’s members hail from Queens — which according to The Queen’s Cartoonists bandleader, arranger and pianist Joel Pierson pull from over 100 years of animation from around the world.

And what they do, quite well, is synchronize their virtuosic playing to animated films in synch with the films projected on stage. And given the Tower’s backstory as a mid-century movie theater, that’s just downright cool.

In “Holiday Hurrah,” The Queen’s Cartoonists aim for “the best of the best (and best of the worst) holiday related cartoons, films, and jazz. The show includes traditional holiday songs (‘White Christmas,’ ‘Jingle Bells,’ ‘Silver Bells,’) … paired with jazz arrangements and festive animated films. There’s also a good amount of novelty and comedy, and even a holiday-themed game show.”

In a Q&A with Pierson provided to The Tower, the bandleader did some explaining.

Q: How many band members are there? And what’s the deal with the name?

A: Six. All the band members live in Queens, New York. I added the apostrophe to make the name more illustrative, like, hey maybe we work for the Queen! Don’t read into it too much.

Q: Where did the idea for The Queen’s Cartoonists come from?

A: I was looking for a way to expose audiences to jazz and classical music, without alienating the more traditional, older concert going audience. One day, I noticed there was some overlap between the Golden Age of Jazz and the Golden Age of Animation, and bam!

Q: Is the music original?

A: Some of the music is original. Every piece we perform has a different set of problems and solutions. For example, sometimes we want to re-create a film score note-for-note. In that case I’m not composing at all, just adapting the music for this ensemble. Sometimes, however, I decide to completely re-write the music from scratch. Often, it’s somewhere in between.

Q: Who is this concert for?

A: EVERYONE! The concert is presented for adults, but children enjoy it as well. Older generations grew up with the films and characters we highlight and are generally more amenable to jazz and classical music. Younger generations might not think they like jazz or classical music, but they enjoy the combination of the animations and the synchronicity of the experience.

Show time is 2 p.m. Saturday. Tickets are $26 to $36, plus historic preservation fees. For tickets and more information, visit towertheatre.org or call 541-317-0700.