Release Date:

February 6, 1943

Main Character(s):

None

Summary:

The story of the Three Little Pigs set to the music of Brahms’ Hungarian Dances.

That’s Not All, Folks:

The cartoon was given a Blue Ribbon reissue. Hungarian Dance No. 7 (which continues into the start of the cartoon played under the opening credits:

Supervision: I. Freleng

Story: Michael Maltese

Animation: Richard Bickenbach

Musical Direction: Carl W. Stalling

The original title card also exists, while the credits cel (found in June 2021) is in very poor condition.

This cartoon parodies Disney’s “Fantasia” (1940) and even has a Deems Taylor-like wolf introducing the cartoon. Clampett’s “A Corny Concerto” (released later in 1943) is also a parody of Fantasia with two separate acts set to Johann Strauss music.

The cartoon was nominated for an Academy Award.

The cartoon is in the 100 Greatest Looney Tunes Cartoons book.

The pigs all resemble Porky (and their shirts are marked by what number pig they are).

The cartoon is in the public domain.

Sara Berner voices the first two pigs (who are given adorably high-pitched voices) while Mel Blanc voices the smart-guy third little pig.

Freleng would direct another Three Little Pigs parody with “Three Little Bops” (1957) where the pigs are a popular jazz band and the wolf wants to join them but he keeps getting ejected due to no one liking his bad trumpet playing.

What I Like About This One:

The Deems Taylor wolf struggling to pronounce the word “interpretation”. He also has the fairy tale called “The Big Bad Wolf” and quickly says “andthethreelittlepigs” (animated by Richard Bickenbach).

Like with “Rhapsody in Rivets”, everything being timed to classical music is a wonderful idea.

The second pig building his house out of sticks- matchsticks, that is! But one match too many results in the whole thing collapsing (animated by Gil Turner).

A stork making his nest on one row of the third pig’s nest in time to Hungarian Dance No. 5 (animated by Manuel Perez).

Ken Champin’s animation of the first and second pigs playing their instruments and laughing while the third pig smooths out his cement and watches them in annoyance.

The wolf making his entrance by doing a kick dance and sneaking behind several trees in time to Hungarian Dance No. 5 (animated by Phil Monroe).

The wolf then attempts to lure the first two pigs by dressing in drag as a dancing gypsy but the pigs outdo him in their own gypsy garb (animated by Gerry Chiniquy).

As the pigs are chased by the wolf, they hide in the straw house which the wolf immediately disintegrates with a lit match. The pigs then start to walk slowly with the wolf following in time to Hungarian Dance No. 6 ending with the wolf hitting the door of the collapsed matchstick house (animated by Chiniquy).

The pigs hastily rebuilding the matchstick house which the wolf collapses by placing the extra match causing the initial collapse (animated by Monroe).

After the pigs make it into the brick house (animated by Perez), the wolf attempts to break the door down and huff and puff and blow to no avail in time to Hungarian Dance No. 17. One of the pigs sends him a bottle of “Lusterine” mouthwash which he rejects. The wolf then runs up to the door only to stop to check his height compared to the door. Seeing he’s the same height, the wolf attempts to run into the house, but the pigs open all of the doors with the third pig shutting the back door on him. This leads to the wolf collapsing out the back door (animated by Turner).

The wolf disguising as a poor old woman playing a violin in the snow (actually talcum powder that he pours over his head). The first two pigs feel sorry for “her” (animated by Bickenbach up to here) and let “her” in, but the third pig isn’t fooled at all and sees that the wolf has a record player strapped to his back which is where his violin music was coming from. The third pig flips the record to the other side where Hungarian Dance No. 5 starts playing. This provokes the wolf into doing the same kick dance from earlier which causes his disguise to come off (animated by Monroe).

A chase around the house ensues ending with the pigs taking the elevator all the way down to the basement. But the wolf doesn’t wait for the elevator and goes down the shaft by going on top of it. A crashing noise is heard and the wolf staggers out, collapsing once more (animated by Perez).

Where Can I Watch It?

At archive.org!

Carrot Rating:

🥕🥕🥕🥕🥕