Pigs in a Polka

Last updated
Pigs in a Polka
Directed by I. Freleng
Story by Michael Maltese [1]
Produced by Leon Schlesinger
Starring Mel Blanc
Sara Berner [2]
Music by Carl W. Stalling
Animation by Richard Bickenbach [1]
Color process Technicolor
Production
company
Distributed by Warner Bros.
Release date
  • February 6, 1943 (1943-02-06) [3] [4]
Running time
7 minutes
LanguageEnglish

Pigs in a Polka is a 1943 Warner Bros. Merrie Melodies cartoon series directed by Friz Freleng. [3] The short was released on February 6, 1943. [5]

Contents

The film is a parody of two Walt Disney Productions films: 1933's Three Little Pigs and 1940's Fantasia . The familiar story of The Three Little Pigs is set in this film to several of Brahms' "Hungarian Dances", specifically No. 5, No. 7, No. 6 and No. 17 which appear in that order. It is also part of a light-hearted, culturally subversive Merrie Melodies running joke, which would later be re-emphasized with another Fantasia parody, 1943's A Corny Concerto . There is very little dialogue in the cartoon aside from the Big Bad Wolf's introduction of the story and the Three Little Pigs introducing themselves.

It was nominated for the 1942 Academy Award for Best Short Subject: Cartoons.

Plot

After an introduction by the wolf, the plot loosely follows the traditional story of the three little pigs. The first pig, using a prefabricated home kit, erects a wire structure, then quickly covers it with straw. The second pig uses hundreds of matches to make up his house, though when he puts the last match in place on the roof, the entire building collapses. The third pig goes through the tedious task of laying bricks for his house.

Satisfied with their homes, the first two pigs dance around, act silly, and laugh with each other; the first pig plays a violin, and the second pig a flute. The wolf arrives dressed as a gypsy, and sets about, through dance, trying to lure the first two pigs into a position to be captured. The pigs are suspicious and, when the wolf thinks he has them, the pigs instead rough him up and emerge each wearing parts of his costume; they briefly dance until the wolf approaches threateningly. He chases them to the straw house, which he incinerates in seconds with a lit match. The pigs flee to the match house. Though it has a front door, it is still in a state of collapse; the pigs speedily pile the matches up to form a house, then the wolf drops one last match onto the roof and it all falls apart. The pigs race to the brick house. The wolf attempts to bash in the front door, then resorts to huffing and puffing to blow the house down (to which the pigs respond by offering Lusterine mouthwash), but he fails. The wolf sets up to run at the front door; the three pigs work together to squelch this effort.

The third pig is not thrilled to have the other two in his house, especially when they again begin dancing around with their instruments, acting silly and laughing. Then, they notice an apparently homeless woman (the wolf) outside the window, playing a violin in the snow. The 'snow' is actually talcum powder held on a stick above the wolf's head. The first two pigs take pity and push the third pig (who realizes it is the wolf) away from the door to let the despondent person in. The wolf continues the deception and continues playing the violin. The third pig, upon peeking under the clothing and seeing that the wolf has a record player on his back, flips the record over. Fast-paced music begins and the wolf dances to it, resulting in him being exposed when his costume falls off piece-by-piece. The wolf then chases the pigs up to the second floor of the house. The pigs make their escape in an elevator, but when the wolf tries to use it he drops into an empty shaft. The wolf is unaware that he is falling, but rather thinks he is riding the elevator down. He politely doffs his hat as gentlemen in an elevator did back in the 1940s and just stands there politely looking up. After a long fall, the doors open and he falls at the feet of the pigs as the cartoon irises out.

Throughout the short, the pigs' motions are synchronized to the music.

Reception

Animation historian Greg Ford writes, "Friz Freleng invaded Disney territory with Pigs in a Polka, an irreverent reworking of Disney's breakthrough The Three Little Pigs (1933), here reimagined and propelled in its entirety by Brahms' Hungarian Dances. From the obligatory scene-setting rigamarole of the three pigs slapping together their three separate houses of straw, matchsticks and bricks, it's abundantly clear that Friz means to reapply the same tweaked synchronization of classical music to animated action that he achieved in the Franz Liszt-driven Rhapsody in Rivets (1941). The music-action symbiosis is, if anything, more accentuated than before." [6]

Home media

This film can be found in the Looney Tunes Golden Collection: Volume 3 disc 3, Warner Bros. Home Entertainment Academy Awards Animation Collection and several low-budget home video and DVD releases.

This is one of the 61 pre-1948 WB cartoons to fall into the public domain as United Artists did not renew the copyright in time.

In other media

Short clips from this cartoon can be seen in the opening credits of the Futurama episodes "Mars University" and "Brannigan, Begin Again", the Everybody Hates Chris episode "Everybody Hates Gretzky", the Buffy the Vampire Slayer episode "Prophecy Girl", "Season 1 Episode 2" of The Man in the High Castle and in the movies Training Day and Gracie's Choice .

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Friz Freleng</span> American animator, cartoonist, director, and producer (1905–1995)

Isadore "Friz" Freleng, credited as I. Freleng early in his career, was an American animator, cartoonist, director, producer, and composer known for his work at Warner Bros. Cartoons on the Looney Tunes and Merrie Melodies series of cartoons from the 1930s to the early 1960s. In total he created more than 300 cartoons.

<i>Merrie Melodies</i> Cartoon series owned by Warner Bros. (1931–1969 and 1988–1997)

Merrie Melodies is an American animated comedy short film series distributed by Warner Bros. Pictures. It is the companion series to Looney Tunes, and featured many of the same characters as the former series. It originally ran from August 2, 1931, to September 20, 1969, during the golden age of American animation, though it had been revived in 1979, with new shorts sporadically released until June 13, 1997. Originally, Merrie Melodies placed emphasis on one-shot color films in comparison to the black and white Looney Tunes films. After Bugs Bunny became the breakout character of Merrie Melodies and Looney Tunes transitioned to color production in the early 1940s, the two series gradually lost their distinctions and shorts were assigned to each series randomly.

DePatie–Freleng Enterprises was an American animation studio founded by former Warner Bros. Cartoons employees in May 1963, before dissolving in 1981. Based in Burbank, California, DFE produced animation for film and television.

Spike the Bulldog and Chester the Terrier are animated cartoon characters in the Warner Bros. Looney Tunes and Merrie Melodies series of cartoons. Spike is a burly, gray bulldog wearing a red sweater, a brown bowler hat, and a perpetual scowl. Chester is a Jack Russell terrier who is just the opposite, small and jumpy with yellow fur and brown, perky ears.

Piggy (<i>Merrie Melodies</i>) Warner Bros. theatrical cartoon character

Piggy is the name of two animated cartoon characters in the Merrie Melodies series of films distributed by Warner Bros. The first character was a fat, black pig wearing a pair of shorts with two large buttons in the front, and his first film was You Don't Know What You're Doin'!

Granny (<i>Looney Tunes</i>) Warner Bros. fictional character

Emma Webster, better known as Granny, is a fictional character created by Friz Freleng, best known from the Looney Tunes and Merrie Melodies animated short films of the 1950s and 1960s. She is the owner of Tweety Bird and, more often than not, Sylvester and Hector. Her voice was first provided by Bea Benaderet from 1950 through 1955, then by June Foray for almost 60 years then Candi Milo took over in 2017 following Foray’s death.

Beans (<i>Looney Tunes</i>) Warner Bros. theatrical cartoon character

Beans the Cat is an animated cartoon character in the Warner Bros. Cartoons series of cartoons from 1935–1936. Beans was the third Warner Bros cartoon character star after Bosko and Buddy. He is voiced by Billy Bletcher and occasionally by Tommy Bond. He was created by director Friz Freleng. The character was featured in nine cartoons made in 1935 and 1936.

<i>Tweetie Pie</i> 1947 short film by Bob Clampett and Friz Freleng

Tweetie Pie is a 1947 Warner Bros. Merrie Melodies cartoon directed by Friz Freleng. The short was released on May 3, 1947, and stars Tweety with Sylvester, who is called "Thomas" in this cartoon.

<i>The Bugs Bunny Show</i> Animated television anthology series

The Bugs Bunny Show is a long-running American animated anthology television series hosted by Bugs Bunny that was mainly composed of theatrical Looney Tunes and Merrie Melodies cartoons released by Warner Bros. between 1948 and 1969. The show originally debuted as a primetime half-hour program on ABC in 1960, featuring three theatrical Looney Tunes cartoons with new linking sequences produced by the Warner Bros. Cartoons staff.

Warner Bros. Cartoons, Inc. was an American animation studio, serving as the in-house animation division of Warner Bros. during the Golden Age of American animation. One of the most successful animation studios in American media history, it was primarily responsible for the Looney Tunes and Merrie Melodies series of animated short films. The characters featured in these cartoons, including Bugs Bunny, Daffy Duck, and Porky Pig, are among the most famous and recognizable characters in the world. Many of the creative staff members at the studio, including directors and animators such as Chuck Jones, Friz Freleng, Robert McKimson, Tex Avery, Robert Clampett, Arthur Davis, and Frank Tashlin, are considered major figures in the art and history of traditional animation.

Hiawatha's Rabbit Hunt is a 1941 Merrie Melodies cartoon directed by Friz Freleng. Mel Blanc voiced all characters. This film was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Short Subject (cartoons), but lost to Walt Disney's Lend a Paw. This was the first Bugs Bunny cartoon directed by Friz Freleng. The short makes several direct references to The Song of Hiawatha, an epic poem by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow.

<i>You Ought to Be in Pictures</i> 1940 Warner Bros. animated short starring Porky Pig and Daffy Duck

You Ought to Be in Pictures is a 1940 Warner Bros. Looney Tunes short film directed by Friz Freleng. The cartoon was released on May 18, 1940, and stars Porky Pig and Daffy Duck.

<i>Duck Soup to Nuts</i> 1944 film

Duck Soup to Nuts is a 1944 Warner Bros. Looney Tunes cartoon directed by Friz Freleng. The cartoon was released on May 27, 1944, and stars Daffy Duck and Porky Pig.

<i>Little Red Riding Rabbit</i> 1944 animated short film directed by Friz Freleng

Little Red Riding Rabbit is a 1944 Warner Bros. Merrie Melodies cartoon, directed by Friz Freleng, and starring Bugs Bunny. It is a sendup of the "Little Red Riding Hood" story, and is the first time in which Mel Blanc receives a voice credit.

<i>The Looney Looney Looney Bugs Bunny Movie</i> 1981 animated feature film directed by Friz Freleng

The Looney Looney Looney Bugs Bunny Movie is a 1981 American animated comedy package film with a compilation of classic Looney Tunes/Merrie Melodies Warner Bros. cartoon shorts and animated bridging sequences produced and directed by Friz Freleng, hosted by Bugs Bunny. The new footage was produced by Warner Bros. Animation and the first Looney Tunes/Merrie Melodies film with a compilation of classic cartoon comedy shorts produced by Warner Bros. Animation.

<i>Three Little Bops</i> 1957 animated short film directed by Friz Freleng

Three Little Bops is a 1957 American animated musical comedy film, directed by Friz Freleng and written by Warren Foster. A takeoff on The Three Little Pigs told as a hip, jazzy musical, the short features the voice of Stan Freberg, with music provided by jazz composer/trumpeter Shorty Rogers. It was released by Warner Bros. Pictures on January 5, 1957 as part of the Looney Tunes series.

Boulevardier from the Bronx is a 1936 Warner Bros. Merrie Melodies cartoon directed by Friz Freleng and released on October 10.

<i>Rhapsody in Rivets</i> 1941 American film

Rhapsody in Rivets is a 1941 Warner Bros. Merrie Melodies cartoon directed by Friz Freleng. The short was released on December 6, 1941.

Beauty and the Beast is a 1934 Warner Bros. Merrie Melodies animated short film, directed by Friz Freleng. The short was released on April 14, 1934.

The Miller's Daughter is a 1934 Warner Bros. Merrie Melodies cartoon directed by Friz Freleng. The short was released on October 13, 1934.

References

  1. 1 2 Beck, Jerry (2021-06-14). "Lost Warner Bros. Original Titles". Cartoon Research. Retrieved 2021-11-29.
  2. ↑ Scott, Keith (2022). Cartoon Voices from the Golden Age, 1930-70. BearManor Media. p. 53. ISBN   979-8-88771-010-5.
  3. 1 2 Beck, Jerry; Friedwald, Will (1989). Looney Tunes and Merrie Melodies: A Complete Illustrated Guide to the Warner Bros. Cartoons. New York, NY: Henry Holt and Company. p. 137. ISBN   0-8050-0894-2.
  4. ↑ McCall, Douglas L. (1998). Film Cartoons: A Guide to 20th Century American Animated Features and Shorts. Jefferson, NC: McFarland. p. 180. ISBN   978-0786405848.
  5. ↑ Lenburg, Jeff (1999). The Encyclopedia of Animated Cartoons. Checkmark Books. pp. 104–106. ISBN   0-8160-3831-7 . Retrieved 6 June 2020.
  6. ↑ Beck, Jerry, ed. (2020). The 100 Greatest Looney Tunes Cartoons. Insight Editions. p. 136. ISBN   978-1-64722-137-9.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.