Pêché Mignon

"Pigs is Pigs" is an Academy Award-nominated cartoon short from Disney. While some might be surprised by its origin, Disney did begin using minimalistic art in the 1950s, as rival UPA had originated this and had been rewarded with quite a few Oscars--including an Oscar for a Mr. Magoo film that very same year (Mr. Magoo beating Disney?!?!). Today, however, many will see this as a major step back from the GREAT art of the Disney shorts of the 30s and 40s. But, the splashy style of the 50s was A LOT cheaper to make--and could be made a lot more quickly! And so, many more such films were to come out of the studio.

"Pigs is Pigs" is a cute cartoon about a train station that is stuck with a pair of VERY frisky guinea pigs. Unfortunately, they soon began breeding like crazy and the station was inundated with the animals--much like the Enterprise was infested with Tribbles! And, while the executives at the railroad debate the issue, things only get worse! While I don't usually love singing cartoons, this one is easy to like. The singing is quite clever and it's pretty clear the Disney folks had a good time making this one. Funny and despite the art being a step backwards, it was a nearly perfect cartoon otherwise.