Pigs in a Polka

When Disney did the first The Three Little Pigs, I wonder if he knew he was starting a cottage industry at the very least and The Animators Lifetime Employment Act at most. I suspect more different animators have taken a turn at the Pigs than any other characters in the history of animation. There have been military takes (Blitz Wolf), Pigs as con artists (a meeting with Bugs Bunny) and musical takes, like this one. This is one of the better uses of classical music tied to animation (the best short to do so is Rhapsody in Rivets), with the action on screen fitted to the corresponding musical scoring. This was nominated for an Oscar and periodically plays on Cartoon Network. Recommended.

'Pigs In A Polka (1943)' is a 'Merrie Melodies' short set to the tune of 'Hungarian Dance no. 5' by Johannes Brahms, with each on-screen movement timed perfectly to the classic piece of music. Its story is that of the three little pigs, and it follows that well-established narrative pretty much to a tee. Although it's amusing to see the smooth animation speed up and slow down as dictated by the score, the film lacks strong comedic gags and feels a little bit standard when it comes to its slapstick. It's not bad, by any means, but it does feel a little bit lacking when compared to the zany freneticism usually associated with 'Merrie Melodies' and 'Looney Tunes'. It's a solid short overall, however, and its animation is consistently good.

Pigs in a Polka (1943)

** 1/2 (out of 4)

This Looney Tunes short takes the Three Little Pigs story and sets it to classical music.

Yeah, the additional of classical music is really the only thing that separates this from the countless other versions of the story. The Disney version is without a doubt the best that has ever been done and this one here really can't compete with it. With that said, the idea of having the story set to classical music was a rather clever idea but I just don't think it really paid off in regards to entertainment. This is far from a bad movie but at the same time there's really nothing good here or anything that would make you want to watch this over the more traditional versions.

Dressed in a tuxedo, the Big Bad Wolf presents the Big Bad Wolf and the Three Little Pigs. The first Pig builds his straw house quickly and relaxes. The second Pig builds a house from matchsticks and it crumbles. The third Pig builds a house made of bricks.

Generally, this is the standard three little pigs story except for the last house. The first half is fine and unsurprising. There are one fun joke, but it is mostly nothing special. The brick house is the big change and I'm not sure that I like it. The two pigs are too dumb to live. I don't know if I'm rooting for these pigs. The ending is the ending and it ended.

I remember that I first heard Johannes Brahms's "Hungarian Dances" in "The Great Dictator", when Charlie Chaplin is shaving the guy to the tune of that song. For "Pigs in a Polka", the Termite Terrace crowd continues its tradition of mixing classical music with wacky images, and they do a great job with it. OK, so "Three Little Pigs" is one of the easiest stories to spoof (they later applied music to it again with "Three Little Bops"), but how can you not like how the cartoon came out here? Probably the most eye-opening aspect is how, far from being a triad of warm, cuddly brothers, the pigs have some conflicts. The smartest one - who built his house out of bricks - doesn't like how his siblings take an irresponsible attitude towards everything.

Among other things, we have to remember that these cartoons were not created for children. What they portray requires some knowledge of world history and culture. As it is, I've long considered it honorable that these cartoons could teach children about classical music (much like "What's Opera, Doc?" could).

All in all, a very enjoyable cartoon short.