Pigs in a Polka
Tags: psychedelic, fantasy

Plot synopsis:
After an introduction by the wolf, the plot follows the traditional story of the three little pigs. The first pig erects a wire structure, then quickly bushels straw over the structure for the house. The second pig uses hundreds of matches to make up his house. The third pig goes through the tedious task of laying bricks for his house.
After the first two pigs have quickly finished their houses, they start dancing around and laughing with each other. The wolf dresses as a gypsy and temporarily fools the pigs, but soon drops the disguise and chases them to their respective houses. With the straw house, the wolf uses a lit match to burn the house, and with the match house, he drops a solitary match on the roof, causing the house to collapse. He tries to destroy the brick house by trying to knock down the door, as well as huffing and puffing and trying to blow the house down, but he fails at this attempt.
Once the first two pigs join the third pig in his brick house, the wolf again dresses up - this time as a homeless woman playing a violin, while it's snowing outside (the 'snow' actually talcum powder held above the wolf's head on a stick). The first two pigs have pity on the wolf, and despite the third pig blocking the door, the two other pigs let the wolf in. When the wolf continues to play the violin, the third pig sees that the wolf has a record player hidden behind him. The third pig switches to the other side of the record, putting on a fast-paced dance. The wolf dances to this new tune, but loses his costume as a result. 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 the elevator he drops into an empty shaft and falls at the feet of the pigs.

Review: Beautifully choreographed and subtly funny.
A class act..
Friz Freleng's 'Pigs in a Polka' is a terrific parody of both Disney's 'Fantasia' and Disney's Oscar winning Silly Symphony 'The Three Little Pigs'.
Freleng, always a dab hand at the musical cartoons, sets the Three Little Pigs story to Brahms' Hungarian Rhapsody.
On first viewing, I was disappointed in the comparative lack of gags in the cartoon but I was missing the point.
The humour here comes from the characters' actions and how impeccably Freleng synchs them up with the music.
The cartoon really comes to life the instant the high kicking Wolf makes his appearance.
From here on in, there is no dialogue whatsoever, just beautifully choreographed sequences in which the Wolf tries to gain access to the brick house of the third pig.
Like the cartoon it parodies, 'Pigs in a Polka' was nominated for an Oscar but unfortunately, unlike Disney's cartoon, it did not win.
While it is less well known than it should be, 'Pigs in a Polka' still retains a high level of respect in animation fan circles and its cult reputation is richly deserved.
You only have to look at the superb final moments in which the Wolf falls down an elevator shaft, collapses and the iris closes on his face all in perfect time to the music, to know that 'Pigs in a Polka' is a class act..
Dancing To The Music Not Really Funny.
"This is our interpretation of the familiar tale of 'The Big Bad Wolf And The Three Little Pigs.'" An announcer is telling this to an audience, of which we are privy.
He adds this story "is set to the delightful music of Joann Brahm's 'Hungarian Dances.'"So that's what we get: this fairy tale set to music.
The announcer, butchering Brahms' name, is funny, but not a lot of other things are in here.
In fact, that might be it.
What you mainly have here is a cartoon in which the actions of the people, from walking to dancing and prancing to the wolf chasing the pigs all is set to the music.
Maybe it's just me, but I prefer humor in my cartoons.
This was not something I'd watch again..
I wonder if Uncle Walt knew what he was starting?.
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..
Two Undeserving Pigs!.
Once again, the two shortsighted pigs manage to survive, only with the help of their smart and thoughtful brother.
After the wolf announced what was going to happen, I expected him to be sitting down with a plate full of pork chops, the third brother watching from a distance.
It is a well done but weak story.
However, the animation is excellent.
It is colorful and full of action..
It's not everyday that we see 'Three Little Pigs' set to Brahms....
And do it in a way that not only is a great way of introducing younger audiences to classical music, but be very well-made and hugely entertaining in its own right.One thing that stands out about 'Pigs in a Polka' is how beautifully animated it is.
It's all vibrantly coloured, all the characters are well drawn and the backgrounds have so much smoothness and detail as well as being rich in colour.
The animation also matches the music wonderfully, making for some inspired visuals and beautifully timed and often hilarious visual gags, the best moments coming from the wolf.'Pigs in a Polka' makes prominent use of Brahms' "Hungarian Dances".
Not everybody is a fan of Brahms, this reviewer loves a lot of his music and feels that the "Hungarian Dances" is not only great music and arranged beautifully and cleverly but also used to outstanding effect, not just excelling in fitting with the gags but enhancing their impact.The gags, almost all the funny moments are visual, are hilarious and help make the cartoon such rewarding viewing.
Every sequence is choreographed and timed with few misfires, and synchronise with the music so well.
The story adheres nicely to the original story with its own spin, especially with the wolf, and avoids being rushed, too stretched, too thin or dull.All four characters carry 'Pigs in a Polka' more than solidly with their actions and interactions also playing a huge part in the entertainment value, Disney's "Three Little Pigs" Silly Symphony shorts have slightly more memorable versions and the three pigs are more individualised in them.
However the pigs are quite cute and amusing, without being annoying, but the wolf whose personality is more interesting and his material makes more impact is the best of the bunch.
The voice acting is dependably top-notch, Mel Blanc is great as the wolf though he has had more to do elsewhere.It is agreed that 'Pigs in a Polka' while never dull properly comes to life when the wolf appears and gets even better with him.
The very end is a touch abrupt, though with great animation and use of music.Overall, a winner of a cartoon.
9/10 Bethany Cox. Nice Attempt but Minor Payoff.
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..
Meh..
This is a decent Looney Tunes cartoon that somehow managed to be nominated for an Oscar.
While this made little sense, there was some justice in life as the wonderful DER FUEHRER'S FACE from Disney took the actual award.I think part of the reason I am less than thrilled with this cartoon is that I couldn't help think of two main problems.
One, the 1933 Disney version of the Three Pigs was a much, much better tale--with better laughs and much better animation.
The story here in PIGS IN A POLKA just seemed like a copy.
Two, while this is a pleasant cartoon, compared to the other toons being made by Warner Brothers at the time, this is pretty limp.
I'd much rather have seen Daffy Duck or the Studio's latest creation, Bugs Bunny, instead of seeing these pigs dancing to Brahms' "Hungarian Dances".Overall, good but far from great.
If you are looking for it yourself, I suggest you buy the Looney Tunes Golden Collection and avoid the version I saw.
I saw it on a DVD entitled "Cartoon Crazys: And The Envelope Please".
This is a rather poor compilation of supposedly award winning and nominated films.
Poor because several of the films are very lame and are NOT award nominated, the prints are rather bad and parts of some of the cartoons are missing!
In the case of PIGS IN A POLKA and THE DOVER BOYS cartoons, the entire opening and closing is missing--and you'd never know they were Looney Tunes cartoons!
While these cartoons both have lapsed into the public domain, clipping the cartoons like this and not acknowledging the people who made this is just plain sleazy..
One step beyond "The Great Dictator".
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..
Nice try  doesn't work.
Set to classical music, this is a retelling of the story of three little pigs who each go off and build their houses out of different types of material, only to each be set upon by a wolf who wants to `eat them all up'.The film opens with a different and amusing little pre-story introduction by the wolf, but the rest of the film fails totally to live up to any early promise.
The plot is, of course, the three little pigs but set in time to a piece of well known classical music.
The film could be seen as a brave attempt to bring classic music to the masses, but it doesn't really work because the cartoon isn't good enough to reach `the masses'.The immediate lack of good characters is a problem.
The pigs are overly cute and speak with a horrid little squeaky voice.
The wolf is OK but doesn't really say very much and doesn't impose his character onto the film  a shame, he is the most interesting one of the bunch.A bigger problem is that the film isn't funny.
Instead of coming up with jokes, the makers seem to have put all their energy into making the action match the music, than making the action funny in it's own right.
The end result is the film constantly altering it's pace in time with the music, occasionally it's amusing but it is never consistent.Overall this is a good attempt to bring classic music into a popular medium but it doesn't really work at all.
The characters are no good and the action is more tailored to fit the music rather than generate laughs..
Nicely done!.
"Pigs in a Polka" is a very good Warner Bros.
cartoon, and it comes to no surprise that Friz Freleng directed it.
Set to the various Hungarian dances of the great composer Johannes Brahms, this cartoon is essentially a humorous ballet of the Three Little Pigs story.
As an avid music lover, Friz Freleng was aware that he needed to KNOW the music of Brahms in order for this cartoon to be effective, and he definitely succeeded.
All of the action & dancing are perfectly in sync with the music, thus providing a nice variation to the usual Three Little Pigs story.My favorite highlights from "Pigs in a Polka" include the following (but watch the cartoon first before you read any further).
With a New York accent, the Big Bad Wolf reads his Fantasiaesque introduction with elegant musical accompaniment.
While Pig #3 is working hard at building his house, Pig #1 and Pig #2 frolic together and play their instruments, with Pig #2 having a dopey smile on his face as Pig #1 spins him around.
The Wolf is quite funny during his opening Russian kick-dance down the road (with his outstretched arm signalling a turn).
After the Wolf's gypsy dance, Pig #1 and Pig #2 hilariously dress up in similar getups with mischievous smiles on their faces!
And later on, the Wolf pretends to be a poor old gypsy woman, but Pig #3 sees through his facade and, literally, changes his tune!
In closing, let me just state two oddities about "Pigs in a Polka." First, the ending of this cartoon is quite abrupt, leaving the audience hanging.
And second, the Three Little Pigs all look like Porky, but they aren't!.
Music is key, but not enough.
"Pigs in a Polka" is an American 8-minute cartoon from 1943, so this one has its 75th anniversary this year (still).
The name of director Freleng should sound familiar to pretty much anybody with an interest in these old cartoons as the Oscar winner was among the most known in his fields, writer Miller maybe not so much, but he was also far from a rookie.
This is a little Warner Bros film that elaborates on the famous story of the big bad wolf against the three pigs of whom only one is smart enough to protect itself (and the 2 brothers).
But yeah, said story is really only very basically included.
The match house is entirely different, the wolf uses other was to tear the first two houses down, he does not even need to blow, but he does blow for the third one and without success.
What we have here is a very music-based short.
You will hear familiar tunes and on some occasions the characters even move along with the tune played in the background.
Fittingly the wolf dresses up as a Spanish dancer early on, and eventually the pigs too out of nowhere, so yeah it is a bit bizarre and why oh why did he not catch them when he was dancing so close next to them.
Not the smartest wolf out there for sure.
In the end, there is maybe the best music moment when we have the wolf dress up as a poor violin playing woman (again a female for whatever reason), oh well if the pigs did not see through that costume, they aren't the smartest either.
But when clever piggy changes the record, it was kinda fun what happened next.
But overall, I was not impressed.
Animation is as good as everything else from around that era in America and we should not take it for granted, but the entertainment factor was basically the same for me as just listening to a record thatg includes all the music played in there.
Video side and comedy was underwhelming.
The Academy liked it though and nominated it for an Oscar where it lost to Donald's take on Nazi Germany, one of the most known cartoons of all time.
But back to this one here: Youtube audiences enjoyed it too as it has millions and millions of views, more than I expected for sure, even if it sure isn't a forgotten cartoon.
I did not like it that much though and give it a thumbs-down..
Since the "Looney Tunes Musical Masterpieces" DVD commentator .
. for PIGS IN A POLKA doesn't seem to be trained in Warnology, let's examine this WWII Era animated short from that perspective.
When this cartoon was produced, America's Number One ally against Hitler--Russia--was at the top of nearly every U.S. church's Weekly Prayer List.
But Warner, often looking forward 50 or 75 years ahead of its time, smelled a Russian Rat, and its name was Vladimir "Mad Dog" Putin.
During the 1940s and 1950s Warner produced at least a dozen feature and short projects warning us of Putin's advent, and PIGS IN A POLKA falls into that category.
The Big Bad Wolf character here, of course, represents Putin, with its incessant Russian Kick Dancing.
The endangered pigs symbolize the World's Winter Olympic Athletes being lured to Sochi, Russia, for the 2014 Olympiad.
Since Putin's Homophobia became the predominant theme of the build-up to these Games, Warner suggests that the bare-butt cross-dressing Little Pigs #1 and #2 are Gay. The only Oinker wearing bottoms, Little Pig #3, tries to convince his two fellow athletes to boycott Big Bad Wolf\Mad Dog's Fun & Games.
But America ignored Warner's warning, like it usually does, leaving Putin free to dope up the Russian Olympians for the next couple Olympic Games (though they're banned from this week's World Indoor Track & Field Championships), and bomb most of the Doctors Without Borders Hospitals in Syria, to boot.