Pigs in a Polka
Encyclopedia
Pigs in a Polka is a one-reel animated cartoon
short subject
in the Merrie Melodies
series, produced in Technicolor
and released to theatres on February 6, 1943 by Warner Bros. Pictures. It was produced by Leon Schlesinger
and directed by Friz Freleng
, with musical supervision by Carl W. Stalling. There is very little dialogue in the cartoon aside from the Big Bad Wolf's introduction of the story and the pigs introducing themselves.
The film is a parody of two Walt Disney
films: 1933 Three Little Pigs
and 1940 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.
It was nominated for the 1942 Academy Award for Best Short Subject: Cartoons
.
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.
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.
episode Mars University
; in the Everybody Hates Chris
episode Everybody Hates Gretzky; and in the movie Training Day
.
Animated cartoon
An animated cartoon is a short, hand-drawn film for the cinema, television or computer screen, featuring some kind of story or plot...
short subject
Short subject
A short film is any film not long enough to be considered a feature film. No consensus exists as to where that boundary is drawn: the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences defines a short film as "an original motion picture that has a running time of 40 minutes or less, including all...
in the Merrie Melodies
Merrie Melodies
Merrie Melodies is the name of a series of animated cartoons distributed by Warner Bros. Pictures between 1931 and 1969.Originally produced by Harman-Ising Pictures, Merrie Melodies were produced by Leon Schlesinger Productions from 1933 to 1944. Schlesinger sold his studio to Warner Bros. in 1944,...
series, produced in Technicolor
Technicolor
Technicolor is a color motion picture process invented in 1916 and improved over several decades.It was the second major process, after Britain's Kinemacolor, and the most widely used color process in Hollywood from 1922 to 1952...
and released to theatres on February 6, 1943 by Warner Bros. Pictures. It was produced by Leon Schlesinger
Leon Schlesinger
Leon Schlesinger was an American film producer, most noted for founding Leon Schlesinger Productions, which later became the Warner Bros. Cartoons studio, during the golden age of Hollywood animation.-Early life and career:...
and directed by Friz Freleng
Friz Freleng
Isadore "Friz" Freleng was an animator, cartoonist, director, and producer best known for his work on the Looney Tunes and Merrie Melodies series of cartoons from Warner Bros....
, with musical supervision by Carl W. Stalling. There is very little dialogue in the cartoon aside from the Big Bad Wolf's introduction of the story and the pigs introducing themselves.
The film is a parody of two Walt Disney
Walt Disney
Walter Elias "Walt" Disney was an American film producer, director, screenwriter, voice actor, animator, entrepreneur, entertainer, international icon, and philanthropist, well-known for his influence in the field of entertainment during the 20th century. Along with his brother Roy O...
films: 1933 Three Little Pigs
Three Little Pigs (film)
Three Little Pigs is an animated short film released on May 27, 1933 by United Artists, produced by Walt Disney and directed by Burt Gillett. Based on a fairy tale of the same name, Three Little Pigs won the 1934 Academy Award for Best Short Subject: Cartoons. In 1994, it was voted #11 of the 50...
and 1940 Fantasia
Fantasia (film)
Fantasia is a 1940 American animated film produced by Walt Disney and released by Walt Disney Productions. The third feature in the Walt Disney Animated Classics series, the film consists of eight animated segments set to pieces of classical music conducted by Leopold Stokowski, seven of which are...
. The familiar story of the Three Little Pigs
Three Little Pigs (film)
Three Little Pigs is an animated short film released on May 27, 1933 by United Artists, produced by Walt Disney and directed by Burt Gillett. Based on a fairy tale of the same name, Three Little Pigs won the 1934 Academy Award for Best Short Subject: Cartoons. In 1994, it was voted #11 of the 50...
is set in this film to several of Brahms
Johannes Brahms
Johannes Brahms was a German composer and pianist, and one of the leading musicians of the Romantic period. Born in Hamburg, Brahms spent much of his professional life in Vienna, Austria, where he was a leader of the musical scene...
' "Hungarian Dances
Hungarian Dances (Brahms)
The Hungarian Dances by Johannes Brahms , are a set of 21 lively dance tunes based mostly on Hungarian themes, completed in 1869.They vary from about a minute to four minutes in length. They are among Brahms' most popular works, and were certainly the most profitable for him. Each dance has been...
", 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.
It was nominated for the 1942 Academy Award for Best Short Subject: Cartoons
Academy Award for Animated Short Film
The Academy Award for Animated Short Film is an award which has been given by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences as part of the Academy Awards every year since the 5th Academy Awards, covering the year 1931-32, to the present....
.
This film can be found in the Looney Tunes Golden Collection: Volume 3
Looney Tunes Golden Collection: Volume 3
Looney Tunes Golden Collection: Volume 3 is a DVD box set from Warner Home Video that was released on October 25, 2005. It contains 60 Looney Tunes and Merrie Melodies theatrical short subject cartoons, 9 documentaries, 32 commentary tracks from animators and historians, 11 "vintage treasures from...
disc 3, Warner Bros. Home Entertainment Academy Awards Animation Collection
Warner Bros. Home Entertainment Academy Awards Animation Collection
Due to the success of the Looney Tunes Golden Collection, Tom and Jerry Spotlight Collection and Popeye DVD series, Warner Home Video issued a 3-DVD set on February 12, 2008 showcasing the various animation properties that they own including their home-grown product Looney Tunes...
and several low-budget home video and DVD releases.
Plot
After an introduction by the wolf, the plot follows closely to the story of the three little pigs. The first pig erects a wire structure, then quickly bushels hay 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.
In other media
Short clips from this cartoon can be seen in the opening credits of the FuturamaFuturama
Futurama is an American animated science fiction sitcom created by Matt Groening and developed by Groening and David X. Cohen for the Fox Broadcasting Company. The series follows the adventures of a late 20th-century New York City pizza delivery boy, Philip J...
episode Mars University
Mars University
"Mars University" is episode eleven of the first production season of Futurama. It originally aired in North America on October 3, 1999 as the second episode in the second broadcast season of Futurama. This episode was written by J...
; in the Everybody Hates Chris
Everybody Hates Chris
Everybody Hates Chris is an African American television period sitcom inspired by the teenage experiences of comedian Chris Rock , while growing up in the Bedford-Stuyvesant neighborhood of Brooklyn, New York . The show is set from 1982 to 1987; however, Rock himself was a teenager during years...
episode Everybody Hates Gretzky; and in the movie Training Day
Training Day
Training Day is a 2001 crime drama film directed by Antoine Fuqua, written by David Ayer, starring Denzel Washington and Ethan Hawke. The film follows two LAPD narcotics detectives over a 24-hour period in the gang neighborhoods of South and East Los Angeles.The film was a box office success and...
.