The Dizzy Acrobat
Encyclopedia
The Dizzy Acrobat is the eighth animated cartoon
short subject
in the Woody Woodpecker
series. Released theatrically on May 21, 1943, the film was produced by Walter Lantz Productions and distributed by Universal Pictures
.
but a caretaker kicks him out. He says that if Woody wants to see the show, he will have to water the elephant. Woody attaches the elephant to a water spout and attempts again to enter the tent.
The caretaker chases him around the circus and into the big top. He continues to try to catch Woody but finds himself caught in several circus performance contraptions, including a trapeze
, a tightrope, a perch pole
, a lion's cage and a bicycle.
in 1943 for Best Short Subject, Cartoons
. It lost to MGM's The Yankee Doodle Mouse
, The 1st of 5 Tom and Jerry
cartoons to win this award. It was the fifth film from Walter Lantz
to be nominated in this category.
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 Woody Woodpecker
Woody Woodpecker
Woody Woodpecker is an animated cartoon character, an anthropomorphic acorn woodpecker who appeared in theatrical short films produced by the Walter Lantz animation studio and distributed by Universal Pictures...
series. Released theatrically on May 21, 1943, the film was produced by Walter Lantz Productions and distributed by Universal Pictures
Universal Studios
Universal Pictures , a subsidiary of NBCUniversal, is one of the six major movie studios....
.
Plot
Woody Woodpecker visits a traveling circus. He attempts to sneak into the big topBig Top
Big Top may refer to:* Big top , the biggest tent in early-20th century circuses, where the circus itself took place* Big Top , a Transformers character* Big Top , a children's television series in the 1950s...
but a caretaker kicks him out. He says that if Woody wants to see the show, he will have to water the elephant. Woody attaches the elephant to a water spout and attempts again to enter the tent.
The caretaker chases him around the circus and into the big top. He continues to try to catch Woody but finds himself caught in several circus performance contraptions, including a trapeze
Trapeze
A trapeze is a short horizontal bar hung by ropes or metal straps from a support. It is an aerial apparatus commonly found in circus performances...
, a tightrope, a perch pole
Perch (equilibristic)
The perch is an equilibristic balancing act where one performer balances atop a pole that is being balanced by another performer. Each perch pole has a loop at the top into which the performer may insert either a hand or a foot in order to perform a variety of tricks while hanging down from the loop...
, a lion's cage and a bicycle.
Academy Award
This film was nominated for an Academy AwardAcademy Awards
An Academy Award, also known as an Oscar, is an accolade bestowed by the American Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences to recognize excellence of professionals in the film industry, including directors, actors, and writers...
in 1943 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....
. It lost to MGM's The Yankee Doodle Mouse
The Yankee Doodle Mouse
The Yankee Doodle Mouse is a 1943 American one-reel animated cartoon. It is the eleventh Tom and Jerry short produced by Fred Quimby, and directed by William Hanna and Joseph Barbera, with musical supervision by Scott Bradley and animation by Irven Spence, Pete Burness, Kenneth Muse and George Gordon...
, The 1st of 5 Tom and Jerry
Tom and Jerry
Tom and Jerry are the cat and mouse cartoon characters that were evolved starting in 1939.Tom and Jerry also may refer to:Cartoon works featuring the cat and mouse so named:* The Tom and Jerry Show...
cartoons to win this award. It was the fifth film from Walter Lantz
Walter Lantz
Walter Benjamin Lantz was an American cartoonist, animator, film producer, and director, best known for founding Walter Lantz Productions and creating Woody Woodpecker.-Early years and start in animation:...
to be nominated in this category.
Cultural references
- Woody sings the popular children's tune "The Animal Fair" at the start of The Dizzy Acrobat.
- A sign indicates that the circus's Rubber Man is "Gone for the duration." This is a gag referencing the United States rationingRationingRationing is the controlled distribution of scarce resources, goods, or services. Rationing controls the size of the ration, one's allotted portion of the resources being distributed on a particular day or at a particular time.- In economics :...
of rubber during World War IIWorld War IIWorld War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
. - While Woody is on the trapeze, a variation of Johann Strauss IIJohann Strauss IIJohann Strauss II , also known as Johann Baptist Strauss or Johann Strauss, Jr., the Younger, or the Son , was an Austrian composer of light music, particularly dance music and operettas. He composed over 500 waltzes, polkas, quadrilles, and other types of dance music, as well as several operettas...
's "Blue Danube Waltz" can be heard in the background score.