The Turn-Tale Wolf

"Now wait a minute, kid. I never done nuttin' of the kind. It was a bum rap!"

That's "Uncle Big Bad" reacting to his little nephew, who comes home from school all upset because they read the "The Three Little Pigs" in the school and his uncle is the villain. "For shame," he cries, walking home.

Like the 1941 cartoon, "The Trial Of Mr. Wolf," we get upside down look at a famous fairy tale, told from the wolf's viewpoint as "Big Bad" gives HIS version of what "really happened" in the story of "The Three Little Pigs." According to Uncle Big Bad "it was them three little pigs that was the mugs."

With dialog like that, and the funny inflections in the wolf's voice as he tells the story (kudos to Mel Blanc) and the excellent graphics, it all adds up to a really fun cartoon to watch and hear.

The wolf really spun a tale would make anyone laugh. Highly recommended, and part of the Looney Tunes Golden Collection Volume 5, which is turning out to an excellent DVD package.

Parodying famous stories/fairy-tales is not a novel premise in animation. Neither is telling it from the point of view from another character where they justify their actions and motivations, seeing a different side to what we already know. Will admit though that that doesn't bother me exactly actually, have always liked fairy-tale parodies in animation done by great animation directors (i.e. Chuck Jones, Tex Avery, Friz Freleng) and when a famous story is told from a different viewpoint.

In the case for 'The Turn-Tale Wolf', it is the oft-told story of 'The Three Little Pigs'. Told from the viewpoint of the Big Bad Wolf in narrative form to another character (his nephew), another kind of plot that is not new but when well executed it doesn't matter. 'The Turn-Tale Wolf' does the fairy-tale parodying, point of view and narrative form very well indeed, in a way that really entertains and it was interesting to see The Big Bad Wolf and the three little pigs painted in a different light. As well as seeing something different other than different point of view takes on Mother Goose's nursery rhymes and 'Little Red Riding Hood'.

'The Turn-Tale Wolf's' moments between The Big Bad Wolf and the nephew is not as compelling as when the former is telling his story.

Also think that that aspect would have better if the nephew was easier to root for, would have liked more personality from him and he's a little annoying.

Cannot say that for The Big Bad Wolf, who is a very interesting and amusing character that 'The Turn-Tale Wolf' does well in painting him as not being the guilty party was somehow buyable contrary to popular belief. He has great rapport with the pigs, also showing a side different to usual (never seen them painted in a sadistic light) in keeping with the plotting, both entertaining and suspenseful. This take on the story felt fresh and was inventively handled.

Gags are many and they range from amusing to hilarious, the wit of the dialogue was fun too. The animation is not elaborate and the drawing doesn't always have finesse but is bright and colourful with meticulous attention to detail. Carl Stalling's music is typically lush and characterful with the ability to enhance the action, one of the best in the business at the time for that. Mel Blanc's voice work is very individual and full of versatility and enthusiasm.

Summing up, very good. 8/10

OK, so there's a seemingly infinite number of ways to rework children's stories in cartoons. The Termite Terrace crowd did this with "Little Red Riding Rabbit", "Three Little Bops" and "Robin Hood Daffy", to name a few. "The Turn-Tale Wolf" puts a spin on the "Three Little Pigs" routine. In this case, the Big Bad Wolf tells his nephew - who has just learned in school of what his uncle apparently did to the pigs - of how the Three Little Pigs were in fact a group of bullies tormenting him. Maybe this is why protesters in the '60s started calling the police "pigs"! So, maybe this is one of the least-known Looney Tunes/Merrie Melodies cartoons, but I say that it's worth seeing. Robert McKimson certainly directed his fair share of interesting cartoons.

PS: there was a book called something like "The True Story of the Three Little Pigs", in which the wolf explains how he had a cold and was asking the pigs for some sugar but accidentally sneezed and blew their houses down. So, the sensationalism-obsessed media framed him for murder.