Caperucita y el Lobo no tan Feroz

Included as an extra on Warner's DVD of BATTLEGROUND (1949), this delightful MGM cartoon from the legendary Tex Avery is very typical of his irreverent output; actually, it's the last of a trio of shorts with virtually the same plot (the others being RED HOT RIDING HOOD [1943] and SWING SHIFT Cinderella [1945]). Despite the title, this deliberately unappealing character is not really the 'star': in fact, at the invitation of his slick cousin, the wolf goes to the city where he meets a sultry chanteuse - but he goes into the usual hilariously exaggerated reaction soon after, thus forcing the cousin to take him back home, where Little Red Riding Hood is waiting... This was voted the 23rd greatest cartoon ever in a 1994 poll!

Some of these side-splitting classics have cropped us as DVD bonus features (for instance, AIN'T WE GOT FUN [1937] on Warners' edition of THE LIFE OF EMILE ZOLA [1937], WHO KILLED WHO? [1943] on PRESENTING LILY MARS [1943], SLAP HAPPY LION [1947] amidst "The Thin Man Collection"[!], the sublimely surreal BAD LUCK BLACKIE [1949] on KITTY FOYLE [1940], THE HOUSE OF TOMORROW [1949] on MR. BLANDINGS BUILDS HIS DREAM HOUSE [1948], etc.) but, for the life of me, I can't understand what's holding Warners from releasing them properly i.e. in the form of a veritable (and most deserving) "Tex Avery Collection" Box Set...

This is a sort of city mouse/country mouse kind of thing. The country wolf is under the spell of a buck toothed female (of course, country people have bad teeth). He actually pursues her and she him and the results are unsatisfactory. As he practically gets himself killed, a note comes from the city wolf. Attached is a picture of Red Riding Hood, a lounge singer. She is shapely and desirable. The country wolf takes off for the city. Once there, he becomes a sex maniac. The city wolf can barely control him. Every Tex Avery wolf, eye popping routine is used. Slobbering, thumping, howling, on and on. He becomes an utter embarrassment to his city counterpart. Every method that is possible is used to restrain the lupine hick. It's pretty funny with a nice little conclusion.

Little Red Riding Hood is a gawky buck-toothed country girl going to visit her grandma. Only the Country Wolf is pretending to be grandma. It's not going great for the wolf but when he finally catches Red Riding Hood, he gets a telegram from his cousin, the City Wolf. The City Wolf is dashing and sophisticated who brings Country Wolf to the nightclub to see showgirl singer Ms. Red Riding Hood.

It's a Tex Avery MGM cartoon. I don't think that I've seen this one except the final scene seems a little familiar. This is great. It's a fun, inventive, surprising take on Red Riding Hood. It's packed. There's no filler. It's great from start to finish.

Little Rural Riding Hood has Country Wolf go to the city to meet City Red. His cousin City Wolf, who seems to be a Southern Dandy-type (New Orleans) character shows him how to behave in what is basically a Burlesque club. This is the second appearance of Red after the better known 'Red Hot Riding Hood', the character most likely modelled on pint-size screen siren Mae West as well as Betty Boop.

Features typical Tex Avery animation which is playing with perspective and planes, as well as wacky "body animation" similar to Looney Tunes, but taken up a gear. The wolf character was hugely influential and was spoofed in The Mask when Jim Carrey first sees Cameron Diaz in a club. This isn't a masterpiece, but it is good fun.

The Blu Ray, Tex Avery Screwball Classics: Volume 2 features a nice print with some scratches, but superb colour, a huge step up from those VHS tapes that did the rounds in the 90s. Sound is crisp and in 2.0 stereo with no pops or nuisance noise. It's also much more affordable than the Looney Tunes Platinum Collection.

The Country Wolf is pursuing the Country Red Riding Hood. When his cousin -- who talks like Ronald Colman -- sends him a picture of our friend Red Hot Riding Hood, it's off to the bg city.

I suppose you could call this the third in Tex Avery's Rding Hood trilogy, but it's all about the Wolfs' reaction, the outsized eye-bugging and klaxon sound effects. Avery seems to have had an itch to make fun of the fairy tale, which he began scratching in 1937 with LITTLE RED WALKING HOOD.