Les trois petits cochons

Well, to start with, what do you say about a cartoon that somehow got its way into The Shining? Well, it's that damn iconic, simply put. I first saw this short many years back, so long ago it was when the Disney channel played, from time to time, 1930s and 40s Disney cartoons at certain times of the morning or day (when kids were at school so, you know, on sick days and such). It stuck with me for the simple reason that, hey, it's the 3 Little Pigs, what kid doesn't know the basic gist of it? The Big Bad Wolf will come to the door, you got to know how to defend against him from getting in.

"Not by the hair on my chinny chin chin," being one of those lines. But what's so much fun about the short, why I can remember it (and them, there was more than one short I think) was that it kept the song catchy throughout, the animated characters had strong, direct personalities, and I actually felt some danger for those little animated pigs from the Wolf. It's colorful, it's funny, it's a little terrifying in the strange way that a 30s cartoon can get in little moments, and it has persevered due to its message for young and old alike of facing against the odds and the "Big Other" that might try to come down. It's great to find out that the term 'Who's Afraid of the Big Bad Wolf' was used as a line of optimism in the Depression too.

You know the basic story, the practical hardworking pig builds his house with bricks and mortar; one lazy buddy uses sticks and the other uses straw. Then when the time comes to keep out the Big Bad Wolf everyone heads to the brick house. It's an old fable and Disney wisely altered the original story where the wolf eats the two lazy pigs and is eaten by the remaining pig after falling into boiling water.

"The Three Little Pigs" was the 36th cartoon in Disney's "Silly Symphony" series and came just a year after "Flowers and Trees" forever changed the animation industry by introducing the first Technicolor cartoon. Technicolor was a process where three separate negatives (each a primary color) were combined to produce a color print. It took a while to perfect it for live action so it was first utilized for animation.

"The Three Little Pigs" was the most popular cartoon in history, on many theater marquees it was billed above the feature film. Disney had a two year exclusive on the use of the Technicolor process and had one animator work on giving each pig a distinct personality while another animator created the wolf. Frank Churchill wrote the "Big Bad Wolf" song, which unexpectedly became a monster hit-Disney's first published song. The wolf at the door was considered the symbol of the Depression and the song became a national rallying cry.

Disney would follow it up with three other attempts: "The Big Bad Wolf", "Three Little Wolves", and "The Practical Pig". None were nearly as successful as the original and Walt is said to have repeatedly stated: "You can't top pigs with pigs."

Then again, what do I know? I'm only a child.

A charming cartoon; but you'd never know it if you'd seen the three sequels without seeing the original - as I had. Luckily I know better now. The animation is primitive - about as primitive as in "Shrek", although of course more expressive - but unlike "Shrek", the character designs promise less, not more, than the animators are capable of delivering. The sequels were made in EXACTLY the same style as the original, but what was state of the art in 1933 was no longer state of the art even in 1934, and you can tell this just from watching one of the sequels, even if you're unaware of the year of its release or the fact that it's a sequel.

Obviously, the cartoon struck a chord in 1933 (the popular theory that the Wolf symbolised the Great Depression may well be right) which it doesn't strike today. Good though it is, it's far from being the best of the Silly Symphonies, most of which are truly timeless. It is, perhaps, the one that ushered in Disney's "high" period.

We've all seen this a hundred times. The lazy pigs build houses of straw and sticks and fool around, singing that song. Meanwhile, the practical third one is putting up a brick building. The wolf is lurking and has pork chops on his mind. After accosting the first two pigs, he must make it past the door of the third little pig. The animation is wonderful. This is Disney and it is pristine, far superior to other efforts at that time. There is a great deal of humor, particularly related to the arrogant bragging of the first two pigs. The wolf is a sight to behold. He is obviously born of poverty, but more of a symbol of the threat that faced those who had little in 1933. Disney was just getting his chops in the animation business and the rest is history.

Three Little Pigs is a cheerful, fun and lovable little classic that I have loved ever since I was a child. While the pacing is a tad too quick in places it is still hugely enjoyable for a number of reasons.

When I was little, I marvelled at how good the animation was for its time. From a 17 year old perspective it is still very very good, with colourful backgrounds and beautiful colours.

I also remembered singing along to the song Who's Afraid of the Big Bad Wolf? That song has to be one of the most memorable songs ever in a Silly Symphony, it is ever so catchy and easy to sing along to.

The dialogue is great. The Big Bad Wolf has some classic lines, but I think the best of them come from Fifer and Fiddler. There is one funny part when the Wolf dresses up in the sheepskin, the dialogue Fifer and Fiddler say cracks me up every time.

The Wolf, like the Three Little Pigs, is a truly memorable character. Sinister and rapacious, he did scare me when I was little, not so much now but the animation and voice work is wonderfully impressive even by today's standards. I do think the Wolf from Peter and the Wolf is scarier, me and sister haven't got over how scared we used to be of him.

The voice work is excellent. Billy Bletcher is perfect as the Big Bad Wolf and Walt Disney I recognised immediately from his voicing of Mickey in cartoons like Boat Builders and Mickey's Good Deed. Pinto Colvig, the original voice of Goofy, also does a stellar job.

Overall, hugely enjoyable childhood favourite. 9.5/10 Bethany Cox