Pigs Is Pigs

Technicolor rears its beautiful head right on the opening shot, one of the prettiest scenes of a straw-thatched house in the country you've ever seen.

This is a story of a little pig who was a big pig when it came to eating. He couldn't stop and even ate all his brothers spaghetti at one meal. His mother chastises him, saying he will regret his actions.

One day some ghoulish-looking guy invites him inside, straps him into a machine and force- feeds him a ton of food. It reminded me of what happened to a guy addicted to violence in the famous late '60s film, "A Clockwork Orange." There, a guy was treated similarly for addiction violence; here, it's food.

What happens to Piggie at the mad scientist's place and at the end of the cartoon is unexpected.

'Pigs Is Pigs (1937)' is a 'Merrie Melodies' short that's surprisingly grotesque in its own way, focusing on a greedy little piggy who experiences a harrowing nightmare in which he's force-fed food by a variety of complex machines until he's ready to burst. Essentially, the piece depicts piglet torture and it's really bizarre to see. What's worse is that it isn't even all that entertaining. Although there are some inventive, if cruel, visual gags, the majority of the film is just a bit boring. It's moralistic, too, but it doesn't stick the landing in terms of driving its message home. It's just a bit weird, really, and it isn't all that pleasant to watch. It's interesting to see that this is basically where 'The Simpsons (1989-)' got that gag about Homer being force-fed all the donuts in Hell and still being hungry for more, though.

Love animation, it was a big part of my life as a child, particularly Disney, Looney Tunes and Tom and Jerry, and still love it whether it's film, television or cartoons.

'Pigs is Pigs' is not one of Friz Freleng's best cartoons by any stretch, in an uneven "still evolving" period of his long career, and he was yet to be in his full prime and not yet found his style properly. For a relatively early effort, 'Pigs is Pigs' has some interest but it's a bit bland too. It is never what one would call hilarious, Freleng's later efforts show more evenness and confidence in directing and the story is flimsy and occasionally loses momentum, taking too long to get going.

It is also rather disjointed. Things become significantly more interesting in the truly nightmarish and sometimes second second half than the overly-cutesy and sugary sweet first act. Sadly, the two halves do feel like two different cartoons that don't gel properly with each other.

However, the characters are fun, especially the antagonist the scientist while the pig is a decent protagonist. The conflict between them carries 'Pigs is Pigs' and does so very well.

The cartoon is amusing at times when it becomes more interesting and entertaining in the nightmarish second half.

Animation is excellent, it's fluid in movement, crisp in shading, vibrant in colour and very meticulous in detail. Ever the master, Carl Stalling's music is typically superb. It is as always lushly orchestrated, full of lively energy and characterful in rhythm, not only adding to the action but also enhancing it.

Voice acting from particularly Billy Bletcher is terrific.

All in all, interesting but not great. Freleng did much better since. 6/10 Bethany Cox

Despite what the title may imply, "Pigs Is Pigs" does not star Porky Pig. Rather, it features a young swine with an appetite more insatiable than John Belushi's character in "Animal House". His mother repeatedly scolds him, but it does no good. So much so that he goes to another house where a deranged scientist force-feeds him more than any mere mortal can handle (but there's a surprise at the end).

I would mostly say that this cartoon seemed like a place holder in between the really great cartoons (Daffy Duck debuted three months after this came out). But make no mistake about it, they do some neat things here. The whole force-feeding sequence looks more relevant today, given the obesity epidemic overtaking our country.

Anyway, not the greatest cartoon, but worth seeing.

This cartoon features a very greedy pig who looks and acts nothing like Porky. He steals his mother's pies, steals from his siblings and is an all-around jerk. As a result of his greediness, he's punished by a mad scientist who offers him more...though the pig is no longer interested in eating!

This cartoon annoyed me because it was so moralistic...sort of like indoctrinating the audience with a less than subtle message.