Three Little Pigs

Walt Disney, Burt Gillett
Three Little Pigs, 1933
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=leAh00n3hno
8:22
Animated Short

Techniques

The Three Little Pigs, a 1933 Disney animated short and part of the Silly Symphony series, employed traditional hand-drawn animation techniques of the time. However, Disney's exclusive deal with Technicolor allowed for the use of vibrant colors, setting it apart from other animations of the era. The film's expressive use of tones and hues effectively differentiated the three identical pigs. Music and sound played a crucial role in the film, with the narrative primarily conveyed through singing performances, synchronized with the animation.

Representation

The short film revolves around the well-known fairy tale of the Three Little Pigs, depicting the struggles of the three pigs as they face the cunning Big Bad Wolf. Each pig symbolizes a different approach to life: Practical Pig, the most prudent of the trio, builds his house with bricks, while Fifer Pig and Fiddler Pig opt for less sturdy materials like straw and sticks. Practical Pig's emphasis on hard work and foresight ultimately leads to his success, as the other two pigs seek refuge in his sturdy brick house.

Produced during the Great Depression, the film's remarkable success can be attributed to the moral values it aimed to convey. It resonated with audiences who sought lessons of perseverance, hard work, and responsible decision-making amidst economic turmoil. Against the backdrop of rising global fascism, the metaphorical threat of the Big Bad Wolf knocking at the door reflected the fears of the time.

Reception

The short garnered critical success when it was released, nabbing the academy award for Best Animated Short. Its song; "Who's Afraid of the Big Bad Wolf?" went on to be a recognizable tune in popular culture to this day. The success of the short with audiences and with critics paved the way for Disney’s long history of classic storytelling and character focused animations.

It is important to acknowledge a significant controversy surrounding The Three Little Pigs: the presence of a racist caricature. In one scene, the Big Bad Wolf disguises himself as a Yiddish Jew to infiltrate the pigs' houses. However, following World War II, the depiction was modified to remove anti-Semitic stereotypes from the wolf's design, such as his exaggerated features and Yiddish accent.

Today, while The Three Little Pigs is recognized as a milestone in animation history, it is often discussed in the context of offensive portrayals in media, censorship, and the integration of problematic material from the past into our present worldview.

Sources

Danks, Adrian. "Three Little Pigs (1933)." Senses of Cinema, 2003, http://www.sensesofcinema.com/2003/cteq/3_little_pigs

Vilas-Boas, Eric, and Maher, John. "The 100 Sequences That Shaped Animation." Vulture, 2020,

https://www.vulture.com/article/most-influential-best-scenes-animation-history.html