The Trial of Mr. Wolf (1941)

User Rating:

7.0/10   

Director:

Friz Freleng

Writer:

Michael Maltese (story)

Release Date:

26 April 1941 (USA)

Genre:

Animation | Family | Short | Comedy

Plot:

The Big Bad Wolf is put on trial for harassing Little Red Riding Hood. He then decides to tell his false side of the story, portraying Little Red Riding Hood and Grandma to be scheming to make a coat out of him.

Plot Keywords:

Little Red Riding Hood | Trial | Big Bad Wolf | Jury | Grandmother

Cast

Sara Berner	...	Granny - Little Red Riding Hood (voice) (uncredited)
Mel Blanc	...	Mr. Wolf / Owl Judge / Dog Defense Attorney / Birdie (voice) (uncredited)

Runtime:

7 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

USA:Approved (PCA #6621)

Company:

Warner Bros. Pictures

Quotes:

Mr. Wolf: What's that?
Little Red Riding Hood: Oh, that's my grandmother. She has a terrific hangover... I mean, she's very, very ill.

Soundtrack:

Gavotte in D

Yes, there ARE two sides to every story.

OK, so a number of cartoons have used fairy tales as their basis, and Little Red Riding Hood is one of the prime examples. In the early '40s, Warner Bros. alone released several cartoons featuring renditions of the story. One example is Friz Freleng's "The Trial of Mr. Wolf", in which the story's lupine co-star tells his version of the events: Little Red and grandmother are a pair of homicidal maniacs bent on turning him into a fur coat. Of course, we the audience doubt Mr. Wolf's credibility the whole time.

I suspect that this cartoon was a place holder in between the really great cartoons of that year (1941 saw Bugs Bunny's ascendancy to cartoon superstar in shorts such as "Elmer's Pet Rabbit", "Tortoise Beats Hare" and "Wabbit Twouble"). So we can forgive it if it doesn't quite reach the hilarity level achieved by Warner's more famous cartoons. Worth seeing for what it is. Available on the Looney Tunes Golden Collection Volume 5 Disc 2.