While this cartoon, nominated for an Oscar, is a good adaptation of a classic short story with the same title and is very cute and worth seeing, the source material (Butler's story) is simply marvelous and should also be read. Disney did a good job in adaptation, given their track record for adaptations. Worth watching, this runs periodically on The Ink and Paint Club on the Disney Channel.
7 Reviews
Pigs or Pets???
didi-53 March 2007
The central plot of 'Pigs is Pigs' concerns whether a guinea pig should be considered to be a pig ... or a pet! The difference to their Scottish purchaser is 4 cents, and so when rule-obsessed jobsworth Flannery (a fine Irishmen if ever there was one!) decrees that 'pigs is pigs', the Scot refuses to cough up and a flurry of telegrams is set in motion.
In the meantime ... Flannery finds himself with something of a multiplication problem! A charming cartoon with excellent animation, especially of the 'pigs', this one will make you laugh out loud. I haven't read the story on which it is based, but I intend to.
In the meantime ... Flannery finds himself with something of a multiplication problem! A charming cartoon with excellent animation, especially of the 'pigs', this one will make you laugh out loud. I haven't read the story on which it is based, but I intend to.
When a person is only a few credits short . . .
pixrox13 November 2021
Warning: Spoilers
. . . of being a Professional Home Economist, it's their Duty to Society to chime in on misleading disinformation. PIGS IS PIGS constitutes a seductively cute take on the fall of the British Empire, which apparently began on May 6, 1905, with a dispute as to whether guinea pigs should be shipped at the 48 cents-per-head livestock rate, or the 44 cents-per-head pets rate. Before this rhubarb is settled, the original pair of guinea pigs proliferate to a head count of one million and six, which viewers are told is enough to fill 602 railroad box cars to their bursting point. The first objection which will occur to any home economics major worth her salt is "You cannot rear 250 tons of meat from scratch." In order to bring home that much bacon, according to the Internet, pig ranchers must invest THREE pounds of feed for every pound of bacon they grow. In other words, a 602 box car load of guinea pigs will always require a MINIMUM of 750 tons of feed. When and how does the Westcote Railroad Stationmaster obtain 1,806 box car loads of mini swine chow? PIGS IS PIGS is totally clueless about this.
Pigs is Pigs
CinemaSerf9 February 2024
"Flannery" is the fastidious railway station master who speaks in rhyme and encounters an irate Scotsman who has come to collect his two pet guinea pigs. He wants to charge him 48 cents for the pig rate, the owner wants to pay 44 cents for the pet rate. A poetical battle ensues in the office before the Scot storms out and a slew of paperwork now ensues. Who is correct? Well it doesn't really matter when they start breeding and soon there are loads of the critters, then more, before a zoology professor rules that the owner was right all along. Then an huge administration is mobilised to amend the rules. Meantime, poor old "Flannery" now has 600 boxes of the animals and owner has gone awol. Leave well alone next time he thinks! It's quite fun this, and the rhyme works quite creatively to swipe at bloody-mindedness, red tape and we've even a short burst of "On the Bonnie, Bonnie banks"...
Nearly perfect.
planktonrules14 August 2012
"Pigs is Pigs" is an Academy Award-nominated cartoon short from Disney. While some might be surprised by its origin, Disney did begin using minimalistic art in the 1950s, as rival UPA had originated this and had been rewarded with quite a few Oscars--including an Oscar for a Mr. Magoo film that very same year (Mr. Magoo beating Disney?!?!). Today, however, many will see this as a major step back from the GREAT art of the Disney shorts of the 30s and 40s. But, the splashy style of the 50s was A LOT cheaper to make--and could be made a lot more quickly! And so, many more such films were to come out of the studio.
"Pigs is Pigs" is a cute cartoon about a train station that is stuck with a pair of VERY frisky guinea pigs. Unfortunately, they soon began breeding like crazy and the station was inundated with the animals--much like the Enterprise was infested with Tribbles! And, while the executives at the railroad debate the issue, things only get worse! While I don't usually love singing cartoons, this one is easy to like. The singing is quite clever and it's pretty clear the Disney folks had a good time making this one. Funny and despite the art being a step backwards, it was a nearly perfect cartoon otherwise.
"Pigs is Pigs" is a cute cartoon about a train station that is stuck with a pair of VERY frisky guinea pigs. Unfortunately, they soon began breeding like crazy and the station was inundated with the animals--much like the Enterprise was infested with Tribbles! And, while the executives at the railroad debate the issue, things only get worse! While I don't usually love singing cartoons, this one is easy to like. The singing is quite clever and it's pretty clear the Disney folks had a good time making this one. Funny and despite the art being a step backwards, it was a nearly perfect cartoon otherwise.
Disney Animates A Little American Classic
Ron Oliver25 October 2000
When station-master Flannery takes possession of a couple of guinea pigs, he decrees that PIGS IS PIGS and they will be charged the collection rate for livestock, 48¢, instead of the pet rate of 44¢. But McMorehouse the customer, a parsimonious old Scot, refuses to pay the extra four cents and abandons the animals to Flannery's care. And then the guinea piglets start to arrive...
The Disney version of Ellias Parker Butler's humorous little story makes for an enjoyable cartoon. It is presented in the limited-animation style so popular in the 1950's.
The Disney version of Ellias Parker Butler's humorous little story makes for an enjoyable cartoon. It is presented in the limited-animation style so popular in the 1950's.
Disney meets Ellias Parker Butler
TheLittleSongbird17 April 2016
As has been noted, it does stick closely to the short story (which, as much a fan as I am, is unusual for them), but it is a great short on its own terms.
True, the animation is more limited than previous Disney shorts but, while noticeably simpler- especially in some of the character designs- and not as visually inventive as Disney shorts before, it is hardly unattractive. It is still vibrant and has a charming look to it, with some nicely designed backgrounds and smooth enough movement. The music score is as sumptuously orchestrated, energetic and characterful as ever, not just fitting like a glove but also adding to what's going on.
'Pigs is Pigs' is among Disney's funniest in my opinion, certainly one of the most consistently funny of the 50s decade. The jokes revolving around the reproducing, the handling of the corporations and the executives are incredibly clever and beautifully timed, all of them incredibly funny. But the highlight is the ending, which is a riot.
Flannery is such great fun as a main character and has a very colourful personality, while the voice work is reliably strong.
Overall, excellent short. Despite the animation being in comparison more limited than was seen previously, 'Pigs is Pigs' is among the funniest cartoons Disney made. 9/10 Bethany Cox
True, the animation is more limited than previous Disney shorts but, while noticeably simpler- especially in some of the character designs- and not as visually inventive as Disney shorts before, it is hardly unattractive. It is still vibrant and has a charming look to it, with some nicely designed backgrounds and smooth enough movement. The music score is as sumptuously orchestrated, energetic and characterful as ever, not just fitting like a glove but also adding to what's going on.
'Pigs is Pigs' is among Disney's funniest in my opinion, certainly one of the most consistently funny of the 50s decade. The jokes revolving around the reproducing, the handling of the corporations and the executives are incredibly clever and beautifully timed, all of them incredibly funny. But the highlight is the ending, which is a riot.
Flannery is such great fun as a main character and has a very colourful personality, while the voice work is reliably strong.
Overall, excellent short. Despite the animation being in comparison more limited than was seen previously, 'Pigs is Pigs' is among the funniest cartoons Disney made. 9/10 Bethany Cox
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