I feel Tex has not been given the full credit he deserves for his innovative cartoon work. While 'Bugs' and 'Mickey' continue running, Tex's creations rarely appear on commercial television. I wonder if Tex's work may be viewed as either risque of politically incorrect!
24 Reviews
Red the hottest of the lot!
andyjg16 June 2002
Got to be the funniest and fastest Avery cartoon there is, the best "modern" slant on the red riding hood story, with the wolf lusting after Red Hot at every opportunity. Note the reference to the wartime car tyre shortage with the line...."I can even get you a set of white wall tyres!" I,ve seen the 'toon loads of times and it always never fails to make me laugh long and loud. Working as a projectionist in the cinema I have also shown the toon, and on examining the print it is really noticeable that many frames have been cut out when "Red" makes an appearance. Enjoy the toon!
Fine short
rbverhoef17 April 2004
This is another fine animated short from Tex Avery. This time he uses the fairy tale of 'Little Red Riding Hood'. After the characters have complained they always have to play the same story over and over again the story is changed completely. The wolf is a rich character who falls in love with Red. She doesn't want him because she has to go to her grandma. The wolf makes sure he gets there before Red does. Instead of a sick old woman he finds a mature lady who is attracted to the wolf. Of course hilarious moments is what we get.
This short has a nice story and the usual Tex Avery humor, including written messages. The short is not really suitable for children, it has some sexual references, but adults will like this very much. A very nice animated short.
This short has a nice story and the usual Tex Avery humor, including written messages. The short is not really suitable for children, it has some sexual references, but adults will like this very much. A very nice animated short.
Red hot is right!!
Lirazel7 August 1999
Tex, sex, and Avery Rex!! The king of cartoons sends the 1943 censors a message..when the armed forces actually bypassed the Hays office to get an uncensored version of this one off to our troops overseas, they preserved one of the greatest works of art ever committed to celluloid..and allowed resonances to echo into such disparate results as Jessica Rabbit, Cool World, and Ren and Stimpy. For the record, the plot is simple..the old fairy tale is worn out, and needs some new blood..the wolf is now really a wolf, and Red has more than goodies in her basket..now, go and watch this one three hundred times, and you'll see almost all the little jokes lovingly crafted into it..
Genius - they certainly don't make'em like this any more
max-crack4 March 2005
Nope - they sure don't make'em like this any more. But modern-day animators working on pixillated mega-productions owe Tex Avery and his "Termite Terrace" co-workers a large debt. Rather than retell The Avery story (there are several books around that will do that), just look out for his classic MGM cartoons of the '40s and '50s, and marvel at the genius on show. "Red Hot Riding Hood" is one of his best and was the first in the "Red" series. It's an out-and-out classic, with a plot loosely based on the children's fairy tale playing second fiddle to beautifully drawn and animated scenes and some fantastic big-band music. The visual pacing in this toon is so fast that if you blink you'll miss another screwball gag. Look for it on TV (yes it does still get shown, in the UK at least) or even better, go see it at the movies. Great stuff and I never tire of it.
The master at the top of his form!
llltdesq21 November 2002
Actually, my comment for this should truly be a simple verbal genuflection, but that wouldn't be of acceptable minimum length here, so I'll actually say something.
This is Tex Avery's masterpiece in terms of the relation of his work to animation in general and the short form in specific. There are better cartoons (some even by Avery himself) and there are cartoons that I personally like better, but in terms of what Avery was attempting to do with the form, in terms of what animation was at the time and had been in the past and what its potential was for the future and the impact that Avery had and would have on his artform, this is the first truly successful Avery cartoon on all terms, both Avery's and animation. Avery blew out the valves, cranked up the engine and blew the doors off on this one for the first (but not last) time here. He turned everything up a few notches here, gang, and it works! It worked then, it works now and will work tomorrow, precisely because Avery had that most overworked and little understood word-genius. Remarkable cartoon and if you like animation and haven't seen this one, what are you reading me for? Go watch this. This is a great piece of work. Need I add, most highly recommended?
This is Tex Avery's masterpiece in terms of the relation of his work to animation in general and the short form in specific. There are better cartoons (some even by Avery himself) and there are cartoons that I personally like better, but in terms of what Avery was attempting to do with the form, in terms of what animation was at the time and had been in the past and what its potential was for the future and the impact that Avery had and would have on his artform, this is the first truly successful Avery cartoon on all terms, both Avery's and animation. Avery blew out the valves, cranked up the engine and blew the doors off on this one for the first (but not last) time here. He turned everything up a few notches here, gang, and it works! It worked then, it works now and will work tomorrow, precisely because Avery had that most overworked and little understood word-genius. Remarkable cartoon and if you like animation and haven't seen this one, what are you reading me for? Go watch this. This is a great piece of work. Need I add, most highly recommended?
Some clown from Texas bucks 400 years of Saintly Tradition . . .
pixrox110 October 2020
Warning: Spoilers
. . . to create a smutty, over-sexed dirty version of a Mother Goose Heroine. RED HOT RIDING HOOD portends those X-rated cat cartoons, as it appeals to prurient interests by making the title character a coming attraction at the local strip club. Unbridled male tuba-nest is pictured here at its nastiest frothing, attacking anyone of the female gender with nondiscriminatory fervor. A wolf by any other name might still smell the same, but perhaps the only blessing connected with this brief animated corruption is that it is not available in Fragrant-O-Rama.
Avery and Sex: The first time is the best
tbrittreid21 August 2000
Tex Avery's first excursion into animated sexual frenzy is his best, ranking as one of his three greatest cartoons (the other two, in case you're wondering, are "Who Killed Who?," also 1943, and "King-Size Canary," 1947). Although Avery would explore this theme in five more cartoons (or six or seven, depending on whether you want to count "Big Heel-Watha," 1944, and/or "Little 'Tinker," 1948; your call), none of them quite reach the heights of the original. (At least not in overall effect: Tex's single most outrageous gag of this sort is in the long legally undistributed "Uncle Tom's Cabana," 1947, and involves a cash register hidden under the aroused male's coat. Nuff said!) Some have suggested that having the Wolf's pursuit by Grandma follow the raging libido scene was a mistake in pacing, but it all works for me. It's too bad Avery didn't complete the opening misdirection by having the FIRST title card read "Little Red Riding Hood," but it goes by so quickly, and is drawn so conservatively that it doesn't really hurt. Besides, is there a context in which this film could be realistically expected to be shown where the audience would be truly surprised when it doesn't turn out to be a straight version of the fairy-tale?
Loud, fast and creative
Horst_In_Translation10 September 2015
Warning: Spoilers
"Red Hot Riding Hood" is a 1943 cartoon written and directed by Tex Avera. He made this one in his 30s and it is probably his most famous work. These 7 minutes are a spoof on the traditional tale of the famous fairytale character referenced in the title. This takes place in the modern world though after the original characters say at the beginning that they are sick of it. Red Riding Hood is a lascivious night club dancer and the Wolf is a guest at that club and when he sees her, he literally wants to do anything with her except eating her. Let me try not to include that joke with the word "out" in here. Unfortunately, when he arrives at her Grandma's place, the old lady is at least as horny as he is and he gives it his all to keep her from doing with him what he planned to do with Red Riding Hood. A funny little cartoon. Not really outstanding, but a good watch and it's just so much fun to watch Wolf at the night club crushing hard on Red Riding Hood. Recommended.
Was Benny Hill Watching?
W.B.19 August 2005
I second the comments about this influential cartoon and its effect on the course of animation. But there's one question unanswered, and that's: Did this formula begun with this cartoon and continuing (with Avery, at least) to the end of the 1940's play a role, however indirectly, in the future development of Benny Hill's show after, say, 1980? If one sees the early Hill's Angels numbers, especially the juxtaposition of dancers gyrating and men's various reactions, one can see many similarities; alas, there was none of the relative subtlety and wit for which Avery was most famous. And interesting that both Avery and Hill have been targeted in later years for supposedly being "politically incorrect." Think about it . . .
"Why, I'll kill myself before I even look at another babe"
ackstasis12 April 2009
If you thought that 'Little Red Riding Rabbit (1944)' was an offbeat adaptation of the fairy-tale, then you haven't seen nothing yet. Tex Avery's 'Red Hot Riding Hood (1943)' opens in the usual fashion, but, after that, any resemblance to any known fairy-tale character, living or dead, is entirely coincidental. The Wolf baulks at having to play the one-dimensional bad guy for the hundredth time, and threatens to quit if the animators can't come up with anything original; Red Riding Hood and her grandma agree with him. So Avery throws together 'Red Hot Riding Hood,' an adult cartoon set in the big city – the Wolf is a sex-crazed womaniser, Red a knockout nightclub dancer, and Grandma a libidinous old lady with her own high-rise penthouse. Yes, I warned you this one was different! Somebody must have forgotten to inform Avery that he was producing cartoons for children, since there's actually little to laugh at for anybody who isn't yet acquainted with the birds and the bees.
However, for those of us who have surpassed that particular checkpoint, 'Red Hot Riding Hood' is very funny. The sheer audacity of a children's cartoon about sex – particularly given the typically innocent and wholesome image of Little Red Riding Hood – is something to be applauded. When Red first appears on stage, tossing aside her outfit to reveal a decidedly immodest red costume, I was genuinely taken aback, and then felt somewhat ashamed of myself. No doubt the animators in 'Who Framed Roger Rabbit (1988)' used Red as a template for the similarly alluring Jessica Rabbit. Also worth noting is that 'The Mask (1994)' directly referenced 'Red Hot Riding Hood' in the scene where Jim Carrey wolf-whistles (in the full sense of the word) Cameron Diaz during her nightclub performance – I'd never realised this. The interaction between Wolf and Grandma is more conventional than the rest of the film, but still enjoyable. For fans of Tex Avery and MGM cartoons, this one is essential viewing.
However, for those of us who have surpassed that particular checkpoint, 'Red Hot Riding Hood' is very funny. The sheer audacity of a children's cartoon about sex – particularly given the typically innocent and wholesome image of Little Red Riding Hood – is something to be applauded. When Red first appears on stage, tossing aside her outfit to reveal a decidedly immodest red costume, I was genuinely taken aback, and then felt somewhat ashamed of myself. No doubt the animators in 'Who Framed Roger Rabbit (1988)' used Red as a template for the similarly alluring Jessica Rabbit. Also worth noting is that 'The Mask (1994)' directly referenced 'Red Hot Riding Hood' in the scene where Jim Carrey wolf-whistles (in the full sense of the word) Cameron Diaz during her nightclub performance – I'd never realised this. The interaction between Wolf and Grandma is more conventional than the rest of the film, but still enjoyable. For fans of Tex Avery and MGM cartoons, this one is essential viewing.
Tex Avery's racy legendary masterpiece
ja_kitty_7124 April 2009
The inclusion of Red Hot Riding Hood in Tex Avery's animated short film, along with her earlier appearance in Little Rural Riding Hood, has truly impressed me with this bold and alluring cartoon character. One of Avery's finest creations and a significant breakthrough in animation, it is celebrated as his legendary masterpiece in the world of animation.
The story begins with a standard Little Red Riding Hood story, but the characters rebel against the standard staging and demand a fresh approach. Now set in a contemporary urban setting, Red is a sexy adult nightclub entertainer, while Wolf is a debonair skirt chaser in love with Red. Red escapes Wolf, but his oversexed grandmother locks him in her apartment, chasing after him at every door.
Unlike my beloved cartoon character, Betty Boop, who embodied a charmingly innocent demeanor, Red personified pure sensuality, primarily serving the purpose of arousing the wolf (symbolizing males in general) into an intense state of desire. Red briefly introduced herself as a seductive distraction for the Wolf character, who had already appeared in the WWI cartoon "Blitz Wolf" and was obsessed with getting some action. She drove the sex-crazed wolf to do all the things that were to become trademarks of Avery's cartoons: the eye-popping, the jaw-dropping, and the gravity-deifying pratfalls. She gained such widespread popularity that she appeared in three more animated series. Her cartoons were originally entertaining to American soldiers during wartime but remained off television for a long time due to their explicit nature.
The story begins with a standard Little Red Riding Hood story, but the characters rebel against the standard staging and demand a fresh approach. Now set in a contemporary urban setting, Red is a sexy adult nightclub entertainer, while Wolf is a debonair skirt chaser in love with Red. Red escapes Wolf, but his oversexed grandmother locks him in her apartment, chasing after him at every door.
Unlike my beloved cartoon character, Betty Boop, who embodied a charmingly innocent demeanor, Red personified pure sensuality, primarily serving the purpose of arousing the wolf (symbolizing males in general) into an intense state of desire. Red briefly introduced herself as a seductive distraction for the Wolf character, who had already appeared in the WWI cartoon "Blitz Wolf" and was obsessed with getting some action. She drove the sex-crazed wolf to do all the things that were to become trademarks of Avery's cartoons: the eye-popping, the jaw-dropping, and the gravity-deifying pratfalls. She gained such widespread popularity that she appeared in three more animated series. Her cartoons were originally entertaining to American soldiers during wartime but remained off television for a long time due to their explicit nature.
'Red Hot Riding Hood' is howling good time! It's worth the watch!
ironhorse_iv5 May 2018
Warning: Spoilers
Released with the 1943's Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer movie 'Dr. Gillespie's Criminal Case', Frederick Bean Avery, better known as Tex Avery 1943's animation short 'Red Hot Riding Hood' is one of the most wacky cartoon ever. Without spoiling too much of it; the animation short is seduction, lovely, adventurous, yet also dangerous, furious, and violence. It's a cartoon of the extreme. A rare taboo beast, in the back in the days of the Hays Office Code. Although, there have been many semi-sexy adult- oriented animation adaptations of the classic fairy tale, 'Little Red Riding Hood', before this short, like Van Beuren Studios 1931's short, 'Red Riding Hood', Fleischer Studios 1931's 'Dizzy Red Riding Hood' & Warner Bros, 1937's 'Little Red Walking Hood', which Avery also produced before leaving for MGM. None of them, stands the test of time, like this classic 7 minute film about a socialite playboy, literal and figurative wolf (Voiced by Frank Graham) trying to woo the heart of a beautiful nightclub singer (Voiced by Sara Berner). The reason, why, is, the unique way, the fame animator, portray sex & lust. Avery's complex parodic style of humor is really fast-pace, mostly relied on sight gags, wild takes, continuous fourth-wall breaking & hysterical fast animation. Its high energy & outrageous over the top howling mad. A style of comedy that works for adolescence and adults. A huge attention grabber! No wonder, why it stood out even if some of the humor do fall flat, like the dated cigarette girl, joke. I just glad, it's not really the slow burn, happy go lucky ground, toddler cartoons that was more common at the time. That would had been highly boring. Thank goodness, Avery's humor and perfect comical timing set the new tone of well-rounded comedy that is still used today by animators & filmmakers, alike. There is no better, example of that, than the hybrid films of 1994's 'The Mask' & 1988's 'Who Framed Roger Rabbit' whom directors, were highly influence by Avery's works. However, there are some flaws in this animation short. One is the musical dance number. While, I did find, 'Miss Hood', attractive as hell, her singing voice provide by sultry singer Connie Russell, did not match with her normal voice, done by Sara Berner. It was very pitchy and off-key. Very jarring. Not only that but the 1941's song 'Oh Daddy' by Bobby Troup that they play in the background, were not the best choice for the film, as it barely relate to the piece. If anything, 1925's 'How Could Red Riding Hood (Have Been So Very Good)?', written by A.P. Randolph, suite the movie, better, even if that song is kinda banned from the public (except in instrumental versions), due to possible sexual connotations at the time. As for the sexual visuals; while, it's true that Miss Hood is portray as a sex object in the film. It's still nice to see, the woman here, is not portray as victim or weak. If anything, the way, she says 'no' and smash the wolf with a lamp, was very powering for the women at the time. As for the wolf, unwanted lust. It's not really that bad. It's pretty tame, compare to today's standards of cartoony versions of horny jerkoffs. Still, it did rub the wrong way with the Hays Code, at the time, to the point that MGM release a censor version, where the wolf doesn't react in highly cartoony wild way to Red's dancing. Thank goodness, an army officer at Washington, D.C, spoke out, against it, as he found that type of censorship, unnecessary, and asked Louis B. Mayer for uncut ones to show to military audiences overseas in World War II. However, the film's original conclusion with the shotgun wedding was sadly, not as lucky. It was never shown to the public. The same, with the other, alternate endings; in fear of the film promoting bestiality between a woman and a wolf. Instead, the movie went with the suicide angle; which today is pretty hard to watch. Honestly, if I had a choice on how the movie should end. I would had choose, seeing the grandma chasing the wolf, around & the black circle coming in, than the others. At least, that ending would been, somewhat tasteful. Despite that, the film is one of Avery's most famous cartoons, to the point that, two other sequels shorts were made: 1945's 'Swing Shift Cinderella' & 1949's 'Little Rural Riding Hood'. However, sadly, this cartoon, along with all other subsequent cartoons featuring these trios, was initially banned from television, judged as being too provocative. Only, recently, it just been release, online. Still, they are often, hard to find, even in the age of YouTube. As for DVDs copies. They are also very rare. Hopefully, one day, the short would be, a little more available to the public. Overall: While, this short is not really suitable for small children. It's still a nice animated film from Tex Avery. 'Red Hot Riding Hood' is a shining example of some of the best, the golden age of animation can bring to the table. It really did strike, when the iron was red hot. What a hoot!
Hollywood and Vine
TheOtherFool22 August 2004
The all-famous tale needs some new blood (as demanded by it's three main characters), so now the wolf is some hot shot rich... ehm... wolf, grandma is a crazed sexy old lady with her own penthouse and red a nightclub dancer (watch out for Jessica Rabbit in Roger Rabbit, she must be based on red). The wolf falls for her and follows her to grandma's home... only to find the old dirty woman chasing him...
Ill mannered and mean spirited, although it probably has more laughs than an 'ordinary' cartoon from that time. Still, I can't imagine kids watching this stuff...
5/10.
Ill mannered and mean spirited, although it probably has more laughs than an 'ordinary' cartoon from that time. Still, I can't imagine kids watching this stuff...
5/10.
Tex Avery has made me a veeeeeeeery very happy girl!
robynh-431 January 2008
Ever since I found out about "Red Hot Riding Hood", I had been wanting to see it, but I never did.
That is, until I found it on YouTube.....
Tex Avery made me very, very happy that day, hence my comment title.
It starts off like a normal sugar coated fairy tail (the narrator even uses a sappy voice!) until the Wolf, Red and Grandma all start complaining that every studio in Hollywood has done this over and over again. And that's when "Little Red Riding Hood" turns into "RED HOT RIDING HOOD"!!! This is the low down on what happens: The Wolf is a wealthy playboy, Grandma is also filthy rich (and horny as hell) and Red is a flaming hot and sexy nightclub singer/dancer. The wolf goes to the nightclub, sees Red performing and goes ballistic over her. He then chases her to "Grandma's house" (which is really a giant apartment), Grandma sees the Wolf and starts chasing him! It ends with the Wolf at the nightclub muttering that he'll shoot himself if he sees another babe ever again. Red appears on the stage again and, true to the Wolf's words, he shoots himself and his ghost goes nuts over Red.
This is most definitely one of the greatest cartoons of all time. Anyone who hasn't seen it, must see it.
That is, until I found it on YouTube.....
Tex Avery made me very, very happy that day, hence my comment title.
It starts off like a normal sugar coated fairy tail (the narrator even uses a sappy voice!) until the Wolf, Red and Grandma all start complaining that every studio in Hollywood has done this over and over again. And that's when "Little Red Riding Hood" turns into "RED HOT RIDING HOOD"!!! This is the low down on what happens: The Wolf is a wealthy playboy, Grandma is also filthy rich (and horny as hell) and Red is a flaming hot and sexy nightclub singer/dancer. The wolf goes to the nightclub, sees Red performing and goes ballistic over her. He then chases her to "Grandma's house" (which is really a giant apartment), Grandma sees the Wolf and starts chasing him! It ends with the Wolf at the nightclub muttering that he'll shoot himself if he sees another babe ever again. Red appears on the stage again and, true to the Wolf's words, he shoots himself and his ghost goes nuts over Red.
This is most definitely one of the greatest cartoons of all time. Anyone who hasn't seen it, must see it.
Could a cartoon be any sexier? I doubt so...
ElMaruecan8228 September 2017
Warning: Spoilers
Well, it was all leading to this. Tex Avery had already established himself as a master of groundbreaking and adult-oriented humor and the king of comical timing after only three movies at the MGM. But something in his inspiration was still boiling down, pushing him higher and higher toward the peak of his creativity. Avery peaked too soon because his fourth movie was his masterpiece. He made other masterpieces after that, but if there was one to keep, it is "Red Hot Riding Hood", certainly the most defining of all his films.
I mean, is there a better illustration of Avery's legacy than the wolf continuous whistles and howling during Red's sexy song. But let's get back to the first three waves that somewhat predated the shock of hilarity "Red Hot Riding Hood" provided (spoilers ahead in the next paragraph)
Let's see, the first one, "Blitz Wolf" was a propaganda short based on "The Three Little Pigs" with a wolf embodying Hitler but not one of these ugly-looking caricatures from Warner Bros cartoons, he was evil but sympathetic enough to carry the film. The second short, "The Early Bird Dood It" ended with a bird finally eating the worm, supposedly the short's hero, only to be eaten by a cat: one of the cleverest Karma revenges in any cartoon. The third short, "Dumb-hounded" introduced Droopy as a police hound and the wolf as a prisoner who, wherever he escaped, found Droopy waiting for him quite a nightmare.
Avery's creativity was going all over the place but "Little Red Hot Riding Hood" combine the comedic core of all these elements, as many ingredients to a great sandwich we devour with appetite. But there's an extra sauce that gives it all its delicious favor: sex.
Avery dealt with violence, madness and death but there was still one forbidden theme pending over his inspiration, the real test. And what he accomplishes is even more impressive because he doesn't just make a cartoon with adult characters, he takes as a starting point a fairy tale, the epitome of childhood-oriented stories. I said Avery mastered the ending of his shorts, this is perhaps one of the few times where the beginning is the most memorable part, it even plays like a real epiphany for the world of animation, Avery's anti-Disney testimony, expressing his deepest belief that there's no reason fairy tales should be meant to please children, there was something strongly adult in them, and when we know what the metaphor of the 'big bad wolf" was intended to, we can hardly disagree.
The short opens with one of these Disney trademarks, a book opening, and the narrator starts with "Good evening kiddies", then using a very corny falsetto voice, as if dumbing down the tone was the best way to reach children, he shows good old riding hood going to her grandma's house, the brave old lady waiting and her bad and the sneaky wolf coming, but as the narrator speaks, the eyes of the animal break the fourth wall and he's finally fed up with always being the "big bad wolf", the girl joins him and then the three characters all in unison express their tiredness, they had enough with the same story being played over and over again. Watch "The Three Little Pigs" and its derivatives from Disney and you'll second, even third their opinion. Then the Averyan magic operates and the narrator announces a few changes will be made.
The rest is known by everybody, the wolf becomes the archetypal woman-chaser, red hot a cabaret dancer and the grandma is perhaps one of the most politically incorrect animated characters of all time. Of course, you can't really analyze the film without passing over the most iconic moment, featured in many movies such as "The Mask" or that striptease with Sophia Loren where Marcello Mastroianni starts howling, the wolf whistles, the frenetic way he hits his head, are perhaps the closest depiction to sexuality ever displayed in a cartoon. When Disney was always a matter of "love", this is pure libido. And the perfect metaphor for it, this moment is so important in the history of animation that viewers didn't even notice that even the content of the "Daddy" song was rather racy.
On a side note, the film had the fortune to be made in World War II when troops needed mature content to be kept in good spirit so the short passed the censor (except for a marriage that could have been seen as bestiality).
Still, the reversal of role we got with the grandma is another demonstration of Avery's genius. As shown in his previous cartoons, identities are interchangeable, the hunter can become the hunted, the lymphatic and silent one can become crazy, but this is not the chain food like in the "Early Bird", this is libido, and when the lusty wolf has a taste of his own medicine with the nymphomaniac grandma, this is a great twist on the chase theme. And Avery displays countless gags with the adult subtext, the film isn't just played for subversion but for laughs, and its subversive aspects make it all the more enjoyable. Finally, the conclusion is another classic of macabre quality, the wolf shoots himself because he can't stand women but his ghost takes his place. And we're on the road again.
Once again, Avery sacrifices his characters for laughs, but like the ghosts, the wolf will be back over and over again, with him and Red, and Droopy for the previous, Avery had already established himself as the King of comedy, "Red Hot Riding Hood" is the quintessential Avery cartoon, named one of the Top 50 greatest cartoons of all time. The formula will be declined in seven other shorts but the return of American puritanism would put a deathblow on it, proof once again that Avery was ahead of his time.
I mean, is there a better illustration of Avery's legacy than the wolf continuous whistles and howling during Red's sexy song. But let's get back to the first three waves that somewhat predated the shock of hilarity "Red Hot Riding Hood" provided (spoilers ahead in the next paragraph)
Let's see, the first one, "Blitz Wolf" was a propaganda short based on "The Three Little Pigs" with a wolf embodying Hitler but not one of these ugly-looking caricatures from Warner Bros cartoons, he was evil but sympathetic enough to carry the film. The second short, "The Early Bird Dood It" ended with a bird finally eating the worm, supposedly the short's hero, only to be eaten by a cat: one of the cleverest Karma revenges in any cartoon. The third short, "Dumb-hounded" introduced Droopy as a police hound and the wolf as a prisoner who, wherever he escaped, found Droopy waiting for him quite a nightmare.
Avery's creativity was going all over the place but "Little Red Hot Riding Hood" combine the comedic core of all these elements, as many ingredients to a great sandwich we devour with appetite. But there's an extra sauce that gives it all its delicious favor: sex.
Avery dealt with violence, madness and death but there was still one forbidden theme pending over his inspiration, the real test. And what he accomplishes is even more impressive because he doesn't just make a cartoon with adult characters, he takes as a starting point a fairy tale, the epitome of childhood-oriented stories. I said Avery mastered the ending of his shorts, this is perhaps one of the few times where the beginning is the most memorable part, it even plays like a real epiphany for the world of animation, Avery's anti-Disney testimony, expressing his deepest belief that there's no reason fairy tales should be meant to please children, there was something strongly adult in them, and when we know what the metaphor of the 'big bad wolf" was intended to, we can hardly disagree.
The short opens with one of these Disney trademarks, a book opening, and the narrator starts with "Good evening kiddies", then using a very corny falsetto voice, as if dumbing down the tone was the best way to reach children, he shows good old riding hood going to her grandma's house, the brave old lady waiting and her bad and the sneaky wolf coming, but as the narrator speaks, the eyes of the animal break the fourth wall and he's finally fed up with always being the "big bad wolf", the girl joins him and then the three characters all in unison express their tiredness, they had enough with the same story being played over and over again. Watch "The Three Little Pigs" and its derivatives from Disney and you'll second, even third their opinion. Then the Averyan magic operates and the narrator announces a few changes will be made.
The rest is known by everybody, the wolf becomes the archetypal woman-chaser, red hot a cabaret dancer and the grandma is perhaps one of the most politically incorrect animated characters of all time. Of course, you can't really analyze the film without passing over the most iconic moment, featured in many movies such as "The Mask" or that striptease with Sophia Loren where Marcello Mastroianni starts howling, the wolf whistles, the frenetic way he hits his head, are perhaps the closest depiction to sexuality ever displayed in a cartoon. When Disney was always a matter of "love", this is pure libido. And the perfect metaphor for it, this moment is so important in the history of animation that viewers didn't even notice that even the content of the "Daddy" song was rather racy.
On a side note, the film had the fortune to be made in World War II when troops needed mature content to be kept in good spirit so the short passed the censor (except for a marriage that could have been seen as bestiality).
Still, the reversal of role we got with the grandma is another demonstration of Avery's genius. As shown in his previous cartoons, identities are interchangeable, the hunter can become the hunted, the lymphatic and silent one can become crazy, but this is not the chain food like in the "Early Bird", this is libido, and when the lusty wolf has a taste of his own medicine with the nymphomaniac grandma, this is a great twist on the chase theme. And Avery displays countless gags with the adult subtext, the film isn't just played for subversion but for laughs, and its subversive aspects make it all the more enjoyable. Finally, the conclusion is another classic of macabre quality, the wolf shoots himself because he can't stand women but his ghost takes his place. And we're on the road again.
Once again, Avery sacrifices his characters for laughs, but like the ghosts, the wolf will be back over and over again, with him and Red, and Droopy for the previous, Avery had already established himself as the King of comedy, "Red Hot Riding Hood" is the quintessential Avery cartoon, named one of the Top 50 greatest cartoons of all time. The formula will be declined in seven other shorts but the return of American puritanism would put a deathblow on it, proof once again that Avery was ahead of his time.
So hot one can feel, see and smell the smoke exuding from it
TheLittleSongbird23 October 2017
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.
Also have much admiration for Tex Avery, an animation genius whose best cartoons are animated masterpieces and some of the best he ever did. 'Red Hot Riding Hood' is one of his most famous cartoons, a distinction that is so richly deserved because it is not one of Avery's very finest (in a filmography where a vast majority of his output was good to masterpiece standard) but to me and many others one of the best cartoons ever made. It was very ahead of its time, with the hottest and sexiest Red Riding Hood ever and characters in animation and its very racy humour, and to this day it's still the complete opposite of tame.
The story 'Little Red Riding Hood' is one of the most famous stories ever and has been parodied in countless cartoons, of which no other cartoon based on the story is this imaginative, daring or unique as 'Red Hot Riding Hood'. All the characters are great, especially the smoking hot Red and the hilarious wolf. 'Little Red Riding Hood' has never had a Grandma this feisty either.
Can't say anything bad about Avery's direction. He does a wonderful job directing, with his unique, unlike-any-other visual and characteristic and incredibly distinctive wacky humour style all over it as can be expected.
Once again there is nothing sadistic or repetitious, instead it's imaginative, wonderfully wild, deliciously deranged, violent but imaginatively so, shockingly racy, red hot sexy and hilarious throughout from start to finish. The sight gags throughout are an absolute joy and are immaculate in timing.
It is no surprise either that the animation is superb, being rich in colour and detail. The character designs are unique, Avery always did have creative character designs, and suitably fluid. The music, courtesy of Scott Bradley, is lushly and cleverly orchestrated, with lively and energetic rhythms and fits very well indeed.
'Red Hot Riding Hood' is a tour-De-force when it comes to the voice acting. Sara Berner and Daws Butler especially are at the top of their game.
Overall, simply amazing and one of my favourites. 10/10 Bethany Cox
Also have much admiration for Tex Avery, an animation genius whose best cartoons are animated masterpieces and some of the best he ever did. 'Red Hot Riding Hood' is one of his most famous cartoons, a distinction that is so richly deserved because it is not one of Avery's very finest (in a filmography where a vast majority of his output was good to masterpiece standard) but to me and many others one of the best cartoons ever made. It was very ahead of its time, with the hottest and sexiest Red Riding Hood ever and characters in animation and its very racy humour, and to this day it's still the complete opposite of tame.
The story 'Little Red Riding Hood' is one of the most famous stories ever and has been parodied in countless cartoons, of which no other cartoon based on the story is this imaginative, daring or unique as 'Red Hot Riding Hood'. All the characters are great, especially the smoking hot Red and the hilarious wolf. 'Little Red Riding Hood' has never had a Grandma this feisty either.
Can't say anything bad about Avery's direction. He does a wonderful job directing, with his unique, unlike-any-other visual and characteristic and incredibly distinctive wacky humour style all over it as can be expected.
Once again there is nothing sadistic or repetitious, instead it's imaginative, wonderfully wild, deliciously deranged, violent but imaginatively so, shockingly racy, red hot sexy and hilarious throughout from start to finish. The sight gags throughout are an absolute joy and are immaculate in timing.
It is no surprise either that the animation is superb, being rich in colour and detail. The character designs are unique, Avery always did have creative character designs, and suitably fluid. The music, courtesy of Scott Bradley, is lushly and cleverly orchestrated, with lively and energetic rhythms and fits very well indeed.
'Red Hot Riding Hood' is a tour-De-force when it comes to the voice acting. Sara Berner and Daws Butler especially are at the top of their game.
Overall, simply amazing and one of my favourites. 10/10 Bethany Cox
Grandma's Revenge
Hitchcoc26 December 2015
Have lustful men always been wolves? In this Tex Avery offering, he is a playboy who finds himself totally taken with a night club singer named Red Riding Hood. Eventually the grandma, a rich woman who lives in a penthouse, faces off against the wolf. Actually, she comes on to him, fiercely. He is on the make and never realizes what it is like to be the pursued. The treat here is the outrageous, eye-popping reaction the wolf has toward our "meek and mild" heroine. We all know that the wolf is not going to fair well as he hopes to engage the red head in some hanky panky. The incredible takes as the wolf gyrates and huffs and puffs while Red is singing are priceless. Good offering.
Subtlety Be Damned!
redryan6423 July 2014
Warning: Spoilers
RAPID FIRE AND audacious are terms that most appropriately describe this cartoon. But that should come as no surprise to any of us; for this is after all an MGM Tex Avery directed animation and those words describe any and all of his output.
PACING WAS NEVER one of Avery's strong suits and consequently he probably used and recycled more gags per one reeler than anyone in animation. Although, to his credit, while borrowing from previous cartoons, he did manage to put a new spin on them; rendering in a sense, "new and improved."
TAKING AN AGE old and very well known story such as Little Red Riding Hood and "updating" it and giving the characters 20th Century "face lifts" the master Director just let his imagination run away with itself. His penchant for all that is fast paced and outrageous easily fills up the running time.
DURING THAT SAID running time, his innovations include: Red Riding Hood as a sexy vamp/singer, a playboy "Wolf" in the 1940s vernacular, Grandmother's place now being a penthouse and Granny's possessing the libido of a much younger woman!
TEX MANAGES TO top it all off the festivities with having this Wolf swearing off of women altogether, then doing the "Dutch Act" (suicide) with two pistols. That is followed by the Wolf's white as a sheet shade's stomping, whistling and hooting for Red Riding Hood, whom has once again taken center stage.
PACING WAS NEVER one of Avery's strong suits and consequently he probably used and recycled more gags per one reeler than anyone in animation. Although, to his credit, while borrowing from previous cartoons, he did manage to put a new spin on them; rendering in a sense, "new and improved."
TAKING AN AGE old and very well known story such as Little Red Riding Hood and "updating" it and giving the characters 20th Century "face lifts" the master Director just let his imagination run away with itself. His penchant for all that is fast paced and outrageous easily fills up the running time.
DURING THAT SAID running time, his innovations include: Red Riding Hood as a sexy vamp/singer, a playboy "Wolf" in the 1940s vernacular, Grandmother's place now being a penthouse and Granny's possessing the libido of a much younger woman!
TEX MANAGES TO top it all off the festivities with having this Wolf swearing off of women altogether, then doing the "Dutch Act" (suicide) with two pistols. That is followed by the Wolf's white as a sheet shade's stomping, whistling and hooting for Red Riding Hood, whom has once again taken center stage.
good Tex Avery
SnoopyStyle8 May 2021
Once upon a time, little red riding hood... The characters are fed up with the same old story. The narrator agrees to tell it in a new way. It's a Tex Avery animated short. It's good alternative fun with some adult leanings.
totally awesome, a gas from start to finish
Quinoa19841 November 2017
Red Hot Riding Hood begins with what seems to be yet another Red Riding Hood story (we saw this with Disney before, remember), but less than a minute in, both Red and the Wolf turn to face the audience frustrated that they have to go through what is, essentially, a dated telling of this tale. There's a reboot of the episode, and now we're in present day as the wolf is a real *wolf* (like, how we see them as the cliché, which may have come from other places but is made into iconography with the animation), and the girl is... holy mackerel!
It's extremely likely I have seen this in my life before (and it inspiring parts of The Mask with Jim Carrey), but this was the first time I saw it on a big screen (via the Drafthouse pres-how). This work by Tex Avery seems so impossible to having been made in 1943, as its one of the most sophisticated and clever and downright meta things of its time. It says a lot when a gal in a cartoon clearly inspired Jessica Rabbit, and damn if this isn't just as innovative. Every shot there is something to look at, the sense of propulsive movement is delirious and the gags make one think that all totally bonkers slapstick comedy should have started here (when the wolf comes back to the apartment building for example anf the old lady is there waiting for him... Come to think of it, this IS the Toontown sequence in full, its dirty, balls to the wall grandfather). It didn't of course, but that's the impression it gives. A gas.
It's extremely likely I have seen this in my life before (and it inspiring parts of The Mask with Jim Carrey), but this was the first time I saw it on a big screen (via the Drafthouse pres-how). This work by Tex Avery seems so impossible to having been made in 1943, as its one of the most sophisticated and clever and downright meta things of its time. It says a lot when a gal in a cartoon clearly inspired Jessica Rabbit, and damn if this isn't just as innovative. Every shot there is something to look at, the sense of propulsive movement is delirious and the gags make one think that all totally bonkers slapstick comedy should have started here (when the wolf comes back to the apartment building for example anf the old lady is there waiting for him... Come to think of it, this IS the Toontown sequence in full, its dirty, balls to the wall grandfather). It didn't of course, but that's the impression it gives. A gas.
Sexy...if a cartoon can be that way!
planktonrules29 October 2008
This is a wonderfully kooky and sexy film from MGM and director Tex Avery. Like his followup film, SWINGSHIFT Cinderella, this film features a very sexy red-headed female lead that looks like a combination of Betty Grable and Jessica Rabbit! Because of the overt sexuality of the cartoon, it isn't surprising that in 1943, this cartoon was banned or edited in several locales! Never before had such a hot cartoon leading lady been released by a major film studio and audiences of the day were both incensed and excited at the prospect! The cartoon begins with the traditional Red Riding Hood story. However, in rather typical Avery style, the characters step out of the tale and demand that this dull story be updated. So, moments later, Red Riding Hood is a living pin-up girl and the wolf is a sex-crazed "wolf" on the prowl for such a tasty dish! Like SWINGSHIFT Cinderella, however, the old lady (grandma in this case) is dead set on catching the wolf herself and does everything she can do to thwart the wolf from capturing Red. Most of the action is very high-paced and goofy--just like you'd hope in a Tex Avery cartoon.
Overall, this is a great cartoon. While it isn't quite as funny as SWINGSHIFT, it is the first of its kind and because of that it still is one of the best of the era. My advice? See them both--though similar, you just can't get enough of these crazy cartoons and they abound with great humor and animation throughout. A true classic.
Overall, this is a great cartoon. While it isn't quite as funny as SWINGSHIFT, it is the first of its kind and because of that it still is one of the best of the era. My advice? See them both--though similar, you just can't get enough of these crazy cartoons and they abound with great humor and animation throughout. A true classic.
Tijuana Bible In Motion
boblipton8 May 2021
Here's the first of the three 'Red' cartoons Tex Avery directed at MGM, full of his trademark exaggeration, lust and comic-strip gags brought violently to life. It was an instant classic, and maintains that status even today, for its combination f adult themes, silliness and..... oh heck, just look at it!
In many ways, it was a moving Tijuana Bible. Those were popular in the 1930s, and they were pornographic cartoons that were smuggled into the US, featuring sex acts between Mickey and Minnie, and occasionally, I would imagine, Donald Duck. Strikes you as unlikely? It's still a popular genre. Look at comics like OMAHA THE CAT DANcER, or cartoons like FRITZ THE CAT.
In many ways, it was a moving Tijuana Bible. Those were popular in the 1930s, and they were pornographic cartoons that were smuggled into the US, featuring sex acts between Mickey and Minnie, and occasionally, I would imagine, Donald Duck. Strikes you as unlikely? It's still a popular genre. Look at comics like OMAHA THE CAT DANcER, or cartoons like FRITZ THE CAT.
Fantastic
gbill-7487724 May 2021
From the moment the wolf, Red Riding Hood, and grandma break the 4th wall to demand a "new way" of telling the classic children's tale, this cartoon turns into a wild and inappropriate ride. I've seen it before but was still laughing pretty hard, and still amazed by Tex Avery's audacity in 1943. All three characters show their sexual sides, with Red a performer at a coded strip club ("The Sunset Strip - 30 Gorgeous Girls"), the wolf howling and whistling as his temperature rises, and grandma in her penthouse "joint" with its sign inviting onlookers to "come up and see me sometime." Red channels both Bette Davis and Katharine Hepburn before turning the wolf down, but old grandma has a libido that more than keeps up with him. It was interesting to find that the original ending had them getting married and having kids, but the line had to be drawn somewhere, and the implied bestiality was apparently it. My brain perhaps hypocritically tries to turn off the idea the film was seen by kids and the wolf's behavior emulated by young men, but I love this one.
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