Blitz Wolf
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Blitz Wolf is a 1942 MGM Cartoon, the very first directed by Tex Avery in his long tenure there. It also has the distinction of being the very first direct anti-German Wartime Cartoon made during the 1940s, and it pulls no punches when it comes to satirizing deh fuehrer. The plot of the short is a parody of Walt Disney's Three Little Pigs short, altered into a World War II context.
It was nominated for an Academy Award, and was a runner-up on The 50 Greatest Cartoons list.
Surprisingly, this short is also one of the few Tex Avery MGM Cartoons to have seen a DVD release, making it onto the Warner Bros. Academy Awards Animation Collection.
Not to be confused with Wolf Blitzer.
Tropes used in Blitz Wolf include:
- Actor Allusion: Avery managed to get Pinto Colvig, the voice of Practical Pig in Disney's Three Little Pigs, to voice the wise pig here.
- Bad Humor Truck: Makes a decidedly abrupt appearance in what was presented as an otherwise serious tank scene.
- Bowdlerization: When this short aired on Cartoon Network during a special about World War II era cartoons, two scenes were edited: 1) The scene of the two pigs running into the brick house had a weird, yellow blur on it. Why? Because the sign originally said, "No Japs Allowed" (actually, it said "No Dogs Allowed," but "Dogs" was crossed out and replaced with "Japs", and 2) The Overly Long Gag with the large gun originally ended with the gun blasting a shell to Tokyo and Tokyo exploding and sinking into the ocean. The Cartoon Network edited version cut that whole part and made it look like the pigs were aiming the gun at the Hitler Wolf's trench.
- When TNT aired this cartoon in the late 1980s, the anti-Japanese jokes were left in, but the allusions to Hitler were not. The Hitler Wolf's voice was redubbed and all scenes featuring subtitles to what he's saying were cropped out. The end card that reads, "If you buy a stamp or bond, we'll skin that skunk across the pond," was replaced with a generic MGM production card (not unlike the ones used in the Tom and Jerry cartoons.
- Breaking the Fourth Wall: Adolf Wolf when he pulls out a sign, reading, "Go on and hiss, who cares?"
- No Fourth Wall: And he promptly gets a tomato thrown at him in response.
- Cool Ship: The B-19 1/2.
- Distracted by the Sexy: One of the pigs uses a pin-up magazine to send away a bombardment of horny shells.
- Fire and Brimstone Hell: Where Adolf Wolf winds up in the ending.
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Adolf Wolf: Have I been blown to... |
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- Incredibly Lame Pun: See "Lampshade Hanging" below.
- Invisible Holes: In a variation, they are revealed by light shining from behind.
- Lampshade Hanging: The scene where the Straw Pig's house is blown away, revealing a sign that reads, Gone with the Wind — and quickly whipping over to a sign nearby that reads, "Corny gag, ain't it?"
- I Lied: Not unlike the real Hitler, the wolf flagrantly violates his peace treaty with the first two pigs.
- Logo Joke: The opening MGM lion is looped to roar to the tune of "Hold That Tiger". This immediately establishes the tone of the short, and the rest of Avery's work to come.
- Overly Long Gag: The cannon scene, enough to get a lampshade from Avery in the short.
- Produce Pelting: Adolf Wolf gets a tomato thrown at him at one point.
- Pun: The "Scream Bomb", which doesn't explode, but literally screams at Adolf Wolf.
- On Adolf Wolf's tank, it is embedded with Der Fewer (Der Better).
- Screams Like a Little Girl: The Scream Bomb delivers a girly scream to Adolf Wolf.
- Symbol Swearing: Used in the opening title card.
- Tank Goodness: Lots of it here.
- Those Wacky Nazis
- Too Dumb to Live: The first two pigs.
- Visual Pun: "The End of Adolf" card is represented by a bull's-eye symbol.
- Wartime Cartoon: The Trope Maker, arguably.
- ↑ P.S. The auto tires used in this photoplay are fictitious--and we ain't kiddin' brother!