PlatinumRead Just so...so bad

Lumsdal Good , But It Is Overrated By Some

Kaydan Christian A terrific literary drama and character piece that shows how the process of creating art can be seen differently by those doing it and those looking at it from the outside.

Skyler Great movie. Not sure what people expected but I found it highly entertaining.

TheLittleSongbird The 'Little Red Riding Hood' story is one of the most parodied stories in animation, mostly by Looney Tunes/Merrie Melodies. Almost all these stories while putting their own spin on it (such as with the humour and featuring iconic characters in the roles) stick to the basic story where the wolf is the villain and Red and Granny the good characters.What a surprise to see a cartoon that not only put its own irreverent and incredibly wild spin on the tale, but portrays it in a completely different light. Here Red is the complete anti-thesis of the innocent character that she is always portrayed as, she is very brutal here actually, and Granny has most of the funniest moments, is almost as interesting a character as the Wolf and every bit as brutal. Meanwhile, the wolf while still untrustworthy, you are apprehensive as to whether to believe him or not, is the character that 'The Trial of Mr Wolf' aims to make the viewer relate most to him and it succeeds more than very well at that.'The Trial of Mr Wolf' contains some spectacular animation. Throughout there are gorgeously vibrant colours, backgrounds that are rich in detail and the characters are smoothly drawn. Carl Stalling never disappoints and one of my favourite composers in cartoon history, 'The Trial of Mr Wolf' does nothing to change that perception. Anybody expecting luscious orchestration, characterful rhythms, clever use of instrumentation and sounds and the ability to elevate gags to a greater level rather than just adding to it will find all of those aplenty.Another great asset is how well the humour comes over, to describe it as funny doesn't sum it up enough. The dialogue is hilariously wild and one is shocked at how much the cartoon gets away with, and there is not one misfire in the many gags that come by thick and fast but timed impeccably. The Wolf's re-enactments in flashback structure are cleverly done, and the courtroom scenes equally so, while the Katharine Hepburn imitation is spot on and Granny has a priceless moment towards the end. All three main characters are interesting and funny, and it was refreshing seeing them portrayed so differently.Mel Blanc and Sara Berner do top-notch jobs with the voice work. The element in fact that comes off least, though it does still manage to be amusing, is the ending which does creep up a bit too suddenly and ends in a somewhat "that's it?" way.Otherwise, 'The Trial of Mr Wolf' was a brilliantly clever, refreshing and unlike-anything-you've-seen-before take on an age-old story. 9/10 Bethany Cox

Robert Reynolds This short takes the Little Red Riding Hood tale and flips it around, with an amusing (if improbable) version being told by the Wolf on the witness stand. As I want to discuss some of the details, this is a spoiler warning: The short opens with the introduction of the case of the Big Bad Wolf versus Little Red Riding Hood, in a bit of a role reversal, with the Wolf bringing charges against Little Red Riding Hood, with his attorney making an opening statement to a jury comprised of a majority of wolves (and one very lonely skunk at the FAR end of the jury box. The Wolf is on the witness stand. Given the story he's relating, if he's under oath, he may well be up on perjury charges before the day is out! He portrays himself in such sweetly decorous behavior that he makes Buster Brown look like one of the Dead End Kids. He's so infantile that a bird yells at him, telling him harshly to act his own age. The Wolf then paints a picture of Little Red Riding Hood (with a voice styled after Katharine Hepburn) out to be a conniving trader in fur coats. He winds up at Grandma's house, where Red disappears from the short after pushing him inside and locking a whole flock of doors. Grandma is in bed and you hear a variation on the exchange between Red and the Wolf, only with the Wolf delivering Red's standard lines and Grandma doing the Wolf's. Grandma then spends most of the rest of the short trying to separate the Wolf from his hide (strangely enough, Grandma isn't in the dock with Red, though she supposedly tries to kill him and skin him repeatedly.We finally return to the Wolf rather energetically trying to testify, only to find that even a packed jury doesn't believe his baloney. The ending is cute and I won't spoil it here. This one is well worth watching, if you get the opportunity. Recommended.

Lupercali One of what seems an endless number of takes on the Little Red Riding Hood story from around this era, this one is cleverly presented in the form of a court trial with the Wolf as defendant. Part of the cartoon takes place in the courtroom, where the Wolf's untrustworthiness is obvious (early on he stands up and a hand grenade, knife and gun fall out of his coat). The other part consists of a film within a film based on the Wolf's recreation of the events, which has him lured to to Grandma's house - Grandma turns out to be a furrier and is after him for his coat. All of this works very well, but with quite a few Merrie Melodies I've seen from this period it rather falls in a heap with a sudden ending which seems hastily thought out and doesn't really tie in to the main theme of the cartoon satisfyingly. Still, good fun.

joemaiden84 Everyone can think of a certain cartoon rendition of Little Red Riding Hood, and this is definitely that one for me. It's one of the firsts, and it's brilliant in the way that it does something none of the others have done, tell the story from a different point of view. No one's ever thought of how the Wolf feels about the whole situation, and this short gives a very humorous way of showing how he did (or how he tried to make people believe he did anyway). After all is said and done, this is one of Friz's best.