The Practical Pig
The Practical Pig is a 1939 American animated short film produced by Walt Disney Productions as part of the Silly Symphonies series. Directed by Dick Rickard, it was released on February 24, 1939, and features the characters from the popular Three Little Pigs series, focusing on the inventive Practical Pig who builds a lie detector machine to rescue his captured brothers from the Big Bad Wolf and his three sons.[1][2] In the film, the mischievous Fifer Pig and Fiddler Pig ignore Practical Pig's warnings and venture out, only to be lured and captured by the Big Bad Wolf, who plans to turn them into pork pies with the help of his wolf cubs.[3] Practical Pig, working on his latest gadget—a mechanical lie detector that punishes falsehoods by scrubbing the liar's face with a bar of soap—uses the device to interrogate and ultimately defeat the antagonists, ensuring his brothers' safety.[2] The short highlights themes of ingenuity and the consequences of recklessness, characteristic of the Silly Symphonies' blend of music, humor, and moral lessons.[1] Notable for its creative use of animation to depict the lie detector's humorous operation, The Practical Pig marked a continuation of the Three Little Pigs storyline that began with the 1933 Academy Award-winning short, emphasizing Practical Pig's role as the responsible sibling.[2] The voice cast included Pinto Colvig as Practical Pig and Billy Bletcher as the Big Bad Wolf, contributing to the film's lively and memorable characterizations.[4]Story and characters
Plot summary
In the 1939 Disney animated short The Practical Pig, which runs approximately 8 minutes, Practical Pig invents a lie detector machine that punishes liars by washing their mouth with soap, spanking them, and whacking them with a ruler, warning his brothers Fiddler Pig and Fifer Pig against going swimming due to the danger of the Big Bad Wolf.[5] Despite the caution, Fiddler and Fifer disobey and head to the swimming hole, where the Big Bad Wolf, disguised as a mermaid, lures them into a net and captures them to use in a pork pie recipe.[5] The wolf then takes the pair to his windmill hideout, where his three sons attempt to prepare the pigs for baking by placing them in a large pie tin.[5] Meanwhile, the Big Bad Wolf, now disguised as a messenger boy, delivers a forged note to Practical Pig claiming his brothers are safe at a party, but Practical suspects foul play when the disguise falters during questioning.[5] Using his newly built lie detector, Practical interrogates the wolf, who denies seeing the brothers; the machine detects the lie, punishes the wolf repeatedly, and forces him to reveal their location at the old mill.[5] Practical then races to the windmill, where a chaotic chase ensues: he sneezes pepper into the air to distract the wolves, allowing Fiddler and Fifer to break free from the pie tin and escape with their brother.[5] Back home, the humor escalates as Practical scolds his brothers for playing hooky, but when they all deny any wrongdoing—including Practical's claim that "this hurts me more than it hurts you"—the lie detector detects the lie and punishes the entire trio, underscoring the film's themes of the consequences of lying and the perils of disobedience through slapstick comedy and fast-paced chases.[5]Characters and voice cast
The main characters in The Practical Pig are the three anthropomorphic pig brothers, each with distinct personalities and designs that highlight their roles in the ongoing Three Little Pigs series. Practical Pig, the eldest and most responsible, is portrayed as an inventive engineer wearing round glasses, often tinkering with gadgets like his brick house defenses and, in this short, a lie detector machine to detect lies; his design emphasizes practicality and foresight, evolving from earlier appearances where he was primarily the builder to one with a heightened focus on elaborate inventions for protection.[6] Fiddler Pig and Fifer Pig, the younger brothers, are depicted as mischievous and carefree, with Fiddler playing the fiddle and wearing a sailor hat, and Fifer playing the fife while sporting a similar playful outfit; their fun-loving natures lead them to ignore warnings and pursue leisure activities, contrasting Practical Pig's seriousness and building on their lazy, stubborn traits from prior shorts like Three Little Pigs (1933) and Three Little Wolves (1936).[6] The Big Bad Wolf acts as the cunning antagonist, a sly predator with a bushy tail and sharp features who relies on disguises and schemes to capture the pigs, continuing his role as the persistent foe from the series' inception.[7] Supporting characters include Mrs. Pig, the brothers' concerned mother who offers maternal guidance, and the Three Little Wolves, the Big Bad Wolf's bumbling sons providing comic relief through their failed attempts to assist their father.[6]| Character | Voice Actor |
|---|---|
| Big Bad Wolf | Billy Bletcher |
| Practical Pig | Pinto Colvig |
| Fiddler Pig | Mary Moder |
| Fifer Pig | Dorothy Compton |
| Mrs. Pig | Betty Bruce |
| Three Little Wolves | Leone Le Doux |