In Chapter 18 ("Everyone Grows Up") of this book, the author discusses the Silly Symphonies, beginning with Three Little Pigs. He provides details and statistics about the film's success, as well as corroborating them with an account of how the old practice of "bicycling," or lending of prints to neighboring theaters between showings, became necessary due to the extent of its popularity. He also mentions that the hit song featured in the film, "Who's Afraid of the Big Bad Wolf," was written by Disney composer Frank Churchill, while the lyrics were supplied by Ted Sears. An anecdote about Mary Pickford's visit to the studio as the short was being made is supplied. Multiple quotes are included, and one of Walt Disney's stands out in which he comments that in Three Little Pigs, the studio has finally achieved the goal of creating characters with different personalities.

The book also discusses the seeming resonance of the short film's message with Roosevelt's appeal to Americans to stick together and not give up hope, but delves deeper and notes that Hoover's message of self-reliance, sturdy, conservative building and keeping the house in order are evident. Practical Pig even looks a bit like Hoover! There is an element of reproach to the tale, as if the pigs who built poorly and spent the rest of their time in frivolities had just worked a bit harder, they could have prevented the Depression and other evils lurking in the wings. But an interesting element of this chapter is its inclusion of Disney's responses to these readings; he is quoted as claiming he intended no such message, and even no message at all. He says they were intended to convey nothing more than was shown, and that he left interpretation to others.

This book would be a helpful resource because it provides primary sources, namely Disney’s own words, about the success of bestowing individual personalities upon characters in Three Little Pigs. It also gives an interesting reading of the underlying message of the film but provides evidence that Walt Disney didn’t intend for these readings at all. It proves, using Walt’s own quotes, that Disney saw this film as the first true triumph in character development and differentiation. In addition, as an account of his entire life, the book is a wealth of information pertinent to the background of Walt Disney and his studio.

This article focuses on the animated depictions of the First World War, and examines the changes in these depictions of the conflict with time. Before America joined, the cartoons showed the conflict as a setting for adventure and larger-than-life characters. After the US joined, cartoons attempted to present sanitized views of the war, often going without references to actual events at all, or instead acted as documentaries aimed at adult audiences. It was after the war, however, when animation provided the perfect medium for "recasting" the events of the war in imaginative ways which stretched reality. These changes from a real to fantastical and magical view of the world are what fueled the view, and eventual marketing, of cartoons as entertainment specifically for children.

Many of Warner Brothers' series launched around the time of the Silly Symphonies, possibly to compete with the series' success, were among the realistic depictions of the war. They included Felix Turns the Tide and Bosko the Doughboy. In the former, grim battle scenes and relatively graphic imagery conveyed the "damage, confusion, and carnage" of the conflict. In the latter, while Bosko has a relatively elastic body, this fantasy element cannot save him from injury, as compared to other, earlier cartoons that show war as "consequence-free.

This article could be useful in my thesis in supporting the view of the Silly Symphonies as moral, simple, and dream-like, as compared to the brashness of Warner Brothers animated shorts where the humor lay in obviousness and reality. It also provides extensive fuel for comparison of the Disney works of the time to those of Warner Brothers and other studios, and puts all of these films in the context of wartime media, examining the differing morals and tones with which these underlying messages were presented.

The animated short Three Little Pigs is the focus of this paper; the author claims that this short was significant first for epitomizing the quality of Disney films in the 1930s, whose popularity can't be conceived of today. In addition, the author sees the film as crucial in character animation, paving the way for the enduring characters of the next decade. The narrative, indirectly, and the commercial success, more directly, enabled Disney's first feature-length animated film, Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs.

The article also discusses the technical achievements of the film, such as the difficulty in animating such similar characters and the effective use of color. The latter innovation, color, was used most effectively by including subtle tone changes with purpose, such as to reinforce the exhaustion of the wolf after trying to blow down the brick house by changing the colors of his face. Finally, sound was key to the film's success and influence. Written to illustrate a song that became a hit, "Who's Afraid of the Big Bad Wolf?", the music helps differentiate characters. The character development was further aided by focusing on four characters, instead of the huge undifferentiated masses often featured in earlier Silly Symphonies.

Finally, the article addresses the metaphor of the story as two-pronged. The popularity of the film suggests the dormant, hopeful message that hard work alone will allow men to prevail even in times of doubt; this was an appealing message in the Depression. Second, audiences saw Walt Disney as a role model. It's possible that simple plots, like that of this short, helped Disney films maintain popularity over competing Warner Brothers series which today seem more appealing.

This article is key to my argument; it helps provide evidence that Three Little Pigs paved the way for Snow White and the future Disney style of creating feature-length films with the same character development, simple plots and positive, moral underlying messages that appealed to audiences.

In Chapter 1, entitled “Popular Culture,” the author addresses Disney’s populist tendencies, providing examples of Disney’s desire to bring high art to the people and provide messages of reassurance. While looking later in the timeline at works like Fantasia, he mentions the Silly Symphonies as originally being meant to illustrate both classical and jazz music, including the fact that the animators and writers were encouraged to experiment with the medium, aided by the absence of constraints like recurring characters. In addition, Three Little Pigs is cited as a prime example of Disney’s inclusion of his beliefs in battling urban industrialism with the ideals of agrarian and rural values. Looking deeper, the message of this short is seen as a reference to biblical tales like David and Goliath, and is seen as a possible mobilizing force in American society that may have catalyzed demands for solutions to the Depression such as the New Deal.

This source is interesting because it provides direct evidence for what other articles and writings, and my own viewings of Three Little Pigs and other Silly Symphonies, have only suggested: that the animated series began as a field for experimentation and discovery on the part of Disney Studios. It also provides slightly different readings of the moral undertones of the film, claiming that it might have been not only individually inspiring but may have contributed to or more directly affected societal change.

This is a blog entry, but it seems to be of high enough quality for use. Its thesis is that the Republican reading of hard times in Three Little Pigs, both the Depression of the 1930s and even today's housing crisis, is "undercut by various elements of subversion." Characterization helps to differentiate between the lazy pigs and the responsible pig, and these personas are echoed not only in the pigs' actions but the objects they use to decorate their houses. But the author argues that the lazy pigs are so likeable that the message is somewhat obscured, and hypothesizes that much of the Wolf's animosity and the pigs' fear may resemble the corporate structure and relationship between Walt Disney and animators. The primitive use of color contributes to the dream-like quality of Disney, a "surreal," sometimes uncanny vibe which contrasts sharply with how Warner Brothers cartoons, especially today, appear "secular, straightforward, unpretentious, urban, and ethnic.”

This resource would be helpful for showing the effective use of characterization. Its specificity in mentioning how characters are differentiated, through their actions, attitudes, and possessions as well as through color, would be useful. A new look at the short film’s allegorical power, namely, its relevance in today's US economy, is also interesting, as is its comparison of the dreaminess of Disney as compared to the reality of Warner Brothers animated shorts.