The Trial of Mr. Wolf Review

The Trial of Mr. Wolf is a 1941 animated short film from the Merry Melodies series. It is a hilarious short.

This is such an inventive reimagining of Little Red Riding Hood which is basically the tale told entirely in reverse. Mr. Wolf is at a hearing because he attacked Red and her granny and he tells the story from his perspective where the two plotted to kill him for his terrific fur. I actually found the trial consisting of mostly wolves questionable and the ending which explains to us that he was lying all along was definitely not my cup of tea as I wanted it to have been true.

But other than that, the film is fantastic. The trial is memorable and interesting, but the standout part is naturally its second act which perfectly twisted this famous tale on its head. Red bringing him to the house so granny can take his coat was such a funny concept with the highlight being the sequence at granny’s with the line “All the better to get a new fur coat!” being absolutely hilarious and perfectly delivered. The voice acting is truly magnificent.

The Trial of Mr. Wolf is one of the best Merry Melodies so far with a problematic ending, but a perfectly twisted reimagining of the famous tale with some incredibly funny moments.