User Reviews

In taking this time now to celebrate the work of under appreciated animation pioneers Hugh Harman and Rudolf Ising, one short from the former's filmography that should be taken in high esteem is The Hungry Wolf. Released at the start of 1942, this would be Hugh Harman's final short film at MGM prior to leaving the studio to create his own production house to make numerous educational and industrial films. As far as regarding this short's qualification, while arguably not as well known as Harman's bigger efforts like Old Mill Pond and Peace on Earth, it's still a solidly crafted pathos cartoon.

The short tells the story of an old wolf starving during the cold winter, when a young rabbit enters his home, thus making the wolf struggle between his natural instincts and conscience. At center stage, this is a tale about the conflict between one's desperation to survive and a chance to redeem oneself through temptation, which works in the established premise of the predator wishing to consume their prey. While the wolf is on the brink of starvation, the little rabbit is far too kind hearted for the wolf to truly cook for dinner, almost like this short is a twist on the relationship between these two species. Admittedly, the short does take a little while to get going, as it pads a bit too much time showing the numerous mirages the wolf endures in his desoluted state. Thankfully, once it picks up, the heart comes in to showcase how difficult temptation truly is through strong acting and a dynamically dramatic tone. Much credit should be given to Mel Blanc for his earnest portrayal of the wolf as broken on the inside on account of his hunger and moral fiber, especially outside of his normal comedic roles.

Next to Blanc, the music by acclaimed composer Scott Bradely adds to the emotionally frightening mood by emphasizing how miserable the wolf's state of living truly is. Of course once the short wraps up the music becomes more cheerful, but the more memorable compositions come from the intense sequences sprinkled throughout between the wolf and rabbit alone. Part of the intensity comes courtesy of the animation team for boasting bold poses and sincere performances between a desperate yet ethical wolf and a polite yet sensitive bunny, one of whom being acclaimed Disney animation legend Volodymyr "Bill" Tytla. The effects animation is a nice touch as well, as the immensely powerful gusts of wind and snow end up feeling as gut wrenching as they look on screen. Some other notable filmmaking techniques like dissolve and jump cuts allow for the pacing to take its time while also speeding things along at a natural flow. Not often does a tale of conflicting between one's morals and impulses feel this fierce in its portrayal of heartbreak and turmoil through animals alone.

It is a shame that Hugh Harman and Rudolf Ising didn't get to create as many achievements in animation beyond the 1930s and 40s, because The Hungry Wolf brilliantly details how far they had come as near masters of their own craft. For those unfamiliar with their work, outside of the Bosko and Happy Harmony series, this would be a nice place to start to see their finest projects that have influenced so many people in both film and animation. From Disney to Warner Bros to MGM, it would be safe to say that these two did more for the industry than the average man would assume.

In the dead of winter, a wolf is starving. His home has nothing, no fire and no food. Even the cheese from the mousetrap gets stolen by a mouse. He's hallucinating and then a helpless little rabbit walks into his home.

It's an MGM cartoon in technicolor by Hugh Harman. The animation style is a bit older and more rough. I like the original message of letting the rabbit go which allows for a nice karma ending. The wolf turns predator anyways as he follows the rabbit into the snow. Also, why would rabbits have a roasted bird for dinner? This could be more biting if it steers into it. The wolf could be constantly trying to kill the rabbit and failing. It could also be more poignant if the wolf don't go after the rabbit after just letting him go. This is stuck in a murky middle.

It's the dead of winter and the Wolf is starving. A rather dim rabbit stumbles into the Wolf's lair and instead of being afraid, he befriends the wolf and melts the starving wolf's heart.

This Hugh Harmon cartoon would have been much better had it been made a few years earlier--back when sweet cartoons were the rage. But by 1942, cartoons were becoming crazier--more violent, funnier and just plain weird, with MGM acquiring Tex Avery and Looney Tunes churning out some of their best work. However, there unfortunately was Hugh Harmon who was also at MGM at the same time as Avery--and although his cartoons looked beautiful (and this one does), it's also very sweet and nice. And, I gotta be honest...I don't WANT nice and sweet, I was crazy and violent! Despite coming from MGM, it looks nothing like an Avery or Tom and Jerry cartoon....and soon this would be all the studio would be making.

This is an M-G-M cartoon produced by Harmon-Ising that I found on the Cartoons, Model Sheets, and Stuff site as linked from DailyMotion. The title character sees a rope as sausages, a rolling pin as corn, and finds cheese on a mousetrap but after getting nicked by the trap and chasing the mouse for the cheese (during which he manages to rip the wooden floor and some of the wall), the wolf seems resigned to his starvation. Then a little bunny comes in...Okay, I'll stop there and say that while things seem bleak for the bunny, things take a turn to some kind of salvation that insures a happy ending for all involved. So while there is some humor here, this is a mostly a more dramatic animated short that gets one feeling for both the bunny and the wolf. Oh, and the author of the site I just mentioned noticed the mouse's resemblance to Jerry of Tom and Jerry which I can see and am not surprised by since they're from M-G-M too. So on that note, I'm recommending The Hungry Wolf.

If there is a cartoon that represents the best in animation that also includes the message of how all of humanity should treat each other - THIS cartoon is the one. The music, the true cartoon artistry, and most of all, the extremely wonderful underlying moral message all assist me to rate this piece of animation as the best ever done in the entire history of cartoons.

Every emotion is covered in this short cartoon, but it isn't sentimental or schmaltzy at all. This cartoon is simply an unadulterated example of the highest form of the cartoonist's art.

This is a simple, yet profound cartoon that every person in the entire world should watch at least once in their lifetime.

Have seen a lot of work over the past few years from Hugh Harman and have liked enough of them, though the recently seen efforts have been a bit of a mixed bag (nothing terrible, few great). His visual style wasn't as polished perhaps as frequent and maybe better known collaborator Rudolf Ising, but to me he was the better storyteller with fewer cartoons to have a too cutesy approach and a few of his cartoons were ahead of their time in dealing with already bold themes.

One of his best for me is 'The Hungry Wolf'', a great cartoon worthy of more credit. It may not be one of my favourite cartoons or innovative, but it is enormously entertaining, spirited and well made and shows that Harman does have a comic touch and a good one. When it comes to his cartoons, 'The Hungry Wolf' is one of his funniest, most energetic and also one of his cutest and a welcome break from all the too cutesy and tired cartoons seen in the past three or so months.

Did think that it is a little too long by about 2 minutes, which did affect some of the pace a little early on.

'The Hungry Wolf' is excellent otherwise. The animation is rich in detail for design and backgrounds, vibrant in colour and crisp. Composer for the prime-era 'Tom and Jerry' cartoons and regular Tex Avery composer Scott Bradley provides a lush and atmospheric music score that is beautifully orchestrated and full of lively character. The voice work is stellar, Mel Blanc can do no wrong.

It is a very funny cartoon as well and at its funniest hilarious. Absolutely loved the zany antics of the wolf, while action excites and has imagination visually. The story is slight but full of energy and charming, without being saccharine. The rabbit is very cute but the more interesting character is the wolf, who is both menacing and remarkably conflicted.

All in all, absolutely great. 9/10.