User Reviews

. . . is the main takeaway for astute viewers of THE PEST THAT CAME TO DINNER. On a more forward-looking level, the deeper meaning of this animated short can be summed up as: "Croak, Dodgers, Croak!!" The shenanigans of Justin V. Upton and his garbage can lid for the Houston Astros pales in comparison to the Super Spreaders populating the starting nine of the Brooklyn outcasts. These mercenary millionaires take all of the fun out of our National Pastime with their penchant for exposing their rivals, the umpires, top baseball brass and the fans in the stands to killer viruses against every applicable widely ballyhooed health protocol. The Commissioner MUST ban all of these notorious Public Enemies from the game for Life, and not shrug his shoulders like the ineffectual milksop "Sure-shot" in this brief cartoon. This top dude must realize that if he's not part of the Solution, he's the Problem. Sports fans across America should boycott ANY major sporting league that includes a Los Angeles-based franchise until the Dodgers are permanently disbanded!

. . . to warn America about THE PEST THAT CAME TO DINNER: the French. Porky Pig learns that it's safer to eat his dinner table than it is to consume French cooking. The French-accented termite Pierre is used to symbolize all the artery-clogging sauces and goose-clogging Foie Gras that can turn a body into a pile of dust before its time. Things look good for Pierre at first, just as the Napoleonic Wars did to the French a while back. But Pierre's "creations" pass from ornate grandeur to messy sawdust in the blink of a watery eye. The last time the U.S. declared War on France, our Congress mandated that McDonalds and Burger King had to switch to using "Victory Fries" for their combos. But Warner Bros. saw pesky French fare such as hors d'oeuvres and consume creeping back onto America's menus. Just as the U.S. Forest Service uses Smokey Bear to remind us of the dangers of fires, in THE PEST THAT CAME TO DINNER Warner relies on French termite Pierre to warn us that French cooking is tantamount to the Seven Deadly Sins rolled into one!

"The Pest That Came to Dinner" may be one of the Warner Bros. short films with the longest titles, but it's not among the most famous works from the legendary cartoon company. The reason may be that, apart from Mel Blanc, there aren't that many popular aspects/characters in here. Director Arthur Davis and writer George Hill (especially him) are not really known compared to Chuck Jones and Michael Maltese for example. Same goes for the main character Porky. I always liked him, but nobody really thinks of him compared to Bugs or Daffy. Also the story isn't that great here. Many of the jokes feel like they were taken from a Roadrunner vs. Coyote episode. The little termite and the dog are not very memorable either I must say. At least the ending was sort of nice and Porky is finally not the loser anymore. Nonetheless, a forgettable short film i think. Not recommended.