“Who’s Afraid of the Big Bad Wolf?” (Churchill and Ronell) and the 1948 revision of Disney’s 1933 short “The Three Little Pigs"

The song "Who's Afraid of the Big Bad Wolf?" appeared in the 1933 Oscar winner for Best Animated Short Film, "The Three Little Pigs", one of Disney's "Silly Symphonies". An immediate hit, it was written by Frank Churchill (1901-1942) and Ann Ronell (1905-1993; she had also composed the eventual standard "Willow Weep for Me" in 1932). When the Big Bad Wolf disguises himself to try to blow down the third house, the one made of brick, he dresses like a Jewish stereotype, which was criticized at the time. Later, in 1948, Walt Disney had animator Jack Hannah revise the scene to eliminate the wolf's stereotypical voice and part of his disguise. (Andrew Shields, #111Words, 18 October 2024)