Blog #7

"Dizzy Red Riding Hood" is a Betty Boop cartoon from Fleischer Studios. The original black and white cartoon came out in 1931 and was directed by Dave Fleischer and produced by Max Fleischer. The story follows the iconic cartoon character of Betty Boop as a mature and sexualized version of Little Red. Betty prepares a basket at home before venturing into the woods to visit her grandma, despite the trees warning her of a wolf in the forest. Bimbo, a character who serves as Betty's main love interest in many Betty Boop cartoons, follows her into the woods. A hungry wolf spots Betty and follows her with a knife and fork. Bimbo sees the wolf who is about to attack Betty and drags him into a tree before skinning him and putting on the wolf's skin as a disguise. Bimbo, now dressed as the wolf, follows Betty to her grandmother's house and lays in her bed. When Betty arrives she comments on his large, manly physical features. The cartoon ends with Bimbo revealing his true identity and kissing Betty.

This adaption of the classic fairy tale clearly has many significant differences in both plot and theme. As soon as the cartoon begins we see that there is no mother to tell Betty the rules or help preserve her innocence. The only mention we get of a mother is when Betty tells Bimbo he shouldn't come with her because her mother wouldn't like that. In the original Grimm fairy tale Little Red knows that there are wolves in the forest or that they are bad, because she is completely innocent. In the cartoon, however, Betty is actively warned about the danger of wolves but ventures on anyway. In the original tale the wolf tricks Little Red so that he can eat both her and her grandma, but in the cartoon the wolf attempts to eat Betty right away. Bimbo is a very interesting character in the cartoon because he could be compared to both the wolf and the huntsman. It is true that he saves Betty from the initial wolf, but he also tricks Betty in order to satisfy his own sexual desire. When he reveals his true identity at the end Betty actually seems happy to see him despite him lying and taking advantage of her.


This is clearly a social cartoon that strongly reflects the trends and beliefs of the 1931 time period. Betty is portrayed as an idiotic and sexually mature girl who is easily manipulated by the male figures around her as a form of comedy. Bimbo is supposed to be seen by the audience as the male protagonist and love interest despite the fact that he ignored Betty's order telling him not to follow her into the woods, violently skinned a wolf in order to wear his skin, lied to Betty by disguising himself as both the wolf and the grandmother, and tricked her in order to take advantage of her sexually. The fact that all these actions are supposed to be seen as acceptable and funny makes me really not like the cartoon. Additionally, Betty Boop never gets the rebirth and redemption arc that Little Red gets in the original story. Originally, Little Red survives her initial attack, learns from it, and is able to outsmart the next wolf she meets. In the cartoon however, Betty never learns anything and will probably continue to be taken advantage of by every man she meets.

Here is a link to the Youtube video

Sources:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lj-LDzzs-Wg

https://www.google.com/url?sa=i&source=images&cd=&ved=2ahUKEwjbrq-WuszlAhXCdN8KHV2rA5sQjRx6BAgBEAQ&url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.youtube.com%2Fwatch%3Fv%3DHkAFH1ynzVk&psig=AOvVaw1WgEvpBkyagNohH64eooDz&ust=1572815940544961

https://www.google.com/url?sa=i&source=images&cd=&ved=2ahUKEwjN19WsuszlAhWyUt8KHS3dD18QjRx6BAgBEAQ&url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.themoviedb.org%2Fmovie%2F144808-dizzy-red-riding-hood&psig=AOvVaw1WgEvpBkyagNohH64eooDz&ust=1572815940544961