Dizzy Red Riding-Hood (1931)

Sorry, this movie sucks

Excellent adaptation.

Ok... Let's be honest. It cannot be the best movie but is quite enjoyable. The movie has the potential to develop a great plot for future movies

The biggest problem with this movie is it’s a little better than you think it might be, which somehow makes it worse. As in, it takes itself a bit too seriously, which makes most of the movie feel kind of dull.

Fleischer were responsible for some brilliant cartoons, some of them still among my favourites. Their visual style was often stunning and some of the most imaginative and ahead of its time in animation.The character of Betty Boop, one of their most famous and prolific characters, may not be for all tastes and sadly not as popular now, but her sex appeal was quite daring for the time and to me there is an adorable sensual charm about her. That charm, sensuality and adorable factor is not lost anywhere here, nor her comic timing and she is very well supported by the ever fun Bimbo and the scary evil wolf. 'Dizzy Red Riding-Hood' to me is among the best of the early Betty Boop cartoons and among her better ones overall. It has all the elements that make her pre-Code cartoons so worthwhile and does do so much, almost everything, right and little wrong. Story-wise, it is slight but it is an example of an old story adapted many times in animation given freshness through some wonderfully wacky and racy humour and content.The animation is outstanding, everything is beautifully and meticulously drawn and the whole cartoon is rich in visual detail and imagination. Every bit as good is the music score, which delivers on the energy, lusciousness and infectiousness, great for putting anybody in a good mood.As hoped, the fun is ceaseless, with some very well timed and funny gags, and delivers on the creativity and imagination as well as (for Betty Boop especially) a surprising darkness and surrealism. As well as a raciness that one associates pre-code Betty Boop with. The voice work and such is good.In summary, Betty Boop fans will find a lot to enjoy here. 9/10 Bethany Cox

"Dizzy Red Riding-Hood" is another black-and-white short film starring Betty Boop from the early 1930s, so this one has its 85th anniversary this year and it should not come as a surprise that Betty is not too known today anymore. I myself cannot say that this makes me too angry as I am not the biggest fan of her as a cartoon character. Here we see Fleischer's take on Betty as Red Riding Hood and using her as famous fairytale characters is not a rarity. She also has her own little Snow White version. As usual with Betty, the film runs for under 7 minutes and includes really more music than a truly funny or memorable tale in terms of drama. I liked the tune of "London Bridge" the most about this short film here I guess. Other than that, it is not really worth the watch sadly. Thumbs down.

This is obviously another transposition of a fairy-tale to accommodate the Betty Boop character. The end result is not as entertaining as others of its ilk, being also the oldest 'vehicle' of hers I have watched, but there is still sufficient inventiveness on display (regular partner Bimbo overcomes the wolf's threat and, amusingly, takes up its place at Grandma's house!) – not to mention risqué visuals, since Betty is shown repeatedly losing her garter and causing the male population around her to turn 'wolf' in the process! In the long run, Tex Avery – who made a number of classic variations on this theme in his own right over at the staid MGM studio! – would fare considerably better and, by way of outright surrealism, take the latter modern assimilation to its hilarious extremes.

This short sees Betty taking on the role of Little Red Riding Hood as she walks through the forest to visit her grandma. Bimbo follows behind despite being told to stay at home. On the way some talking trees warn her that there is a wolf in the forest but she continues and meets the malevolent creature; it is clearly intending to eat her but Bimbo kills the wolf. Bimbo then wears the wolf's skin and gets to Grandma's ahead of Betty. Betty then sings to 'Grandma' who is really Bimbo but looks like the wolf.While this isn't as inventive as the later Betty Boop version of Snow White it is a good take on the 'Little Red Riding Hood' tale with an enjoyable twist. The wolf was a particularly villainous creature; we see how he is planning to cut her throat; so it was a lot of fun when Bimbo defeated him. As always there is a lot of inventive animation; some of it funny like when she uses her picnic basket as a boat and it grows an outboard engine and some of it mildly disturbing like the singing fish she intends to take to Grandma's. As is often the way with her early cartoon there are some risqué moments: here her garter belts slip down and as usual she shows rather a lot of leg. I'm sure fans of Betty and Bimbo will enjoy this one.