Who’s Afraid of the Big Bad Wolf? was Franklin D. Roosevelt’s favorite song. Why? This song quickly became an anthem to the Great Depression Era. Walt Disney’s original Silly Symphony #36 was based on one big metaphor. The Three Little Pigs was America, and the Big Bad Wolf was Hitler. So who really is afraid of the Big Bad Wolf? This song helped people get through this hard time.
Another message from this short film was how only the wealthy could survive the depression. If you did not have a strong house, it will be taken away from you due to the “wolf” or the depression.
It won the Academy Award for Best Animated Short Film in 1934. It played for months and months. What’s funny about it was how the theaters began to put beards on the film posters outside because they’ve been playing the short for so long. People really wanted to watch something that would make them feel good in such a dark time.
Michele Arechavala is a senior at Rowan University, and is studying Early Childhood Education. Michele enjoys many different genres of music. One of her favorite kinds of music is musical theater. Growing up, she has grown to love Disney music the best. When Michele is not preforming Disney in her car, she likes to play softball, cuddle with her dog, and go to Disney World. Her favorite Disney movie is Peter Pan.