Red is an attractive animated cartoon character created by Tex Avery. In each cartoon, she is a dancer at a nightclub whose dances cause the men to go wild. One of these men is usually a wolf, who tries—and fails—to kiss her. Her debut appearance was in Red Hot Riding Hood.
Today, Warner Bros. owns Turner Entertainment's pre-May 1986 MGM library, including Red Hot Riding Hood.
History[]
Creation and Origin[]
The character's origins can be traced back to the military, where her creator, Avery, assisted sergeants in developing training films for the MGM animators. Once the film was completed, Avery headed to the projection room, a space where he traditionally presented the final product to the producer and the entire production team. Upon viewing the film, one sergeant reacted with a roar reminiscent of a wolf, prompting a wave of buzz about the screening within the army ranks. Notably, the version presented was an unedited cut, which included a controversial scene where the grandmother marries the wolf and they have children. This particular sequence raised eyebrows at the Hays Office due to its implications of bestiality and was ultimately removed from the theatrical release.
The character was crafted by designer Claude Smith and brought to life through the animation of Preston Blair. Initially, the storyline centered around the wolf and the grandmother—whose design drew inspiration from the caricatures of artist Peter Arno—but the focus soon shifted to Red, a character that emerged purely from Blair's creativity rather than rotoscoping. The first cartoon was incredibly well-received, achieving 15,000 bookings, which paved the way for multiple sequels, with "The Shooting of Dan McGoo" being the first in line.
Additionally, the character of Red served as a significant inspiration for Jessica Rabbit in "Who Framed Roger Rabbit."
Appearances[]
- Red Hot Riding Hood (1943)
- Who Killed Who? (1943) (picture cameo)
- Batty Baseball (1944) (cameo)
- Big Heel-Watha (as Minnie Hot-Cha)
- The Shooting of Dan McGoo (1945) (as Lady Lou)
- Swing Shift Cinderella (1945)
- Wild and Woolfy (1945) (as the Saloon Girl)
- The Hick Chick (1946) (cameo as a nurse hen)
- Uncle Tom's Cabaña (1947) (as Little Eva)
- Little Rural Riding Hood (1949) (recycled footage, also picture cameo)
Notes[]
- Red served as an inspiration for Roger Rabbit's wife Jessica Rabbit in Who Framed Roger Rabbit.
- In each of her appearances her voice is patterned after a different celebrity.
- In "Red Hot Riding Hood", her voice is based on Katharine Hepburn.
- In "The Shooting of Dan McGoo" and "Wild and Woolfy", her voice is based on Mae West.
- In "Swing Shift Cinderella", her voice is based on Bette Davis.
Gallery[]
