7 /10 1 Votes
Directed by Rudolf Ising Distributed by Warner Bros. Pictures Initial release 26 December 1931 Film series Merrie Melodies Production company Warner Bros. Cartoons | 3.5/5 Big Cartoon DataBase Music by Frank Marsales Release date(s) December 26, 1931 Director Rudolf Ising Music director Frank Marsales | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Produced by Hugh Harman
Rudolf Ising Studio Leon Schlesinger Studios Animation by Rollin Hamilton, Carman Maxwell (unc.) Similar Freddy the Freshman, Moonlight for Two, Crosby - Columbo - and Vallee, Lady - Play Your Mandolin!, Hittin' the Trail for Halleluja | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Red-Headed Baby is a 1931 one-reel short animated film, part of the Merrie Melodies series. It was released on December 26, 1931, and is directed by Rudolf Ising. The short is notable for being the first Merrie Melodie to not feature recurring characters such as Foxy or Piggy, and also for being the first Warner Brothers cartoon to feature one-off characters. (All shorts released prior to this one featured recurring characters such as Bosko, Foxy or Piggy).
Plot
Around Christmas Eve, a toymaker creates a red-haired doll, who, after he (the toymaker) departs, comes to life along with the other toys; she subsequently breaks into singing the titular song, in the process meeting a toy soldier (given the name 'Napoleon') who instantly falls for her.
However, a massive and thuggish spider also has fallen for the doll. He kidnaps her and beats the sawdust out of Napoleon. Napoleon fills his body up again and defeats the spider using a toy train. All the toys rejoice and the doll and Napoleon reunite as the titular song reprises, ending the cartoon.