Porky in Wackyland, and its significance for zany cartoons

A lot of people know that Bob Clampett was instrumental in creating the Looney Tunes style of humor and cartooning that we know and love today, but early on, even for him, his initial director efforts weren't necessarily the best. He kept experimenting, as did all the other directors at the studio, with new ideas, new gags, timing, music, drawing styles, etc. This said, Porky in Wackyland was a major breakthrough for every single major American animation studio. Even George Pal's Puppetoon studio. But why?

Simple. It is probably one of the first true Looney Tunes films to have ever been produced; its timing, drawing, music, direction; its everything was a first for the entire business, and the artform as a whole. Even the Fleischers, who had made very zany cartoons before Clampett and Warner Bros. did, never reached this level of extreme (perhaps because Paramount told them to emulate Disney). It is no small feat either; this cartoon established Warner Bros. as being completely distinguishable and recognizable from its competition. Even the Fleischers (and early Famous Studios) began to imitate Warner Bros./Clampett style humor around this time period.

Looks innocent enough, but even the title card does something that no cartoon before it had ever done.

It breaks the fourth wall! Not only is the paperboy aware of the audience's presence and walks right over the credits, but he also offers us a paper that gives us context as to what's motivating Porky to go to Wackyland in the first place.

The set-up for this cartoon is, and always will be, absolutely incredible.

The cartoon starts to really get crazy around here. Before this sequence, you'd see what you'd expect from a Looney Tunes film from around this time. Some chuckle-worthy passing jokes and decent animation. But this is where the entire cartoon does a one hundred eighty and completely catches you off-guard.

The drawing changes completely! Now it goes from a relatively tame kind of background style to something Dali-esque.

The cartoon also sports much wilder and visual humor than a lot of what came before it as well.

I don't think anybody who saw this in theaters in 1938 was prepared for any of this. Even with some of the things that seem to hint at it beforehand. This is something entirely new; look at how many weird, bizarre, utterly insane things take place on screen! This sequence isn't even thirty seconds long, but so much goes on within it that it's completely impossible to ignore.

I remember when I rediscovered this cartoon several years ago, and my mind was blown away. Clampett had become a director for Warner Bros. in 1937, and the animation, humor, and direction was far more primitive then. This is how fast the entire Clampett unit had advanced within a single year.

More on this cartoon soon! Cheers.

EDIT #1) I've been informed by WHYx3 that Izzy Ellis may have animated the pan with all the funny, crazy things happening. Ellis was a fantastic, wild animator who had a very angular style. Thanks for the ID!