| The Pink Phink | |
|---|---|
 Original theatrical poster | |
| Directed by | Friz Freleng Co-director: Hawley Pratt |
| Story by | John W. Dunn |
| Produced by | David H. DePatie Friz Freleng Mirisch-Geoffrey-DePatie-Freleng |
| Edited by | Lee Gunther |
| Music by | Theme music: Henry Mancini Score: William Lava |
| Animation by | Don Williams Bob Matz Norman McCabe Laverne Harding |
| Layouts by | Dick Ung (uncredited) |
| Backgrounds by | Tom O'Loughlin |
Production company | |
| Distributed by | United Artists |
Release date |
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Running time | 6 minutes |
| Country | United States |
The Pink Phink is a 1964 Americananimatedshortcomedy film directed byFriz Freleng. It is the first animated short starringthe Pink Panther, based on the character created for the opening credits ofBlake Edwards'film released a year earlier.[1] The short won theAcademy Award for Best Animated Short at the37th Academy Awards.
In the film,the "Little Man" attempts to paint a house in a blue color. The Panther keeps tricking him into using pink paint, while the painter is completely unaware of the Panther's presence. The Man eventually confronts the Panther and attempts to destroy his opponent's paint cans. He accidentally creates pink grass, pink flowers, pink bushes, pink trees, and a pink version of theSun.
The Pink Panther comes across an unnamed housepainter (known asthe "Little Man") painting a house blue. Disgusted by the color blue, the Pink Panther swaps out his blue paint bucket with pink paint. What follows is a series of gags where the painter attempts to paint something blue, but each time Pink thwarts him in a new way, and paints the object/area pink - and all the while, the painter is completely unaware of the Panther's presence.
After a repeat series of these gags, the painter finally catches an eyeful of the Pink Panther carrying his brush and bucket; enraged, the painter grabs a rifle and pursues Pink throughout the house. As the painter exits the house searching for his target, the Pink Panther, still inside the house, reaches out from a window and pours pink paint into the gun's barrel behind the painter's back. The painter aims his gun, but just before he fires, the Pink Panther shuts the window as a blast of pink paint shoots out from the gun and splatters onto the house. The painter continues shooting at the Panther, and, when all is said and done, the entire exterior of the house has been painted pink.
Having had enough, the exasperated painter collects all of the Panther's pink paint cans and buries them in the ground. However, much to the painter's surprise, this causes pink grass, flowers, bushes, and trees to sprout from the ground outside the house, as a pink sun rises into frame in the horizon, turning the sky pink as well. Overjoyed at the sight of his dream house, Pink gives the disheartened painter a smooch of gratitude before proceeding to fetch his belongings and move into the house. But just before he enters his new home, he paints the white man completely pink. The painter bangs his head against the Pink Panther's mailbox outside in frustration as the content Panther strolls into his new house as the pink sun sets and the cartoon fades out.[2]
The Pink Phink was the firstPink Panther animated short produced byDePatie–Freleng Enterprises and by winning the 1964Academy Award for Animated Short Film, it marked the first time that a studio won an Academy Award with its first animated short. It is also both the only animated Pink Panther short and the only installment in the franchise to win the award, as well as the only time Freleng won an Academy Award in his career, despite directing manyLooney Tunes shorts.[2]
Alaugh track was added to the theatrical Pink Panther cartoons when they were broadcast as part of thePink Panther Show aired onNBC,[2] and this laugh track still appears when the show is aired on theSpanish languageBoomerang TV channel, and theFrench ChannelGulli. Most American broadcasts currently air minus the laugh track.The Pink Phink can be viewed in its original form with full titles and sans laugh track on The Official Pink Panther channel on YouTube along with the MGM Television logo.[3]