But the character's best known incarnation was created by The Walt Disney Company. He famously appeared as the villain in the movie Three Little Pigs, directed by Burton Gillett and first released on May 27, 1933. As in the folktale he was a cunning and threatening menace. But this version had also a taste for disguising himself. The audience could easily see through his disguises but they were convincing enough for the Pigs. His voice actor was William Bletcher. The short also introduced names for the pigs. Fifer Pig, for the pig who played the flute and build the straw house. His voice actor was Dorothy Compton. Fiddler Pig, for the pig who played the fiddle and built the stick house. His voice actor was Mary Moder. Practical Pig, for the pig who played the piano only after he built his brick house and felt safe in it. The latter proved his ability to stay ahead of both his brothers and the wolf, in taking authority over his brothers, defeating the wolf and playing a practical joke on his siblings. His voice actor was Pinto Colvig. The short also introduced the Wolf's theme song, "Who's Afraid of the Big Bad Wolf", written by Frank Churchill.
The short proved popular enough for Walt Disney to decide to produce several sequels to it. The Wolf appeared as the villain in the sequels as well. The first of them was named after him: The Big Bad Wolf, also directed by Burton Gillet and first released on April 14, 1934. All four characters of the original film returned along with two new additions. The latter were Little Red Riding Hood and her grandmother, originating from a different folktale. The plot was fairly simple. Practical Pig is seen building an extension to the shared residence of the three pigs. The added space is presumably needed as the residence was originally intended for a single occupant. Meanwhile, Fiddler and Fifer Pig offer to escort the Red Riding Hood to her grandmother's residence. Against the advice of Practical, the trio attempts to follow a shortcut through the forest. They encounter the dressed-in-drag Wolf and barely evade capture. He proceeds in running ahead of them to the residence of the old woman. The Wolf places her in a closet and then awaits her grandaughter to arrive. The young girl soon does but also enters the closet with the assistance of her grandmother. Then Fiddler and Fifer Pig alert their brother to the situation. Practical arrives and soon manages to sent the Wolf running by placing hot coals and popcorn into his trousers. The short contained several gags but at the time failed to repeat the commercial success of the original. Modern audiences have found it entertaining enough but still inferior to its predecessor.
The Wolf next appeared in Mickey's Polo Team, directed by David Dodd Hand and first released on January 4, 1936. The short featured a game of Polo between four of Disney's animated characters (one of whom was the Wolf) and four animated caricatures of noted film actors.
He also appears in Lil Bad Wolf comic book stories as Lil Bad Wolf's father, here called Zeke Wolf, who wants his son to be as mean as he is but he can't live up to his father's expectations.
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