Fish Tales 1936

Animation

Family

Comedy

Runtime

7 mins

Language

English

Made by

Leon Schlesinger Productions

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Fish Tales Plot Summary

Read the complete plot summary and ending explained for Fish Tales (1936). From turning points to emotional moments, uncover what really happened and why it matters.

Porky Pig heads out for a quiet day of fishing, only to be joined by two unexpected companions: two worms that creep from their hole and trail him all the way to his boat. The first worm eagerly hops into the can, while the second worm—portrayed as a woman wearing gloves and high heels—begins the day coy, but is quickly hauled inside as well.

Porky starts the engine, and the boat comes alive, its motion turning wild and unpredictable as it shoots across the water toward the open ocean. The vessel shoots straight toward a distant battleship, then dives and rises from beneath the waves, wiping out the calm with a chaotic flip of the sea. On the return trip, the boat crashes into the battleship, scattering sailors and splitting a dinner table in half. The dramatic collision ends with the boat pushing clear of the ship, which then sinks to the deep.

Once free, Porky manages to bring the boat to a halt. He unfurls a fishing rod, and after a few flubs and false starts, he settles into the patient rhythm of fishing. He reels in a heady trophy—a fish head—before tossing it back into the water. A steady stream of catches follows, and Porky fills a bucket with his haul. Yet the exertion takes its toll, and he yawns, exhaustion brushing his whiskered face. He arranges a rope as a pillow and drifts off to sleep, sinking into a dream that turns the day surreal.

In the dream, a hunter fish—anthropomorphic and armed with a rod-gun—prepares to shoot at Porky from the harbor of the boat. Porky wakes to find a ring shaped like a doughnut; he reaches for it, only to be seized by the ring and reeled in by the hunting fish. The predator carries Porky to an underwater home where a fish wife and two fish kids await him, all watching with mixed curiosity and amusement.

The hunter presents Porky, hanging upside down, to the family. The kids laugh and tremble, and Porky’s strange, fish-like movements evoke both humor and fear. The hunter escorts Porky into the kitchen, where a knife is used to slice Porky’s shirt until he is naked, and Porky is slid into a pan. Pepper, carrots, potatoes, and an apple are placed around him as if to prepare a whimsical, perilous meal, and Porky slides into an oven where dancing flames threaten his breath.

Inside the oven, the flames swirl and Porky feels suffocated, coughing out, “let me outta here!” > let me outta here! He escapes the oven just as the dream spirals into a chase. He runs from the house, encountering an eel, a giant fish, and a swordfish, only to be captured by an octopus that entangles him in its tentacles.

Porky jolts awake, still naked and tangled in rope, and he begins tossing everything into the water, stoking the engine, and driving the boat away with renewed urgency.

Fish Tales Timeline

Follow the complete movie timeline of Fish Tales (1936) with every major event in chronological order. Great for understanding complex plots and story progression.

Worms follow Porky to the boat

Porky Pig goes fishing and two worms emerge from their hole and follow him to his boat. He makes it clear he wants the worms to go into a can, and the first worm promptly hops inside. The second worm, depicted as a woman wearing gloves and high heels, is initially coy but is hauled into the can as well. The odd cargo accompanies Porky as he prepares to fish.

Porky's boat

Engine roars to life and the sea becomes chaotic

Porky starts the engine and the boat lurches into a wild ride. The vessel speeds across the ocean, bucking and weaving with dizzying energy. It charges toward a battleship ahead, then dives up and down as if riding a roller coaster.

Open sea

Collision with the battleship and dinner-table destruction

The boat crashes into the battleship, shocking Navy sailors and slicing the dinner table in half. Debris and alarms erupt as Porky's craft slips through the ship's corridors in a comic mishap. The collision marks the start of a chaotic chase between Porky and the battleship's crew.

Battleship

Escape as the battleship sinks

Porky manages to wriggle the boat back out of the ship just as it begins to sink beneath the waves. The battleship's compartments flood while Porky watches the hull disappear. He brings the boat to a stop on the surface and breathes a sigh of relief, though the sea remains wild around him.

Battleship

Back on deck, fishing continues and fatigue sets in

Back on the boat, Porky returns to fishing and soon hauls in a fish head trophy that he tosses back into the water. He fills a bucket with a bunch of fish and looks visibly tired afterwards. With a heavy yawn, he decides to rest for a moment and drifts toward sleep.

On the boat

Porky drifts into a dream as the sea rocks him

Porky arranges a rope as a pillow and drifts off to sleep on the rocking deck. In his dream, an anthropomorphic hunter fish with a fishing-rod gun readies the weapon and fires toward Porky. The dream blurs the line between reality and fantasy as the ocean keeps rocking the boat.

On the boat / dreaming

Donut ring pulls Porky into an underwater dream world

Within the dream, a donut-shaped ring wraps around Porky and pulls him deeper into an underwater world. The hunter fish drags him to an underwater house where the fisherman's wife and two fish kids await. The surreal sequence locks Porky into the dream's strange subaquatic family scene.

Underwater

Upside-down capture and the kitchen trap

The hunter fish presents Porky hanging upside down, and the fish kids laugh until they touch him and he suddenly acts like a fish. He is carried toward the kitchen where the hunter uses a knife to cut Porky's shirt, leaving him naked and laid into a pan with pepper, carrots, potatoes, and an apple on his mouth. The pan is slid into an oven as flames dance around him.

Underwater house kitchen

Oven danger and a frantic escape

Inside the oven, Porky feels suffocated and pleads to be let out. He bursts from the oven and flees the underwater kitchen, dodging a series of hazards created by the dream’s anatomy. An eel, a giant fish, and a swordfish loom before an octopus snares him.

Underwater house

Wakefulness returns and the escape continues

Porky wakes up still naked and tangled in rope, realizing the nightmare might be over. He throws everything into the water to free himself and then starts up the boat's engine, steering away from the strange underwater world. The journey resumes as the wide sea opens before him.

On the boat

The voyage continues as the horizon beckons

The surreal episode fades as Porky drives off toward the open sea with the engine humming softly. He keeps his focus on the horizon, wary but determined to press onward. The adventure leaves him with a wary sense of humor about the ocean's surprises.

Open sea

Fish Tales Characters

Explore all characters from Fish Tales (1936). Get detailed profiles with their roles, arcs, and key relationships explained.

Porky Pig – Joe Dougherty

Porky is a good-natured but gullible fisherman whose quest for a simple day of fishing leads into a whirlwind of slapstick peril. He remains cheerful and determined, even when his boat careens toward danger and he wakes from a threatening dream with comic resolve.

🎭 Comedy 🌊 Ocean 🐷 Cartoon pig

Worm #1

The first worm eagerly follows Porky into the can, setting up the duo’s improbable voyage. The worm is quick and reckless, contributing to the film’s rapid-fire humor as it becomes an unwilling sidekick.

🐛 Worm 🎭 Comedy

Worm #2

A second worm is depicted as a refined woman wearing gloves and high heels, initially coy but soon hauled along for the ride. Her presence adds a layer of gendered visual humor to the maritime absurdity.

🐛 Worm 👠 High fashion

Fish Hunter

The anthropomorphic fish hunter appears in Porky’s dream as a formidable predator, loading a rod-gun and pursuing Porky across the dreamscape. The encounter blends menace with cartoonish exaggeration.

🐟 Hunter 💭 Dreamscape

Fish Tales Settings

Learn where and when Fish Tales (1936) takes place. Explore the film’s settings, era, and how they shape the narrative.

Location

Ocean, Navy battleship, Underwater home

The story unfolds on the open sea aboard a small fishing boat. The voyage collides with a Navy battleship, plunging Porky into chaotic scenes of slapstick humor. The story also ventures into an underwater dream where a fish world comes to life.

🌊 Ocean setting ⚓ Battleship interior 🐚 Underwater home

Fish Tales Themes

Discover the main themes in Fish Tales (1936). Analyze the deeper meanings, emotional layers, and social commentary behind the film.

🎭

Comedic Adventure

A rapid succession of gags and near-disasters drives the plot, relying on visual humor, misunderstandings, and the unpredictable boat ride. Porky's misadventures with worms and a hunting fish create a relentless clockwork of playful danger. The sequence stacks slapstick moments—from the boat's chaos to the improvised solutions—that keep Porky precariously afloat yet resilient. The humor relies on timing and exaggerated reactions.

🌊

Sea and Dream

Open ocean settings frame both the chase on the boat and the leap into an underwater dream world. The open water provides a backdrop for danger and misfortune as the boat veers toward disaster. The dream inserts a fantasy element—an underwater realm where fish rule and risk feels heightened.

💭

Dream vs Reality

The dream-versus-reality theme plays out as the huntsman fish turns Porky’s fears into spectacle. The sequence shows Porky's vulnerability in a threatening setup, followed by a waking escape that preserves his cheerful persistence. The contrast emphasizes the cartoon's blend of danger and humor. The ending underscores that, even in peril, Porky manages to keep fishing.

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Fish Tales Spoiler-Free Summary

Discover the spoiler-free summary of Fish Tales (1936). Get a concise overview without any spoilers.

In a world that feels both familiar and delightfully unhinged, Porky Pig decides that a quiet day on the water is the perfect antidote to the bustle of his everyday life. The gentle lap of waves, the soft hum of an engine, and the promise of a simple cast set the stage for an adventure that begins with the ordinary intention of catching a fish. The setting is an animated expanse where the rules of physics and propriety bend just enough to let imagination swim free, inviting the audience to wonder what will surface when a classic cartoon icon seeks solitude.

Soon, Porky discovers that he is not alone; two whimsical companions emerge from the earth, turning the routine outing into a quirky partnership that defies expectations. Their presence infuses the boat with a playful energy, and the vessel itself seems to develop a personality of its own—gliding, darting, and reacting in ways that echo the exaggerated humor of its cartoon heritage. The tone balances slap‑slap comedy with a surreal undercurrent, hinting that the day may drift far beyond the simple act of angling.

As the afternoon rolls on, the line between reality and reverie begins to blur. The calm of the lake gives way to hints of larger, more fantastical currents pulling the characters toward unforeseen horizons. The atmosphere remains light‑hearted yet tinged with a sense of mystery, suggesting that the journey will explore both the absurdity of the situation and Porky’s own earnest desire for a peaceful catch. This blend of whimsical companionship, an animated environment, and a protagonist whose gentle optimism clashes with the unexpected sets the stage for a tale that promises both laughs and a touch of the uncanny, leaving viewers eager to see just how far the adventure will sail.

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