A Little Soap and Water: Just a Messy Bath Time

Is it worth your time?

If you like old-school animation that feels like a fever dream, sure. It’s seven minutes of pure, unadulterated chaos. If you hate slapstick or get annoyed by dogs that act like tiny humans, probably skip it.

Honestly, watching A Little Soap and Water is like watching someone try to wrangle a greased pig in a bathtub. Pudgy is determined to stay dirty. Betty is determined to keep things clean. Neither side is winning, which is where the fun starts.

The Rubber Hose Aesthetic

Everything in this short is stretchy and liquid. It reminded me a bit of the frantic energy in Over the Garden Wall, though way less moody. There’s a moment where Pudgy just… stretches across the room like a piece of taffy. It’s physically impossible but looks completely normal in this world.

The soap bubbles are everywhere. At one point, the screen is basically just a wall of suds. It’s funny how they managed to make water look so bouncy back then. 🛁

• Pudgy’s eyes go wide in a way that’s almost terrifying.
• The sound design is just a constant barrage of squeaks and splashes.
• Betty’s patience is honestly saint-like considering what that dog puts her through.

It’s not a deep film. You aren't going to have an existential crisis watching it. It’s just Betty Boop getting covered in soap and Pudgy acting like a total brat. Sometimes that’s exactly what you need on a Tuesday afternoon.

I found myself wondering if they actually had a dog in the studio for reference. Probably not. The movements are too elastic. It’s just the animators having fun with how much they could distort reality before the whole thing snapped.

It feels a little less polished than her later stuff, but that’s why I liked it. It feels handmade. The imperfections in the frame lines are still there if you look close enough. You can almost feel the pencil lead hitting the paper. ✨