Arabiantics Review: Felix the Cat is still weirdly funny

If you have five minutes to kill and like old-school animation, Arabiantics is definitely worth a look. It is perfect for anyone who likes seeing where characters like Mickey Mouse actually came from. People who hate black-and-white silent stuff will probably find it boring, though. 🐱

Felix is just wandering through the desert for no real reason. The logic in these 1920s cartoons is totally non-existent and I love it for that.

Otto Messmer was the guy behind this, and you can see his hand everywhere. The way Felix moves is so rubbery and strange.

One of the best bits is when Felix pulls his own tail off to use as a flute. It's a bit gross if you think about it too hard, but it's just cartoon magic I guess.

He uses the tail-flute to charm a snake that looks like a piece of wobbly linguine. The snake starts dancing and the timing is actually pretty decent.

Cinematic perspective: Exploring the visual vocabulary of Arabiantics (1928) through its definitive frames.

There is a Sultan character who is basically just a giant beard with a sword. He is very angry for some reason, maybe because Felix is trespassing. ⚔️

The backgrounds are super simple, just some wiggly lines for dunes and a few blocky houses. It reminds me of the low-budget charm in Clara Cleans Her Teeth, though this is much more fun to watch.

I noticed a weird animation error where Felix's ears disappear for a split second during a jump. It's the kind of thing you only catch if you're looking for it, but it makes it feel more human.

The gag with the magic carpet is a little clunky. The carpet doesn't really look like it's flying, it just looks like it's being dragged across the screen by a string.

Even though it's silent, you can almost hear the frantic piano music that usually goes with these things. It has that same high-energy pacing you find in The Strong Man from around the same time.

Cinematic perspective: Exploring the visual vocabulary of Arabiantics (1928) through its definitive frames.

The ending happens really fast. Felix just sort of wins and that's it.

It's not a deep movie, obviously. But the visual gags are way more creative than some of the stuff we get now in big CGI movies.

I think I prefer this version of Felix to the later ones. He's a bit more of a jerk here, which is funnier.

If you're into the history of bits and bobs like Pedigreedy, this is a solid addition to your watchlist. It's short, weird, and has a cat using his tail as a musical instrument. What else do you want? 🎶

Sometimes the old stuff is just better because it isn't trying to sell you a lunchbox. It's just a cat being a weirdo in the sand.