Ball Park (1929) Review: A Weirdly Violent Animal Cricket Match

Is it worth the six minutes?

If you like old stuff that feels like it was found in a basement, then yeah, put it on. It is perfect for people who like seeing how animation used to look before it got all slick and corporate.

If you hate black and white or you need a story that actually makes sense, you should probably just skip it. You might have more fun with something like The Strong Man if you want actual jokes.

I watched this on a Tuesday morning while drinking cold coffee. It felt right.

The movie is basically just a bunch of animals at a stadium. They are supposed to be playing cricket, but I am pretty sure Paul Terry didn't actually know how cricket works.

The animation has that rubbery feel where everything is bouncing even when it's standing still. It’s kind of hypnotic if you stare at it too long.

The weird details

There is this one dog in the crowd that just keeps blinking. Just blinking and staring at the camera while the rest of the frame is exploding with movement.

It’s a bit creepy, honestly. I wonder if the animator just got tired and left him there.

The way the bowler moves is also totally wrong for cricket. He looks like he’s trying to throw a shot put through a window.

I noticed a small smudge on the left side of the screen during the scoreboard shot. It looks like a thumbprint from 1929 was frozen in time.

That is the kind of stuff I love about these old prints. It feels like a ghost is watching it with you.

The pacing reminds me a bit of Pop Tuttle's Tac Tics where things just happen and then they stop. No transitions, just pure chaos.

The ending is the point

The whole thing builds up to the end where everyone just gets knocked out. It is not even a clever ending, it just happens.

Cinematic perspective: Exploring the visual vocabulary of Ball Park (1929) through its definitive frames.

The ball starts flying around and hitting everyone in the head. One by one, the animals just drop.

It’s very violent in a way that only old cartoons can be. Like, nobody is actually hurt, they just have those little swirly birds around their heads.

I think I counted twelve animals getting hit in about ten seconds. The timing is actually pretty decent for a movie this old.

It reminded me of the physical stuff in His Own Law, but with more fur. And less legal drama, obviously.

The crowd scenes are the best part because they are so messy. There is so much going on in the background that you can't see it all in one go.

I saw a goat eating a hat. Or maybe it was a cat. The lines are a bit blurry.

Anyway, it's a short trip. It doesn't overstay its welcome like some of the longer silent films from that year.

I’m thinking about A Virgin Paradise which feels like a marathon compared to this. Ball Park is just a sprint into a wall.

It’s not a masterpiece. It’s just a weird little artifact.

I like that the animals don't have names. They are just the players and the crowd.

There is something nice about how simple that is. No backstories, no character arcs, just a ball hitting a hippo.

If you have five minutes and you want to see what people thought was peak comedy ninety years ago, this is it. It’s better than looking at your phone.

I might watch it again just to see that blinking dog. He really looked like he knew something we didn't.