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6.9/10
Senior Film Conservator
A definitive 6.9/10 rating for a film that redefined the boundaries of cult cinema. Betty Boop's Bizzy Bee remains a cornerstone of transgressive art.
Alright, if you’ve got about six minutes and a soft spot for classic, often chaotic animation, then Betty Boop’s Bizzy Bee is a pretty fun little watch. It's a quick trip back to the early days of cartoons, perfect for a nostalgic moment. If you're looking for something with a modern story or super-smooth animation, this one might feel a bit too quaint, even a little jarring.
Betty here is a short-order cook, see. She’s making these *wheat cakes* everyone just adores. You can almost smell them sizzling off the griddle, honestly, the way the animators made them look so fluffy and light.
Her pals, Bimbo and Koko, are, of course, around. They get caught up in the usual antics that seem to follow Betty wherever she goes. There's always some sort of silly, escalating situation, right?
But here’s the thing that really stuck with me: the title is Bizzy Bee. And the whole time I'm watching, I’m waiting for a bee. Or, like, *any* bee-related shenanigans. But nope! No bees. Not one. 🐝
It’s almost like they just picked a catchy phrase and ran with it, completely ignoring the insect part. You keep expecting some little buzzing character to fly into the kitchen, maybe try to steal a wheat cake, but it just never happens. It’s a bit of a head-scratcher, really.
The whole short is just pure, unadulterated Fleischer energy. Things bend and stretch, characters pop in and out, and the music just keeps everything moving at a breakneck pace. It feels very much like a creative team just throwing ideas at the screen and seeing what sticks.
There's this one moment where a customer tries to eat too many cakes and just sort of… expands. It’s that kind of rubber-hose animation silliness that’s just charmingly weird. You don’t get that logic anymore.
Ultimately, it’s a quick, joyful burst of old-school animation. Don't overthink the title, just enjoy Betty doing her thing in the kitchen. It's a neat look at how cartoons used to just *be*.