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6.6/10
Senior Film Conservator
A definitive 6.6/10 rating for a film that redefined the boundaries of cult cinema. Betty Boop's Crazy Inventions remains a cornerstone of transgressive art.
If you like your cartoons to feel like a caffeinated nightmare from the early 1930s, you’ll have a blast. If you prefer modern animation that actually makes sense, you might want to look elsewhere. Honestly, it’s only a few minutes long, so what do you have to lose?
There’s something about the way these old Fleischer shorts move that feels slightly illegal. Everything stretches and bounces in ways that physics definitely doesn't support. Betty Boop's Crazy Inventions is basically just a string of gags held together by pure, unadulterated madness.
I found myself staring at the background details more than the actual plot. The sewing machine sequence is where the whole thing hits a fever pitch. It stops being a demonstration and turns into a mechanical riot.
It reminds me of the manic energy you see in The Girl Who Ran Wild, though obviously much inkier and louder. There isn't much depth here, but who goes to a circus tent with a cartoon dog for deep themes anyway?
It’s not a masterpiece, but it’s a weird little window into a time when animation was still figuring out how to be scary and funny at the same time. You can tell they were just making it up as they went along. I love that kind of mess.
If you've spent your day watching something heavy like The Bridge, this is the perfect, brain-melting palate cleanser. Don't think about it too hard. Just watch the ink wiggle.