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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. Boop-Oop-A-Doop remains a cornerstone of transgressive art.
If you like animation that feels like a fever dream, sure. It's short, it's weird, and it moves at the speed of a caffeinated squirrel. If you need a coherent plot to enjoy your evening, stay far, far away from this one. You’ll be confused, and frankly, you might be a little annoyed.
There's this moment where Betty is just doing her thing on the high wire, and the music hits that specific, tinny frequency that gets stuck in your head for days. It’s genuinely hypnotic, even if the animation is jerky as all get-out. She’s singing, she’s swaying, and the background is just a swirling mess of shapes that barely hold together.
Then the ringmaster shows up. He’s got that classic, greasy vibe that these old cartoons lean into so hard. He’s very persistent, and honestly, the whole dynamic is pretty gross by today's standards. But that’s the charm, right? It’s a snapshot of a time when animators were just throwing things at the wall to see what stuck.
The lion taming sequence is where things get truly chaotic. Why are the lions wearing hats? I don't know. Does it make sense? Not even a little. But watching them jump through hoops while Betty maintains this wide-eyed, unflappable expression is a specific kind of vintage entertainment you just don't get anymore.
Sometimes the frames feel like they’re skipping, like the reel was left out in the sun for a decade. It reminds me a bit of the frantic energy in Way Out West, though this is obviously a totally different beast. You don't watch this for the technical precision. You watch it for the weird, rubbery physics.
It’s not trying to be a Quo Vadis style epic. It’s a throwaway bit of fun. It’s got that same odd, dusty feeling you get when watching something like The Barefoot Boy, where you’re acutely aware of how old the celluloid is. It’s a bit scratched up. It’s a bit fuzzy around the edges. 🤡
I found myself wondering if the animators even knew how the story would end when they started drawing. It feels like they just added more and more nonsense until they hit their runtime quota. And honestly? I kind of respect that. No fluff, just pure, unadulterated cartoon madness.
Don't look for deep meaning here. You won't find it. Just let the music happen and try not to think too hard about the ringmaster's questionable life choices.
IMDb —
1929
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