Buddy's Trolley Troubles: A musical mess on wheels

Is it worth your time?

Honestly, you probably only want to watch Buddy's Trolley Troubles if you have a massive soft spot for rubbery, 1930s-style animation or if you’ve somehow run out of things to watch on the internet. If you’re looking for a tight thriller, walk away. This is for the people who find old cartoons charming even when the pacing is completely busted.

The whole thing feels like it’s mostly just a giant musical number held together by spit and duct tape. Buddy is out there doing his job, singing his heart out, and I’m just sitting here wondering who actually pays the fare on this thing. 🚋

The ditch criminal

Then there’s this guy living in the ditches. Why? I don’t know. The movie doesn't care, so you shouldn't either. He pops out, grabs the trolley, and suddenly we have a heist. It’s not exactly The Escape in terms of tension, but it’s certainly… something.

Cinematic perspective: Exploring the visual vocabulary of Buddy's Trolley Troubles (1934) through its definitive frames.

The animation when he hijacks the trolley is a bit jerky, like the frames were drawn by someone who hadn’t had their coffee yet. It’s got that specific, slightly off-putting energy you see in films like Sea Shore Shapes. You can almost see the pencils scratching the paper in some shots.

• The singing is weirdly catchy for no reason.
• The trolley design is unnecessarily detailed for a background prop.
• The villain’s face looks like it was drawn during an earthquake.

There’s this moment where the trolley starts bouncing down the tracks, and the physics just give up entirely. It’s a bit like watching a dream where everything is made of jelly. I laughed, but I’m not sure if it was supposed to be funny or just broken.

If you liked the vibe of Toby's Bow, you might find this comforting. It’s definitely not high art, but it doesn't try to be. It just exists. It’s a trolley, it’s a song, it’s a guy in a ditch. What more do you want on a Tuesday? 🤷‍♂️