Bully Beef: A Peek Into Old Cartoon Chaos

Alright, so if you're into old-school animation, the kind that feels like a forgotten Saturday morning relic, then Bully Beef might just be a fun, quick watch. Anyone who loves tracing the roots of cartoons, or just appreciates a bit of historical quirkiness, will probably get a kick out of its simple charm. But if you're expecting anything with a complex plot or stunning visuals by today's standards? You're gonna hate it. This isn't that kind of party. 🎉

This little short, a Terrytoons effort, throws us right into a silly animal war. It’s mostly mice, but then other animals show up. Like a squirrel who's pretty much a one-squirrel army with his nut-gun. 🌰 It's exactly as absurd as it sounds.

The animation here is super basic, even for its time. You see a lot of repeated cycles and characters just kind of *pop* across the screen. But that's part of its appeal, honestly. It’s raw, you know?

There's this one mouse character, pretty small, but he's got this huge rifle that's almost bigger than him. He keeps trying to shoot, and the recoil just sends him flying. 🚀 It happens like three times. You'd think he'd learn.

The 'war' itself is just a bunch of chaotic chasing and goofy weapon use. The enemies are these bigger animals, sometimes they look like cats, sometimes something else. It's not always clear who's who, but everyone's always running.

There’s a part where a cat, or maybe it’s a dog wearing a cat costume, I can't quite tell, tries to sneak up on the mice. It ends up getting flattened by a rolling boulder. Classic cartoon stuff. 😂

The whole thing feels like a bunch of notes scribbled down and then animated really fast. There’s a distinct lack of real consequence, which is typical for these early shorts. No one ever really gets hurt, just temporarily inconvenienced. Or maybe *really* flattened.

You can tell Paul Terry had a very specific, almost frantic energy in mind. It's all about movement and slapstick. There’s no real dialogue, just sound effects and music pushing the action along. 🎶

It's not a masterpiece, not by a long shot. But it’s a good little time capsule. A reminder of how simple cartoons used to be, before all the talking and the big budgets. Sometimes, you just need a mouse with an oversized gun. 🐭🔫

Didja notice?

• That squirrel's nut-throwing arm is surprisingly fast.
• The mouse with the huge rifle never aims. Just fires.
• The background art is basically the same few trees copied and pasted.
• There’s a very quick gag where an animal gets tied up in a rope and then springs back like a slinky.
• The ending just sort of… happens. No big resolution, just *fin*.