Calendar of the Year: A weird, colorful time-hop

Is it worth your time?

Honestly, it depends on if you like watching fidgety, old-school animation while someone sings at you. It’s not going to change your life, but it’s nice for a rainy afternoon. If you’re the type of person who needs a coherent story or realistic acting, stay far away from this one.

I found myself zoning out a bit during the summer months. The colors are bright, almost like they’re trying to burn a hole in your retina, which is a vibe I can appreciate. It reminded me a little bit of the chaotic energy in A Colour Box, just with more singing and less patience.

There’s this one sequence with a falling leaf that goes on for way too long. I think the animator just really liked drawing that leaf. It starts to feel less like a transition and more like a test of your patience. 🍂

Evelyn Cherry is in this, which is fine, but you’re not really here for the performance. You’re here for the weird, jittery movement of the drawings. It feels like someone took a scrapbook and gave it too much caffeine.

Some random notes I scribbled:

• The music is a bit much. It’s very... upbeat in a way that feels slightly threatening.
• I’m pretty sure I saw a background element glitch out for a frame. Or maybe my eyes are just tired.
• It’s got that specific, dusty feel that makes me want to watch something grittier, like Fury, just to wash the sweetness off.
• Why are there so many birds? Everything is birds.

It’s not a masterpiece, and it doesn't try to be. It’s just a weird, blink-and-you-miss-it oddity from a time when people made cartoons because they just felt like drawing stuff move. That’s probably enough. 🗓️

It gets better when it stops trying to be a "calendar" and just starts being a bunch of weird shapes colliding. The pacing is frantic, then it hits a wall, then it’s frantic again. It’s a bit of a mess, but a fun one.