Chicken Reel: A Frantic Barnyard Trip

Look, if you’re looking for a deep narrative, skip this. But if you want to see what happens when animators decide that chickens should probably be able to dance better than the average person, Chicken Reel is your jam. It's essentially a short, sharp burst of energy that’s perfect if you only have a few minutes and a weird sense of humor.

The whole thing feels like it’s vibrating. There’s this one sequence where the rhythm takes over, and suddenly, the barnyard isn't a farm anymore—it’s a chaotic stage. It reminded me a bit of the manic energy in Duck Inn, though this one feels even more obsessed with the sheer physics of how a bird might move if it had zero bones.

I found myself staring at the background art. It’s weirdly detailed for a cartoon that’s basically just trying to make you dizzy. There’s a specific chicken in the back that does this little hop that repeats for like, ten seconds, and I’m convinced the artist just wanted to see if anyone would notice the loop. I did, and it’s actually kind of charming in a lazy way.

Is it actually good?

It's perfectly okay. It doesn’t have the dark, brooding weight of something like Murders in the Rue Morgue—thankfully, because watching a chicken deal with a gothic mystery would be a lot to handle—but it has that specific, early-animation personality that makes you feel like you're watching something from a different dimension.

• The sound effects are louder than they need to be.
• Those feathers. Everywhere.
• The timing is so fast it almost gives you a headache.

Sometimes the characters just… stop. They hold these poses that look like they were drawn in a hurry, and for a split second, you can almost see the pencil lines. It’s not polished, and that’s exactly why I like it. It feels like a rough sketch that someone just decided to animate anyway. 🐔

Don't overthink it. It's just chickens, music, and a lot of jumping. If you're stressed, this is probably the most mindless way to spend five minutes.