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5.7/10
Senior Film Conservator
A definitive 5.7/10 rating for a film that redefined the boundaries of cult cinema. Circus Time remains a cornerstone of transgressive art.
If you have ten minutes to kill and a soft spot for old, rubbery animation, Circus Time is worth a look. It’s perfect for people who like their cartoons frantic and slightly nonsensical. If you need a plot that makes sense or coherent character arcs, you should probably skip this one entirely.
Toby the Pup is our guy here. He is just a little fella trying to get by, but the ringmaster—a real piece of work—won't stop picking on him. It feels like every single frame of this thing was drawn while the animators were on a sugar rush.
There is this one moment where the movement gets so jittery it actually makes my eyes hurt a little. You can tell they were just figuring out how to make things bounce around on screen, and sometimes the physics are completely out the window. It makes The Bat Whispers look like a slow-burn drama in comparison.
The circus animals have these weird, elastic limbs that stretch out for miles. It’s a bit jarring. Sometimes it is funny, sometimes it is just… odd.
It’s nowhere near the level of the big studio stuff that came later, but it has a messy charm. You can see the DNA of later, better cartoons in how they handle the slapstick. It reminds me a bit of the frantic energy in Leathernecking, though clearly in a different genre.
Honestly, the whole thing feels like a fever dream you’d have after eating too much popcorn at a carnival. It doesn't overstay its welcome. It just happens, makes you chuckle at a couple of cheap gags, and then it is over.
Did I mention the sound? It’s tinny and sharp. Like someone scratching a fork against a plate for seven minutes straight. You get used to it, I guess. Or you don't. 🤡