Dinner Time (1928) Review: A Loud, Messy Slice of Animation History

You should probably watch Dinner Time if you have any interest in how cartoons actually started talking. It is historic, even if it is kind of a headache to listen to.

If you hate scratchy, popping audio and animation that looks like it was drawn on a napkin, you will absolutely hate this. It is not exactly a polished masterpiece.

Farmer Al Falfa is a butcher in this one. He is just standing there hacking away at these big slabs of meat with a giant knife.

The sound of the chopping is so loud. It’s rhythmic, almost like a heartbeat, but way more annoying.

Then this little dog shows up. He looks like he hasn't eaten in a week, poor guy.

He tries to be sneaky at first. He’s just mooching, hoping for a scrap or a bit of fat to fall off the table.

But Al Falfa isn't sharing. He’s a very stingy butcher today.

The dog eventually just gives up on being polite. He grabs a piece of meat and runs for it.

It’s funny how fast the animation gets when the dog starts running. His legs turn into these little blurry circles.

Then a whole gang of dogs shows up. It’s like they were waiting around the corner for the signal.

They start taking everything. It’s basically a meat riot.

The dog catcher shows up with his little wagon. He looks like he hasn't slept in three days.

He is totally useless, honestly. He catches a few dogs, but they just break out of the back of the wagon immediately.

It’s not as structured as something like Wanted, a Story. That one feels a bit more like a real movie.

The sound is the thing everyone talks about with this one. It came out right around the same time as Steamboat Willie.

Actually, it came out first. But Disney was better at the marketing, I guess.

The audio here is rough. It sounds like someone is crumpling paper right next to your ear for six minutes.

There’s a moment where a dog barks and it doesn't quite match the mouth moving. It’s a bit distracting if you’re looking for it.

I like the background art though. It’s very simple, just some lines for the street and the shop, but it works.

Cinematic perspective: Exploring the visual vocabulary of Dinner Time (1928) through its definitive frames.

It reminds me a bit of the style in All's Swell That Ends Swell. Very thin lines and lots of white space.

The dogs in this movie have no chill. They aren't cute Disney dogs; they are street toughs.

One of them has a really weird face. It’s almost human-looking in a way that’s kind of creepy.

The way Al Falfa swings his cleaver is pretty intense. He’s really putting his whole body into it.

I wonder if the animators were just tired of drawing the same meat over and over. It all looks like the same gray rectangle.

There’s no real ending to the story. The dogs just win and the movie stops.

It feels like they just ran out of film or time. Or maybe they just thought, "Okay, that’s enough barking for today."

I’ve seen better stuff from Paul Terry, like His Country Cousin. That one has a bit more heart.

But Dinner Time is just pure chaos. It’s like watching a playground fight where everyone is wearing dog costumes.

The dog catcher’s hat keeps falling off. It’s a small detail, but it’s the only thing that made me actually chuckle.

If you’re into the weird history of 1920s tech, it’s a must-watch. Just keep the volume low.

The screaming and the barking gets to be a lot after the four-minute mark. My cat actually left the room while I was watching this.

It’s definitely better than some of the really dry shorts from that era. At least stuff is happening.

Compared to something like A Wild Goose Chase, this feels way more modern because of the sound.

Even if the sound is bad, it changes the whole vibe. You can feel the energy of the shop.

I still think Al Falfa is one of the weirdest recurring characters in animation. He’s always so angry about everything.

He needs a hobby. Or maybe just a better lock on his meat locker.

The way the dogs crawl under the wagon is actually pretty well-drawn. It’s a smooth bit of movement in a movie that’s mostly jerky.

Anyway, it’s short. You can spare six minutes to see where synchronized sound started.

Just don’t expect it to be The Lion King or anything. It’s just a hungry dog and some gray rectangles of meat. 🥩🐾