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6.2/10
Senior Film Conservator
A definitive 6.2/10 rating for a film that redefined the boundaries of cult cinema. Fare Play remains a cornerstone of transgressive art.
If you've got seven minutes to spare and a weird curiosity for animation history, Fare Play is worth a look. It’s definitely not for anyone who wants their cartoons squeaky clean, and if you’re a fan of high-concept storytelling, you’ll probably find this thing totally baffling.
It’s essentially a short about a lemonade stand that accidentally becomes a speakeasy. Oopie is running the show, trying to keep things professional, until this one guy—who clearly had a head start on his day—dumps a bottle of spirits into the mix.
The transition from a sweet fair setting to a total bender is pretty abrupt, even for a short from this era. Once the crowd gets a taste of that spiked lemonade, the whole thing devolves into this frantic, rubber-limbed chaos. It’s got that specific, slightly manic energy you see in early Columbia shorts like Young King Cole where characters just vibrate with movement.
There’s a moment where a customer takes a sip, and his reaction is just… well, it’s a lot. The animators clearly had fun drawing people losing their dignity over a paper cup of mystery juice. 🍹
It’s not a masterpiece, but it’s got a loose, improvisational feel. It reminds me a bit of the frantic pacing in Mickey's Rebellion, where the narrative structure is really just an excuse to see how many gags you can jam into a single frame before the screen gets too crowded.
The background details are fun if you pause it—mostly just generic fairgoers looking like they’re having the best (or worst) time of their lives. It doesn't try to be anything other than a quick laugh. Sometimes, that’s all you need.
Anyway, watch it for the weird faces. Don't look for a plot.