Hic-Cups the Champ review: That cat is vibrating way too much

Is this worth watching today? Yeah, if you’ve got six minutes and you don't mind a cartoon cat literally vibrating his way into a nervous breakdown. If you like that old-school "rubber hose" animation where bones are optional, you'll dig this. If you need a plot that doesn't involve a cat making a piercing noise every three seconds, you should probably skip it.

I caught this right after watching The Tin Bronco and the energy shift was honestly kind of jarring. While that one feels like a western, this is just... noise. Pure, rhythmic noise. Krazy Kat is trying to break the world record for hiccups.

Why? Who knows. He’s just standing there in front of a giant scoreboard that looks like it belongs in a stadium. Every time he hiccups, he leaps about three feet into the air. His whole body distorts like he’s made of cheap jelly.

It’s funny how violent hiccups were in the 30s. Nowadays, a character might just go "hic" and jump a little. Here, Krazy Kat looks like he’s being hit by a bolt of lightning every time. The animation is super bouncy, even for a Columbia short.

Manny Gould’s style is all over this. Everything is constantly moving. Even when Krazy is trying to be still, the background seems to be shimmying. It reminds me of the shaky, nervous energy in School Days, but way more frantic.

There is a specific gag with a radio that goes on way too long. He’s trying to distract himself, but the music just makes the hiccups worse. The radio starts shaking, the floor starts shaking, and you start wondering if the animators were just trying to fill time. It’s about 30 seconds of pure chaos that doesn't really go anywhere.

I love the scoreboard, though. It’s got these big clunky numbers that flip over. There is something really satisfying about watching the count go up to 99,999. It’s the kind of visual detail that makes these old shorts feel tactile.

Cinematic perspective: Exploring the visual vocabulary of Hic-Cups the Champ (1932) through its definitive frames.

The crowd scenes are weirdly empty. It’s just a few generic animals watching him. One of them has this reaction shot that lingers for an extra second, and he just looks exhausted. I felt that.

I noticed a tiny ink blot on the left side of the screen around the middle. It’s barely there, but it makes the whole thing feel more real. Like someone was actually sweating over these cells in a dusty office nearly a hundred years ago.

The music is that classic, bouncy jazz that never quite matches the speed of the hiccups. Sometimes the beat is fast but Krazy is moving slow. Then the hiccups speed up and the music stays the same. It’s a bit of a mess, honestly.

But it’s a charming mess. It’s much better than some of the more boring stuff from that era like Run, Girl, Run which tries too hard to be a "real" movie. This just knows it's a cartoon about a cat with a medical problem.

By the time he gets the trophy, you’re kind of glad it’s over. The trophy is absolutely massive. Where is he going to put that? It’s bigger than his entire kitchen. Logic isn't the point, I guess.

The ending is super abrupt. It just... cuts to black. No real wrap-up, no lesson learned. Just a cat who finally stopped shaking. It’s weirdly relatable if you’ve ever had a long day.

Anyway, it’s a fun piece of history. Not a masterpiece, but it’s got a lot of spirit. Just keep the volume low or those hiccup sounds will drill a hole in your brain. 🐱💨

Didja notice?

• The way his ears twitch independently is actually pretty cool.
• The scoreboard guy looks like he hasn't slept in a week.
• Krazy tries to drink water and it somehow makes his tail fall off? Or maybe it just shrinks. It was hard to tell.
• The background art has some surprisingly nice shadows for such a cheap short.
• The "Hic" sound effect is definitely just the same recording played 500 times.

It’s not as polished as a Disney short from the same year, but it’s got more grit. Or maybe just more dust on the lens. Either way, it’s worth a look if you like the weird stuff.