Hot Turkey: A Quirky Little Terrytoons Short

Alright, so 'Hot Turkey' is definitely one for the animation history buffs or folks who get a kick out of seeing how cartoons used to be made. If you're hoping for something slick or deep, you'll probably hate it. But for a quick peek at some early Terrytoons action, it’s worth a watch, especially if you’re into the quirks of pre-war animation. You'll either find it charmingly simple or just… simple. 🐭

The whole thing kicks off with a cat, who's apparently a sultan, capturing a female mouse. This cat wears a silly little turban that keeps slipping. It’s not very menacing, honestly, more just like a grumpy housecat playing dress-up. Then, of course, our hero mouse shows up, ready to save the day. He’s got this permanent, slightly goofy smile, which never really goes away, even when he’s in peril. It’s kinda endearing.

Most of the short is just one big chase scene. Our hero mouse tries various schemes to outsmart the sultan cat, and the female mouse just kinda… waits. There’s a moment where she peeks out from a cage, looking less distressed and more mildly annoyed, which I thought was a nice touch. Like, 'Oh, this again?'

The music, handled by Philip A. Scheib, really does a lot of the heavy lifting here. It’s constantly going, almost to a fault. You can practically *feel* it trying to tell you where the excitement is, even when the animation itself is pretty basic. Sometimes it felt a bit much, honestly, just a wall of sound.

I kept waiting for the actual 'turkey' from the title to appear. Maybe a Thanksgiving feast? A literal hot turkey? It never does. It's just a strange, almost random, title. Like someone pulled it out of a hat. 🎩

There's a bit where the hero mouse tries to sneak past the cat by hiding under a basket, and the cat just *taps* it with his paw. The mouse pops out, surprised. It’s such a simple gag, but it gets a little chuckle. You can tell they weren't overthinking the comedy. The background art is super minimal, often just a few lines to suggest a room or a doorway. It's all about the characters moving around.

The pacing is pretty brisk, even for a short. They get right to the point. No lingering shots or dramatic pauses. It’s just move, move, move. You might notice some frames where the animation is a bit rough, almost like a flicker. It adds to the old-school charm, if you're into that sort of thing.

One specific detail: the cat sultan, when he laughs, his whole body jiggles. It's a very *bouncy* sort of villain. Makes him less scary, more just a big, hungry lump. The hero mouse, on the other hand, is all sharp movements. A nice contrast, I guess.

This isn't a masterpiece, not by a long shot. But it’s a quick trip back to a different era of cartoons. It’s got a certain unpolished energy that's hard to replicate now. You might even find yourself smiling at the sheer earnestness of it all. Plus, no actual turkeys were harmed in the making of this film, apparently. Or even present. 🤷‍♀️