I Like Mountain Music: A Weirdly Hypnotic 1933 Fever Dream

Is this worth your ten minutes?

Honestly, only if you have a thing for pre-code animation or want to see what people thought was high-tech entertainment back when the world was basically black and white. If you hate repetitive musical numbers or characters that look like they might have been sketched during a fever, skip it. Everyone else? You’ll probably be mesmerized by how weirdly fluid it all is.

The whole premise is just magazine covers coming to life. It’s exactly as literal as it sounds. You’ve got these stylized, flat magazine illustrations suddenly wiggling off the paper to start a hoedown. It reminded me a bit of the chaos in Sensation Hunters, just without the actual human actors. At least, I think they were human.

The rhythm is... something

There’s a specific kind of jerky movement to the characters here that feels less like 'animation' and more like they're fighting the frame rate. I found myself staring at the background textures more than the actual plot—which is non-existent. It’s just a musical romp. One moment, a hillbilly character is strumming a banjo, and the next, he’s basically morphing into a different shape entirely. It’s unsettling, but I couldn't look away.

Cinematic perspective: Exploring the visual vocabulary of I Like Mountain Music (1933) through its definitive frames.

It’s not trying to be a deep, narrative experience. It’s a 1933 cartoon. They didn't have the budget for 'narrative arc' or 'character growth.' They had the budget for ink and a few catchy, repetitive tunes that will get stuck in your head for the rest of the afternoon. Ugh.

• The way the eyes follow you is honestly kind of creepy.
• The music is surprisingly loud for a digital transfer.
• I spent way too long wondering which magazine would actually feature a dancing hillbilly in 1933.

It’s not as polished as the later stuff from the studio, and it shows. There are moments where the perspective just breaks. Like, a character will turn their head and suddenly their ear is on the wrong side of their face. You either find that charming or you find it annoying. I’m leaning toward charming. It’s got that raw, 'we made this in a basement' energy that you just don't get with modern clean digital stuff.

I wouldn't compare it to The Truth or any of those heavy dramas, obviously. It’s a palate cleanser. A weird, musical, ink-stained palate cleanser. If you need me, I’ll be trying to get that banjo tune out of my brain. It's been an hour. Still going.