Why Popeye Still Makes Me Laugh in I-Ski Love-Ski You-Ski

Is it worth your time?

If you have seven minutes and a need for some classic, frantic animation, sure. This isn't high art, but it’s got that specific, manic energy that you just don't see in modern stuff anymore. If you hate slapstick or get annoyed by characters who won't stop grunting, stay away. Otherwise, it’s a perfectly fine way to kill a few minutes.

I caught I-Ski Love-Ski You-Ski on a whim, and it reminded me why I still prefer these old Fleischer-style shorts over 3D stuff. There’s a texture to the backgrounds that looks like it was painted by hand, which it was. The mountain looks like a jagged, dangerous cardboard cutout, and I love it.

Bluto is, as always, the most annoying person on the planet. Watching him set up those traps is almost like watching a really frustrated handyman who’s lost his mind. He’s putting in so much effort just to ruin a date. It’s honestly pathetic, which is why it works so well. 🙄

Popeye’s walk-cycle when he’s climbing is just funny. His arms are doing all this weird, noodle-like movement that shouldn't make sense, but it totally does. It reminded me a little of the frantic pacing in Shooting Straight, where everything just feels slightly off-kilter and rushed.

Small things I noticed:

• The way the snow doesn't really behave like snow at all.
• Popeye’s pipe never goes out, even when he’s basically dangling off a cliff.
• The sound effects are incredibly sharp, almost piercing.

The middle part of the short drags a little, honestly. There are only so many times you can watch someone dodge a rolling boulder before it stops being surprising. But then he eats the spinach. You know exactly what’s coming, and yet, I still found myself leaning in. It’s that classic satisfaction of seeing the bully get exactly what’s coming to him.

It’s not as emotionally heavy as Serce na ulicy, obviously. It’s just a guy trying to get his girl up a mountain while a massive jerk throws rocks at them. Sometimes that’s enough. The chase sequence at the end is pure chaos, and the perspective shifts are a bit dizzying, but it’s charming in a way that feels very 1930s.

Also, does anyone else find the music choice for the skiing part a bit too aggressive? It’s like the orchestra was trying to keep up with the animators’ caffeine intake. Not a complaint, really, just an observation. It’s loud. 🎺

It’s a breezy watch. Don't look for meaning. Just watch the spinach do its thing.