Scarecrows and bad parenting in I'd Love to Take Orders from You

Is it worth your time?

If you have an itch for weird, golden-age animation that feels a little bit like a fever dream, sure. It's short, it’s fast, and it’s deeply silly.

But if you hate the kind of rubber-hose animation where everyone’s limbs move like cooked spaghetti, stay away. This is definitely for the crowd that likes their cartoons served with a side of 1930s surrealism.

The whole thing starts with a scarecrow dad coming home from a long day of, well, standing in a field. His kid jumps out to scare him, which is basically the only plot point you get for the first minute.

It’s kind of sweet, honestly. A little bit of domestic life for the straw-stuffed crowd.

The training montage

Junior decides he’s done with being a kid and wants to be a big-time field guard. He goes out to practice on a rooster, a squirrel, and a rabbit. The squirrel reaction shot? Hilarious. It just stares at him like he’s a total amateur.

You can tell the animators were having fun with the animals, even if the scarecrow kid looks like he might fall apart if the wind blows too hard. It’s got that jittery energy you see in stuff like Trader Hound.

• The crows are absolutely savage.
• The dad is a bit of a glory hog.
• The music is… a lot.

When Junior finally tries to fill his dad’s boots, the birds don't even blink. They basically treat him like a piece of lawn furniture. It’s a harsh lesson in professional integrity, I guess.

There’s a moment where he thinks he’s pulled off the perfect pose, but it’s just his dad lurking behind him. It feels like one of those bits that would have played better in With Love and Hisses where the physical comedy is just a little tighter.

The ending is pure tall-tale nonsense. Junior talks like he fought off a whole army of birds. It’s cute, in a slightly pathetic way.

It’s not trying to change the world. It’s just a cartoon about a straw man with a dream. And honestly? I respect that. 🌾