In My Gondola: A Lobster With A Violin

Is this thing worth a watch?

If you like old-school, rubbery animation that feels like a fever dream, sure. It is only a few minutes long, so you won't lose much. If you hate cartoons where the physics make absolutely zero sense, you will probably want to skip it.

There is something inherently bizarre about watching Scrappy try to serenade someone on a boat. The singing is fine, I guess, but then a lobster shows up. And the lobster plays the violin better than the guy actually singing. It is the kind of petty move you rarely see in animation these days.

Yippy getting chased by a swordfish is the real highlight here. It is frantic and silly, and the way the fish moves through the water feels strangely aggressive for such a short bit. I honestly forgot I was watching a movie and just kept wondering how that swordfish managed to get so close to the gondola in the first place. Logic was clearly not on the menu that day.

It’s not as dark as A Daughter of the Wolf, obviously, but it shares that same feeling of being trapped in a situation you didn't ask for. Scrappy just wanted a nice date. Instead, he got a musical crustacean and a maritime chase scene.

Random observations:

• The violinist lobster is a show-stealer, no contest.
• The backgrounds in Venice are actually kind of charming in that dusty, hand-drawn way.
• I’m still not sure why a swordfish is so motivated to catch a dog, but here we are.
• The pacing is frantic—like, really frantic.

It’s a light snack of a movie. You watch it, you blink, it’s over. You don't really need to think about it much more than that. 🛶🦞