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4.9/10
Senior Film Conservator
A definitive 4.9/10 rating for a film that redefined the boundaries of cult cinema. Jungle Jam remains a cornerstone of transgressive art.
If you have six minutes and a high tolerance for 1930s weirdness, you might find something to like in Jungle Jam. It is definitely for the animation nerds who want to see what happened before the big studios took over everything. 🌴
Most people will probably hate the offensive stereotypes, though. It’s got all those cringey tropes that make you want to look away from the screen.
First off, let’s get the names straight. This isn't the cat and mouse we all grew up with.
These are the Van Beuren versions, which are basically just a tall guy and a short guy who look a bit like Mutt and Jeff. They don't really have personalities, they just kind of *react* to things happening around them.
The movie starts with them in a boat, and immediately you notice the animation style. Everything is rubber hose logic, where bones don't exist and limbs just stretch like warm taffy.
There is this one moment where they land on the shore and the whole ground seems to be breathing. It's actually a bit unsettling if you stare at it too long.
The music starts up almost instantly because these cartoons were basically just music videos back then. The drums have this thin, tinniness to them that feels like it’s coming out of a very old radio.
Tom and Jerry start dancing for no reason at all. They just start kicking their legs and swinging their arms in perfect sync.
Then they run into the 'cannibals.' This is where the movie gets really uncomfortable for a modern viewer.
The character designs are exactly what you'd expect from 1931, which is to say, they are pretty racist. Big white lips, bones through the hair, and everyone is drawn with the same face.
It’s a shame because the actual movement of the characters is pretty fluid. You can tell the animators were having fun with the squash and stretch even if the subject matter is gross.
The boys get caught and thrown into a giant pot of water. They don't even look scared, they just look mildly inconvenienced by the heat.
Jerry—the short one—decides the best way to not get eaten is to start yodeling. I don't know why yodeling was the go-to 'talent' for cartoons in the early thirties, but here we are.
His voice is high and scratchy. It sounds like someone rubbing two pieces of sandpaper together in a rhythmic way.
The chief of the tribe hears this and his eyes literally pop out of his head. He loves it so much he starts dancing with a spear.
There is a specific shot of a bird in a tree watching them, and the bird doesn't have any eyes. It's just two white circles. It's a small mistake but once you see it, you can't unsee it. 🐦
Suddenly, everyone is yodeling. The animals, the trees, the rocks—everything has a mouth and is singing along.
It reminds me a bit of the chaos in Ocean Swells, where the logic of the world just completely breaks down for the sake of a gag. Van Beuren cartoons always felt a bit more chaotic than what Disney was doing at the time.
The backgrounds are surprisingly detailed in some spots, though. There are these jagged mountains in the back that look like they were drawn with a lot of care, even if they don't match the bouncy characters in front of them.
I noticed that the shadows on the ground don't always follow the characters. Sometimes the shadow just stops moving while the character keeps walking.
The ending is so abrupt it feels like they just ran out of paper. Jerry hits a high note, everyone cheers, and then it just cuts to the 'The End' card.
It doesn't have the charm of something like Mickey's Wild West. It feels a bit more cynical, or maybe just lazier.
There is no real story here, just a series of things that happen until the time runs out. But that’s kind of the charm of these early talkie cartoons.
They weren't trying to make art. They were just trying to fill six minutes of screen time with enough noise to keep people from leaving the theater.
Watch it if you want to see a weird piece of history. Just don't expect it to make any sense at all. 🌀
One more thing—the way the chief's throne bounces is really distracting. It's like the chair is made of jelly.
Anyway, it's a strange trip through a version of the world that only existed in the heads of some tired animators in New York. It's not 'good' but it is definitely something.
IMDb 5.3
1926
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