Kiddie Revue: An Itchy, Scratchy Mess of a Cartoon

Is this actually worth your time?

If you have a weird soft spot for 1930s animation and don't mind cartoons that escalate into complete anarchy within three minutes, sure. It’s a breezy watch for animation history nerds or people who just want to see a poodle act like a total jerk.

If you get squeamish about bugs—or just really hate slapstick involving itchy underwear—you should probably skip this. It’s not exactly Mother, is it?

The Ant Problem

The whole premise hinges on that poodle. He’s just sitting there, stewing in his own bitterness while Lily Swans is trying to do her thing on stage. The moment he pulls out that box of ants, you know the pacing is about to go off the rails.

There’s a specific frame where the ants start swarming that just feels… aggressive. It’s not subtle. It’s just pure, unadulterated cartoon panic.

Odd Observations

• The audience reactions are weirdly synchronized. Like, everyone starts dancing the same frantic 'get-these-ants-off-me' jig at the exact same beat.
• The poodle’s face after he pulls the prank? Just pure evil. Pure, tiny dog evil.
• I spent way too much time wondering how they fit that many ants into such a small box.

The animation style has that bouncy, rubber-hose energy that makes everything feel like it's about to snap. It’s not as polished as the later big-studio stuff, but that’s kind of the charm. It feels raw, almost like a rough sketch that someone just colored in and sent out the door. 🐜

Compared to something more grounded like We Moderns, this is pure noise. But sometimes you need a little bit of 1936 chaos to cleanse the palate. It’s a silly, bite-sized disaster.

Honestly, the poodle is the real MVP here. He doesn't even stick around to see the fallout. He just drops the payload and dips. Respect.