Let's All Sing Like the Birdies Sing: A Fever Dream of Chirping

Is it worth your time?

Honestly, it depends on how much tolerance you have for 1930s animation that feels like it might have been storyboarded while the animators were on a sugar crash. If you like stuff that feels slightly unhinged—think of the frantic energy found in Vanka i 'Mstitel' but with more feathers—you’ll probably get a kick out of it. If you prefer your cartoons to have, you know, a plot or characters that don't just exist to sing, you might find this one a bit grating.

The whole thing is basically an excuse to watch animated creatures bounce around in perfect synchronization. There’s no real conflict, just a lot of movement. It’s almost hypnotic in the way it refuses to slow down.

Notes from the screen

• The way the beaks move is honestly kind of terrifying.
• I swear the background trees look like they were painted by someone who had never actually seen a tree before.
• That one owl in the corner? He looks like he’s seen the end of time and is just waiting for the credits to roll.
• The rhythm is so aggressive it makes my own heartbeat feel sluggish.

It reminds me a bit of the weird, disjointed pacing in The Plumber, where you feel like you’re being dragged along by the collar whether you want to go or not. Except here, instead of plumbing issues, you get a bird chorus that sounds like a bunch of tiny, caffeinated opera singers. 🐦

The animation style is super distinct—all those rubber-hose limbs and eyes that blink in weird, uneven patterns. It’s definitely a product of its time. You can tell they were trying to push the boundaries of what these characters could do physically, even if that mostly just involves them stretching their necks into impossible shapes.

I caught myself zoning out around the three-minute mark, only to be jolted back by a particularly high-pitched trill. It’s not a movie you watch for the narrative depth, obviously. It’s the kind of thing you play in the background while you’re doing something else, just for the weird, jittery vibes.

Is it good? I don’t even know if that’s the right word. It’s an experience. It’s a loud, chirping, bouncing experience that will stay in your head for way longer than it has any right to. 🎶