Popeye vs. Bluto: A Moving Day Disaster

Is it worth your time?

Honestly, if you grew up watching these, you already know if you're in. It's seven minutes of pure, unadulterated cartoon spite. If you hate slapstick or get annoyed by high-pitched voices, steer clear. Everyone else? Grab a snack.

Watching Popeye get all riled up because Olive hired Bluto is a mood. The guy has a serious jealousy problem, and it's the engine for the whole short. You can practically see the steam coming out of his ears the moment he spots that moving truck.

The Moving Logistics

They aren't really moving things so much as they are trying to maim each other with household items. It's less about the furniture and more about who can hit the other person with a piano first. Classic, right?

There's a specific moment where they're wrestling with a dresser that felt like it went on for three lifetimes. It’s funny, but it’s also kind of exhausting to watch. I think I counted at least four different times someone got smashed through a wall.

It reminded me a bit of the chaotic energy in County Hospital. Just pure, unhinged physical comedy where nobody really wins.

• Olive is basically just there to be the reason for the fight.
• The sound effects department must have had a field day with all the thuds and crashes.
• That one scene with the mirror? Total nightmare fuel.

I found myself wondering if they ever actually moved a single box. Probably not. The pacing is just relentless, like a drum solo that never ends. You barely have time to blink before someone is getting flattened into a pancake again. 🥴

It’s not trying to be a deep dive into the human condition, unlike something like Les Misérables, Part 1: Jean Valjean. It’s just a sailor and a brute destroying a perfectly good living room. And honestly? Sometimes that's exactly what you need after a long day.