Make Believe Revue: A weird, old-school trip

Is it worth your time?

If you like old, dusty, slightly unsettling cartoons from the dawn of animation, then yes, grab a seat. If you need a coherent story or characters with actual depth, you will probably hate this.

It’s a very weird little artifact.

The Setup

Jack and Jill get whisked away to some storybook land. There’s really no build-up. One minute they’re just kids, and the next they’re watching a cabaret show put on by Mother Goose. It feels like someone took a bunch of leftover ideas from Bosko the Doughboy and just threw them at a wall.

The whole thing is basically a variety show. There are chorus girls who are also storybook characters? It’s hard to tell. And the marching soldiers… man, they just keep marching.

Odd Observations

• The pacing is frantic, like the animators were on a sugar high.
• The way the soldiers move is oddly hypnotic. It’s repetitive, but I couldn't look away.
• Mother Goose feels like she’s trying way too hard to sell the show.
• There’s a moment with the Sportsmen Quartet that felt like it went on for hours.

I found myself wondering if this was meant to be a nightmare or a lullaby. It’s got that specific 1930s energy where everything is cute but also kind of creepy. It doesn’t have the narrative weight of Verdun, souvenirs d'histoire, obviously, but that’s not really the point, is it?

The music is catchy, but it also sounds like it's being played through a tin can. It adds to the charm, I guess? Or maybe it just makes my ears hurt a little bit.

Sometimes the animation just… stops. Like, the characters freeze while the background keeps moving. It’s sloppy, but it’s kind of endearing.

Honestly, I can’t tell if the creators were geniuses or just tired. It feels like they made this on a Friday afternoon and just wanted to go home. Still, there’s something about the sheer audacity of it that I respect. It’s just pure, unfiltered nonsense. 🎩✨