Merry Dog (1933) review - Santa gets hogtied by a wolf

If you have seven minutes to spare and want to see something truly unhinged from the 1930s, yes, this is absolutely worth your time. Animation nerds will love the raw, slightly creepy energy, but anyone looking for a sweet, cozy Christmas story is gonna be severely disappointed.

The plot is basically a fever dream. A starving wolf living in a literal dump decides to hogtie Santa Claus, steal his clothes, and go eat some dogs. 🎅

Pooch the Pup and his girlfriend are just chilling at home, completely unaware that Santa is actually a predator who wants to turn them into a stew. It is wild how fast things escalate here.

There is no slow setup. One minute the wolf is shivering in a trash can, and the next he is stuffing a sack with live dogs.

The Weird Little Details

I love how cheap and bouncy the animation feels. It has that chaotic, rubbery rhythm you also get in early silents like Let's Go.

Cinematic perspective: Exploring the visual vocabulary of Merry Dog (1933) through its definitive frames.

My favorite part is the toy soldiers. They just wake up and decide to wage absolute war on this wolf with tiny cannons.

One of the toy soldiers has this incredibly blank stare while shooting a dart gun. It is honestly kind of terrifying if you look too close.

"The wolf gets absolutely wrecked by toys. Like, they do not hold back."

Also, can we talk about Santa's face when he is tied up? He looks more annoyed about the inconvenience than actually scared for his life. 😅

It is definitely a product of its time, meaning the sound design is a bit crunchy. The music just sort of blares over everything without much care for what is actually happening on screen.

But that is the charm, honestly. It is short, weird, and does not try to teach you a lesson about the holiday spirit.

If you want a quick laugh at how bizarre old cartoons used to be, give it a spin. Just do not expect a masterpiece.