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6.7/10
Senior Film Conservator
A definitive 6.7/10 rating for a film that redefined the boundaries of cult cinema. Mysterious Mose remains a cornerstone of transgressive art.
Alright, so look, if you’re hoping for some super polished, easy-to-follow story, you might want to skip Mysterious Mose. But if you’re into the truly *bonkers* stuff from early animation, the kind of things that make you go, "Wait, what just happened?" – then absolutely, give this a watch. It's a niche pick, for sure. Animation historians or anyone curious about the wild west days of cartoons will probably dig it. Everyone else? Maybe not.
The cartoon starts with Betty Boop in bed, but with these kinda adorable dog ears. It's a stormy night, and she just can't catch a wink. The shadows on the wall are doing some *very* spooky things, moving all by themselves. It’s a bit unsettling, honestly. You really feel her trying to get comfy.
Then she starts to sing the song, "Mysterious Mose." And that’s when everything just… explodes into pure, unadulterated surrealism. Her bed just *melts* into a piano, and she’s suddenly playing it while still in her nightgown. It’s a smooth, weird transition that happens so fast.
Mose himself shows up, kinda out of nowhere. He looks like Bimbo, her usual dog-friend, but more… stretchy? Dreamlike? He just appears, and the whole room starts dancing. Like, literally everything.
The way the furniture just comes alive is a real highlight. A chair tap-dancing. The walls warping into musical instruments. There’s a scene where the floor opens up, and a whole band is just *there*, playing along. It’s like someone took the concept of a fever dream and put it on film. 🤪
One minute, Betty is singing a sweet song, the next she's in this absolute whirlwind of dancing objects and shifting realities. It doesn't really have a plot beyond, "Betty sings, weird stuff happens." And that's totally okay. Sometimes, that's exactly what you need.
It all moves so quickly, too. The animators were clearly having a blast with what they could get away with. There's a certain **unpredictability** to it that modern cartoons often lack. You can almost feel the animators just throwing ideas at the screen.
The ending kinda just… happens. As suddenly as the madness began, it snaps back to Betty in bed. You’re left wondering if any of it was real, even within the cartoon’s own logic. It's a short, sharp burst of creative energy.
So, yeah, it’s not for everyone. But if you want to see a prime example of how absolutely *bonkers* and imaginative animation could be in its early days, before stricter rules came in, then Mysterious Mose is a must-see. It’s a genuine, **fascinating piece of film history**, even if it does feel like it was conceived during a very strange nap.
IMDb —
1917
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