Parrotville Old Folks: A Bizarre Little Cartoon Trip

Is it worth your time?

If you like old, slightly off-kilter animation from the golden age, maybe. If you are looking for anything remotely grounded or logical, skip it. You will probably hate this if you get annoyed by characters who just won't stop singing for five seconds.

Parrotville Old Folks feels like someone took a fever dream and decided to animate it. The whole setup is just so random. There is a snowstorm, and for some reason, the only logical response is for a bird named Captain Parrot to start a musical variety hour.

I found myself staring at the background details more than the actual plot. Why are the retirement home residents so incredibly stiff? It’s like they were carved out of wood. There’s a moment where the music swells, and you expect a big emotional beat, but it just loops back into another frantic dance sequence.

It’s a far cry from the grit you might see in something like The Pecos Kid. There’s no dust or tumbleweeds here, just a lot of bright, blinking colors and repetitive bird chirps.

The pacing is a disaster, honestly. It starts fast, stays fast, and then just kind of stops. One minute there is a blizzard outside, and the next, everyone is tapping their toes like it’s a Broadway opening night. It’s not deep, it’s not really trying to be, but it’s certainly… something.

Random Notes:

• The parrot has more charisma than the entire human cast combined.
• The snow effect looks like someone just threw white paint at the lens.
• I’m pretty sure the accordion player in the background was drawn by someone who had never actually seen an accordion before.
• It makes Amateur Night on the Ark look like a high-budget masterpiece by comparison.

There is a specific reaction shot where an old lady looks at the camera for way too long. It felt like she was judging me for watching this on a Tuesday afternoon. It was genuinely unsettling. 🦜❄️

Do I regret watching it? Not really. It’s short enough that you don't have to commit your whole life to it. But it’s definitely one of those things you watch once and then never think about again, unless you’re having a particularly weird dream later that night.