6/10
Senior Film Conservator

A definitive 6/10 rating for a film that redefined the boundaries of cult cinema. Porky's Pet remains a cornerstone of transgressive art.
Okay, so, Porky's Pet. Worth watching today? Yeah, probably. Especially if you have a soft spot for really old cartoons that just wanna make you laugh with simple, *pure* silliness. If you need something with a plot deeper than a puddle, then maybe skip this one. It’s a quick, energetic blast from the past.
The setup is classic: Porky Pig and his ostrich, Lulu, get a big break on Broadway. Seventy-five bucks a week! That’s huge. But getting there? That’s the problem. The train conductor, a real sourpuss, won't let Lulu on.
Porky tries to sneak her aboard, obviously. This is where the cartoon really picks up. Lulu gets loose and just starts *eating everything*. A sleeping lady's wig? Gone. A little kid's toy airplane? *Poof*. She even swallows a whole concertina. The sounds that come out of her after that are just gold. 🤣
You can almost see the animators thinking, "What's the most absurd thing she can eat next?" Porky tries to hide her in a guitar case. A *very* big guitar case, apparently. But of course, she pops out at the absolute worst moment. Right when the conductor is walking by.
So, off the train they go. But Porky is not a quitter. Neither is Lulu, who seems completely unfazed by anything. They grab a hand cart. Then, they *hitch a cow* to it. A cow! To outrun a train! The way that cow just *bolts* is genuinely surprising. It’s such a wonderfully weird image, the three of them tearing across the countryside.
The animation is exactly what you'd expect from this era of Warner Bros. Super bouncy. A little bit rough around the edges sometimes, but in a charming way. It’s all about the movement and the timing of the gags. And those background characters? Some of them are just wild sketches.
It's not trying to be anything more than it is. Just a string of escalating chaos. No big messages here. No deep thoughts. Just a pig, his giant bird, and a whole lot of physical comedy. Billy Bletcher's voice for Porky, all those exasperated grunts, really sells his frustration. You kinda feel for the poor guy.
Lulu, though. She’s the real star. Just a force of nature, driven by… well, by eating things, mostly. There's a moment when she just stares blankly after eating something ridiculous, like, "What's next?" It’s great.
So, yeah. Porky's Pet. It's a quick, fun watch. Don't expect a profound experience. Do expect some good, old-fashioned cartoon mayhem. It's got that classic, frantic energy that just makes you smile. Definitely worth checking out for a few minutes if you need a little pick-me-up.

IMDb 8
1924
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