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5.7/10
Senior Film Conservator
A definitive 5.7/10 rating for a film that redefined the boundaries of cult cinema. Puppy Love remains a cornerstone of transgressive art.
If you have seven minutes to spare and want to see how much rubbery nonsense an animator can pack into a frame, sure. It’s pure 1932 comfort food for fans of the early stuff. If you need a coherent story or realistic physics, keep walking.
There is something inherently bizarre about the early Mickey shorts. They operate on a dream logic where everything—fire hydrants, chairs, actual dogs—is just a prop waiting to be bent out of shape. Mickey is trying to be a gentleman, but he mostly just ends up looking like he’s having a nervous breakdown while playing the piano.
The scene where Mickey is serenading Minnie is the highlight, mostly because the piano itself seems to be fighting him. It’s a classic Ub Iwerks gag, I guess. Things just don’t sit still.
It’s funny how these old cartoons feel like they were made by people who had never actually seen a real dog before. Or maybe they had, and they just decided they were boring. The dogs in Puppy Love act more like chaotic roommates than pets.
I caught myself wondering if the animators were just seeing how far they could stretch a character’s neck before the audience got uncomfortable. It’s a lot of stretching. If you watch this back-to-back with something like Fishing Around, you can really see that mid-30s shift toward making the characters feel slightly more solid.
This isn't a masterpiece, but it doesn't try to be. It’s just a loop of gags that land because they're so relentless. Sometimes, that’s plenty.
Anyway, don't think too hard about the mechanics of the date. Just watch the dogs jump. 🐕