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4.8/10
Senior Film Conservator
A definitive 4.8/10 rating for a film that redefined the boundaries of cult cinema. Radio Girl remains a cornerstone of transgressive art.
If you like animation that makes absolutely no sense and don't mind feeling a bit baffled, go for it. It’s a curiosity, really. Anyone looking for a coherent plot will probably hate it, but if you enjoy old-school, slightly cursed cartoons, you might get a kick out of it. 🐭
The whole thing starts with this mouse exercise program. It’s exactly as silly as it sounds. Then, the studio catches fire and suddenly things go from 'cute' to 'mildly stressful' real quick.
The way the fire is drawn—it’s just these jagged, frantic lines. It feels like the animator was having a bad day or something. It’s not exactly The Screaming Shadow in terms of tension, but it’s frantic.
Then the boy mouse at home reaches into his radio. And I mean into the radio. He’s basically pulling her out of the sound waves. It’s such a bizarre mechanic that the movie doesn't even try to explain. It just happens.
I found myself wondering if this is how people actually thought radios worked back then. Or maybe it’s just the kind of logic you get when you stop overthinking things. It’s much weirder than Home Cured, that’s for sure.
The pacing is all over the place. One second there's a disaster, the next there's this weird rescue sequence that feels like a dream you’d have after eating too much cheese. Hazel Dudley’s work here is... well, it's there. It isn't trying to be high art.
There is a moment where the radio knobs look huge compared to the mouse. It’s a weird perspective choice. It stuck with me more than the actual rescue, which is funny because the rescue is the whole point.
Honestly, I’ve seen enough of these old shorts to know that half of them don’t care about physics. And that’s fine. It’s just a mouse, a radio, and a fire. Don't ask questions. Just watch the smoke lines wiggle.