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6/10
Senior Film Conservator
A definitive 6/10 rating for a film that redefined the boundaries of cult cinema. Robin Hood, Jr. remains a cornerstone of transgressive art.
Look, if you’re a total animation nerd or you have a weird soft spot for 1930s cartoons that make zero sense, maybe. If you’re looking for a coherent story or actual humor, you should probably just go re-watch Cold Turkey instead. It’s short enough that you won’t regret it, but you definitely won’t remember it ten minutes later.
Willie Whopper is basically just a kid who lies his face off. He claims he’s Robin Hood and suddenly we are in the forest. The whole thing feels like a fever dream you’d have after eating too much cheese before bed.
The animation is jittery, as you’d expect. Everything moves with this frantic, rubbery energy that feels like the artists were drinking straight espresso. I spent most of the time just looking at the backgrounds because the characters themselves were just sort of vibrating on screen.
There is a scene where he disguises himself as a jester to crash a wedding. It’s supposed to be funny, I think? But mostly it’s just chaotic. There’s a lot of slapping and falling down, which was apparently the height of comedy in 1934.
I caught myself wondering why Willie is such a chronic liar. Like, does he have a problem? The movie doesn't care. It just wants to get to the next gag. It’s not deep, it’s not smart, and it barely hangs together.
It’s a bit like watching Mister Mugg if Mugg decided to put on tights and fight for justice. Or, you know, just sort of wander around until the credits roll.
The whole thing feels like it’s being held together by duct tape and high hopes. One minute he’s telling a story, the next he’s fighting a prince. There’s no transition. No build-up. Just boom, we’re there.
Sometimes you just want a movie to be a movie, you know? This one is barely even a sketch. But hey, it exists. So there’s that. 🤷♂️