Rodeo Dough: Why are we letting a cat do this?

If you enjoy early animation that feels like it was drawn during an earthquake, you'll probably have a decent time with Rodeo Dough. If you need your cartoons to have a coherent plot or, you know, physics that actually work, you should probably skip this one. It’s for the folks who like their humor fast, loud, and borderline confusing. 🤠

There isn't a lot to say about the story, really. Krazy Kat wants to impress his girlfriend, so he enters the rodeo. That’s it. That’s the whole pitch. It’s basically just an excuse to watch a cat get flattened by a bull for five minutes straight.

The pacing is absolutely unhinged. One second we're setting the scene, and the next, Krazy is being launched into the stratosphere by a horse that looks suspiciously like a sack of potatoes with legs. It reminds me a bit of the frantic energy in Back Stage, where everything is moving just to see if it can.

The backgrounds are pretty sparse. It’s mostly just lines and empty space, which honestly makes the whole thing feel more claustrophobic. It’s like the characters are performing in a void. Every time Krazy tries to look cool, he trips over his own feet. It’s kind of sad, but mostly just funny in a 'what is happening' sort of way.

Cinematic perspective: Exploring the visual vocabulary of Rodeo Dough (1931) through its definitive frames.

There is this one moment where Krazy tries to lasso a bull, but the rope just ends up tied around his own neck. It goes on for way too long. The animators clearly loved the idea of him getting tangled up. It’s a very specific kind of visual gag that you don't see as much anymore—the kind that hurts to watch but you can't look away from.

It definitely lacks the polish you’d find in later shorts, but that’s the charm. It’s rough. It’s jittery. It feels like a sketch that got out of control. It makes me miss the weird, experimental stuff like Lions' Jaws and Kittens' Paws, which had that same manic, unpredictable vibe.

Anyway, don't overthink it. It's just a cat at a rodeo. It’s not trying to change the world. It’s just trying to make you laugh before the film strip runs out. 🐱

Things I noticed:

• The bull's eyes change size about four times during the first scene.
• Krazy's ears seem to have a life of their own.
• The music is relentless. Seriously, it doesn't stop for a second.
• I’m pretty sure the rodeo crowd is just the same five circles drawn over and over again.