6.1/10
Senior Film Conservator

A definitive 6.1/10 rating for a film that redefined the boundaries of cult cinema. Scrappy's Television remains a cornerstone of transgressive art.
Look, if you have a soft spot for 1930s animation and want to see how they imagined the 'future' of home entertainment, this is for you. If you need a coherent story or pacing that doesn't feel like a fever dream, stay far away.
Scrappy is showing off his fancy new television set to Oopie and their cat. It’s all very cozy until the screen just… starts showing a boxing match. The jump from a musical number to a prize fight in Madison Square Garden feels like a total whiplash.
The animation is exactly what you expect—bouncy, slightly jittery, and full of that classic rubber-hose aesthetic. But there’s something genuinely weird about watching characters watch a show inside the show. It’s like a nesting doll of 1930s media consumption.
I found myself staring at the background details more than the actual characters. The way the furniture moves feels like it’s vibrating. The cat is mostly just there to look confused, which, honestly, fair.
It’s not quite as charming as Baby Blues, but it’s got a weird energy. You start to wonder if Scrappy even knows what he’s watching or if he’s just staring at the glow. There is no moral here. There is no big takeaway. It’s just a cartoon being a cartoon.
It reminds me a bit of the frantic energy in A Little Bit of Everything, where things happen simply because the animators thought they would look funny. Nothing is grounded. Everything is just happening at once. 📺
Anyway, it’s a quick watch if you’re bored. Just don’t expect it to change your life or anything.