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6.9/10
Senior Film Conservator
A definitive 6.9/10 rating for a film that redefined the boundaries of cult cinema. Sky Larks remains a cornerstone of transgressive art.
If you've got a soft spot for the absolute madness of early animation, Sky Larks is a weird, bouncy little treat. You’ll probably love it if you dig stuff that just throws ideas at the wall to see what sticks. If you need a coherent story or hate when things get a bit too surreal, you’re gonna have a bad time. Honestly, it’s like a fever dream that keeps skipping frames.
Watching Oswald go to Mars feels less like a space odyssey and more like a trip to a carnival run by someone who forgot to take their meds. The Mars he finds isn't dusty or red; it’s basically just a playground for sentient weaponry. Why are the guns talking? I don't know. It’s just what they do.
The encounter with the Roman god of war is easily the highlight, mostly because he looks like he’s trying way too hard to be intimidating while surrounded by anthropomorphic bayonets. It’s goofy, sure, but there’s a kinetic energy here that makes you wonder what kind of coffee the animators were drinking back then. It makes the slow pacing in La nave look like a nap in comparison.
There’s a moment where a cannon just starts whistling a tune and it goes on for, I swear, ten seconds too long. It’s awkward. It’s weird. I couldn't stop watching it. It’s not trying to be a deep, meaningful piece of art like Little Women. It’s just trying to make you giggle while things explode in soft, bouncy ways.
The whole thing feels a bit uneven, like the writers just got bored halfway through and decided to introduce new characters just to see how they’d walk. Honestly, it’s better than most "polished" shorts I’ve seen recently. It’s got that raw, slightly unhinged quality that makes you feel like the whole production could have fallen apart at any second. 🚀
