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5.9/10
Senior Film Conservator
A definitive 5.9/10 rating for a film that redefined the boundaries of cult cinema. Soda Poppa remains a cornerstone of transgressive art.
If you have any patience for 1930s animation—where the physics are basically just suggestions—then yes, give it a look. It’s barely a few minutes long. If you get annoyed by repetitive gags or characters who seem to exist only to be frantic, you’ll probably find this unbearable.
There is something inherently unsettling about the way these early Columbia shorts move. Everything is just so wiggly. It’s like the animators were afraid that if a character stood still for more than a second, the entire screen would just turn off.
The whole setup at the ice cream parlor is actually pretty charming in a dusty, old-fashioned way. Kitty is just trying to enjoy a treat, and then this fox shows up looking like he’s definitely going to commit a crime. He’s got that specific, creepy-but-cartoonish smirk that you see in all these shorts.
I found myself staring at the background art. It’s so sparse. It makes the characters feel like they’re performing on a stage that someone forgot to finish decorating. 🎨
When Krazy Kat finally shows up to save the day, the pacing hits a level of chaos that is honestly hard to keep up with. It’s not really about the story, is it? It’s about how many times a character can be flattened and then pop back up like a spring.
It reminded me a bit of the frantic energy in Pop Tuttle's Lost Nerve, though these characters are obviously a lot more pliable. There’s no weight to anything. Every punch is just a puff of smoke.
Is it a masterpiece? No. It’s a bizarre, jittery artifact. Sometimes, that’s exactly what you need on a slow afternoon when you’re bored of modern, shiny stuff that tries way too hard to look perfect. This doesn't try to be anything other than a moving drawing, and that's fine by me. 🐱