So, I finally sat down with
Summer from 1930.
It is one of those Silly Symphonies that feels like a fever dream if you watch it too late at night.
Is it worth your time today?
Yeah, if you have seven minutes and want to see some bugs lose their minds to a catchy tune.
If you need a deep story or
character arcs, you are going to be miserable.
But for everyone else, it is just a nice, bouncy bit of history.
Ub Iwerks really knew how to make things move back then.
Everything in this world is squishy and round.
The grass doesn't just sit there; it breathes.
The trees look like they are waiting for a cue to start a kick-line.
There is this one bit with the caterpillars that I really liked.
They all move in perfect sync like a fuzzy little train.
It is kind of impressive when you think about how many times someone had to draw that by hand.
No copy-paste back then, just ink and a lot of coffee, probably.
The spider is the real star of the show, though.
He has these spindly legs and a face that says he knows he is the bad guy.
He tries to catch a fly, but the timing is always just a little bit off.
It is almost like the movie is
rooting for the bugs to stay safe.
Then a bird comes along out of nowhere.
It is a bit of a jump scare if you aren't paying attention to the edges of the frame.
The bird just... eats him.
Nature is pretty mean, even in cartoons for kids.
I found myself thinking about
The Kid Is Clever while watching this.
Not because they are the same at all, but because there is a similar kind of
energy in how they try to entertain you.
They don't want you to think.
They just want you to watch the screen and go 'oh, that is neat.'
Some of the animation loops are pretty obvious if you look for them.
You can see the same four frames of a beetle drumming on a leaf over and over.
It is a little lazy, but hey, it was 1930.
They were figuring out the rules as they went along.
The music is what really ties the whole thing together.
Without the sound, it would just be a bunch of random twitching.
But with the beat, it feels like a real party in the dirt.
I noticed a tiny smudge on the frame near the three-minute mark.
It is these little imperfections that make me love these old shorts so much.
It feels like a real person actually touched the film.
It is not like those shiny new movies where everything is perfect and boring.
Like
The Unknown, it has this weird, dark edge if you look too close at it.
I mean, a bug gets eaten on screen!
That is heavy for a movie called 'Summer.'
Anyway, if you are bored, give it a go.
It is better than scrolling through your phone for the hundredth time today.
The way the sun rises at the start is... well, it is just a circle.
But it feels
important.
Like the sun is the DJ for the whole woods.
Let's talk about the flies for a second.
They have these tiny little wings that move so fast they are just a blur.
And the way they use their legs to play music?
It is
ridiculous but it works.
One bug uses another bug’s shell as a drum.
That is the kind of logic I miss in modern stuff.
The background art is actually pretty detailed if you look past the dancing.
There is a sense of depth that they didn’t always get right back then.
But here, it feels like you could reach into the screen and get a mosquito bite.
The ending is very abrupt.
The bird eats the spider and then... that is it.
No credits, no 'the end' in big fancy letters.
Just a quick fade to black.
It reminds me of the pacing in
Who Hit Me? in how it just stops.
I like that style.
No filler, just pure, weird animation.
It is a good palette cleanser for your brain.
Especially if you have been watching a lot of long, heavy dramas like
The Greater Sinner.
Sometimes you just need a bug to dance for you.
And Ub Iwerks delivers on that promise.
I would watch it again, maybe with the sound off next time to see if it is still funny.
Actually, no, the music is the best part, so keep it on.
Trust me on that one.
I also liked the part with the water pond.
The bugs are using the lily pads like a stage.
The way the water ripples is very basic, but it fits the mood.
It feels like a hot summer afternoon where nobody has anything better to do than dance.
Compare that to the high stakes in
The Americano.
Everything there is life or death.
Here, the biggest problem is a spider who gets eaten anyway.
It is a nice break from all that human tension.
I wonder if the people watching this in 1930 felt the same way.
Probably.
Overall, it is just a nice little piece of history.
It is not going to change your life, but it might make you smile for a few minutes.
And in 1930, that was probably enough for most people.
I’d say give it a watch if you are feeling a bit bored with modern stuff. 🐞
