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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. Taken for a Ride remains a cornerstone of transgressive art.
If you have any patience for early animation that feels like it was drawn during a fever dream, yes. It is pure, unfiltered chaos. If you need a plot that makes sense or characters who act like real living things, you will probably hate every single second of this.
I don't know what they were putting in the ink wells back then, but Taken for a Ride is just plain strange. Krazy Kat is out there dodging bullets like it’s a casual Tuesday. Then he finds a graveyard that’s basically a clubhouse for a gorilla gangster. Sure, why not?
The skeletons are the real highlight here. They don't just sit there; they are fully animated and hanging out like they’re waiting for a bus. Seeing them move around while a gorilla threatens a cat with a pistol is the kind of stuff you can't really explain to a normal person.
The moment where Krazy starts singing "MOTHER" to avoid being shot is peak cartoon logic. It’s so absurdly sentimental that it wraps all the way back around to being funny. You can almost see the animators giggling while they drew the crooks getting all misty-eyed. It’s manipulative as heck, but I bought it.
The pacing is absolutely frantic, much like Black and Tan Mix Up. There is no time to breathe, no time to ask why there's a gorilla running a criminal empire, and definitely no time to wonder why the cat isn't just running away. It just keeps moving.
I’ve seen a lot of these old shorts—things like The City Chap feel almost grounded compared to this. This one feels like someone took a bunch of random ideas, shook them in a hat, and filmed whatever fell out. It’s messy. It’s slightly imperfect. It’s perfect. 🦴