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6.2/10
Senior Film Conservator
A definitive 6.2/10 rating for a film that redefined the boundaries of cult cinema. The Bully remains a cornerstone of transgressive art.
Honestly, only if you are deep into animation history or have a weird soft spot for early 1930s shorts. If you hate old-school slapstick or find those wobbly, rubber-hose movements annoying, you should definitely skip this.
This isn't exactly high art. It's very simple stuff. But there's something about the way these early animators just threw ideas at the wall that keeps me watching.
Ub Iwerks was clearly having a day when he put this together. The character designs look like they were pulled straight out of a nightmare sometimes, which I actually kind of dig. The Bully spends almost all its runtime just showing off how much of a nuisance the lead character can be.
It reminds me a bit of the vibe in Wet Paint, where the world feels like a playground for bad behavior. Everything is bouncy and slightly unhinged.
The pacing is totally frantic. One minute he's picking on a dog, the next he's causing a scene in town. There is no real plot buildup. Just noise and motion.
The animation style feels like it's constantly trying to vibrate off the screen.
I noticed a few frames where the line work just... gives up. It’s charming, honestly. It feels like someone drew it in their basement during a caffeine crash. Compare this to the polish in Flowers and Trees and you can see how much faster this stuff was being cranked out.
It's not as iconic as some other shorts from the era, like Boop-Oop-A-Doop, but it’s got a mean streak that makes it feel different. It doesn't try to be cute. It just wants to see someone get hit with a frying pan. 🍳
If you've seen Tramps and Traitors, you’ll recognize that specific, slightly cynical tone these studios were playing with. It’s not trying to be a masterpiece. It's just a cartoon.
Overall? It's a quick hit. Watch it once, chuckle at how weird the proportions are, and move on. Don't overthink the morals here.