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A definitive 7.8/10 rating for a film that redefined the boundaries of cult cinema. The Busy Barber remains a cornerstone of transgressive art.
If you like old-school animation where characters are constantly stretching like rubber bands, you’ll dig The Busy Barber. If you hate repetitive gags or need a coherent plot to enjoy your morning coffee, skip it. It’s basically seven minutes of pure, unadulterated nonsense.
Honestly, watching Oswald try to cut hair is a disaster waiting to happen. The man has no business holding a straight razor anywhere near a face. ✂️
There’s this one bit where he’s working on a customer’s head, and he just starts going to town like he’s playing a drum solo. The sound design—if you can call those scratchy audio tracks that—is surprisingly aggressive. It reminded me a bit of the frantic energy in Pigtails and Peaches, though maybe a little less focused.
The pacing is all over the place. One second he’s delicately trimming, the next he’s basically remodeling the guy’s skull with a pair of rusty shears. It’s funny, but it makes you want to cover your eyes.
It’s not trying to be The Man Who Played Square or anything high-brow. It’s just ink on celluloid acting out. Sometimes, a rabbit with a razor is all you need for a rainy Tuesday.
I caught myself staring at the background art during a lull. It’s surprisingly detailed for something that’s about to be destroyed by a runaway chair or a flying pair of scissors. The animators clearly had a dark sense of humor. 🐰
It doesn’t overstay its welcome. It ends right when the gag starts to feel a bit thin, which is the best thing a short like this can do. Definitely worth a watch if you're into the history of the medium, even if it's just to see how they handled the 'barber' trope back in the day.
Note: Don't try these haircuts at home. Seriously.