The Fowl Ball is 6 minutes of swamp weirdness

If you have six minutes and you like really old cartoons that feel like a fever dream, you should watch this. It is definitely for people who like history or just want to see what animation looked like before it got all polished and "Disney-fied."

Most people will probably hate it because nothing actually happens. Like, there is zero story here. 🦆

Oswald shows up in a swamp and then the animals just start performing. It is more of a concert than a movie, really.

The first thing I noticed was how bouncy everything is. The trees are bouncing, the water is bouncing, even the rocks look like they are made of jelly.

There is this one scene with a turtle that uses its own shell as a drum. It’s kind of gross if you think about it too hard, but the rhythm is catchy.

I wrote down in my notes: "Why are the frogs so tall?" One frog is standing up and playing a flute and his legs just keep stretching forever. It is unsettling but I couldn't look away.

The music is that scratchy, loud 1930s jazz that makes you feel like you are in a crowded basement. I liked it, but my dog hated the high notes. 🎺

Oswald himself feels a bit like an afterthought here. He is just there to react to the swamp creatures doing their thing.

It reminds me of Trying to Get Along in how it just focuses on the vibe rather than a plot. It’s just stuff happening for the sake of it.

Cinematic perspective: Exploring the visual vocabulary of The Fowl Ball (1930) through its definitive frames.

There is a weird moment where a bird tries to sing and another animal just shuts its beak. It felt personal. Like the animator was mad at someone that day.

One thing that’s cool is seeing Tex Avery’s name in the credits. You can almost see the seeds of madness he would bring to cartoons later on.

The background art is actually pretty detailed for 1930. The moss hanging from the trees looks like hair. It’s creepy but cool.

I did find myself wondering if the animals were supposed to be happy or if they were being forced to perform. The expressions are so wild it is hard to tell.

If you compare this to something like A Close Shave, it’s like looking at two different planets. Animation came a long way, but there is a soul in this old messy stuff that you don't see anymore.

The ending is very abrupt. It just... stops. No real goodbye from Oswald, just a fade to black while the music is still peaking.

Didja notice?

• The way the water ripples looks like moving ink.
• That one fish that looks like it has a human face for three frames.
• Oswald's ears move like they have no bones in them at all.
• The sync between the sound and the mouths is... well, it's an attempt.

I wouldn't say this is a masterpiece or anything. It’s just a weird little time capsule of a time when people were still figuring out how to make drawings move to music.

It’s better than No Man's Land if you want something short and light, but it’s definitely not going to change your life. It's just a fowl ball. Get it? Sorry.

Anyway, watch it if you're bored. It’s short enough that you won't regret the lost time even if you hate it. 🐇