The Last Mail: A weirdly aggressive dance-off in the snow

Should you watch The Last Mail? Only if you have a very specific craving for 1930s animation where logic takes a backseat to tap dancing. If you’re a fan of the rubber-hose style, you’ll probably find this cute enough to ignore the plot holes. But if you hate musical interludes that feel like they’re holding the plot hostage? You’re gonna have a bad time.

The whole thing starts with an extended musical number because, of course it does. Cubby is sledding through the snow with three squirrels pulling him, which is honestly the most efficient mail delivery system I’ve ever seen. I’m not sure why we aren’t using squirrels for the post office today.

Then he meets Honey. He calls her 'Cuddles' and they immediately start a dance routine. The energy here is frenetic. It feels like everyone involved had just finished their fourth cup of coffee. The animation is jittery, but there’s a certain weird charm to how these characters just snap into a rhythm.

Cinematic perspective: Exploring the visual vocabulary of The Last Mail (1933) through its definitive frames.

The middle of the cartoon turns into a bit of a mess when Honey decides to stow away in the mail bag. Why? Who knows. It’s a classic trope, I guess. Then a raccoon shows up—a robber raccoon, naturally—and things get surprisingly physical. Cubby gets knocked out cold, which is a bit darker than I expected for a cartoon about mail delivery.

The 'rescue bird' segment feels like it was tacked on because they ran out of ways for a bear to fight a raccoon. It’s weirdly effective, though. The way the eagle swoops in to save the day is just pure, unadulterated 1930s storytelling logic. You don’t ask why the eagle is helping; you just accept it.

It’s not as emotionally heavy as Macbeth, obviously, but it’s got a lot more bounce. I found myself thinking about The Simp while watching the pacing. Both have that 'get to the next gag as fast as humanly possible' mentality.

Random notes from the watch:

• The squirrel-sled is the peak of this movie. Everything else is just buildup.
• Why is a raccoon wearing a mask? I mean, I know it’s a cartoon, but it’s like he’s trying too hard.
• The silence in the transition between the dance and the robbery is actually pretty jarring.
• I’m still confused about how Honey fit in that bag. It’s a cartoon, sure, but physics still exist for the rest of us!

It’s a short, breezy experience. Don’t overthink it. Just watch the squirrels go.