The Monkey's Big Catch: A strange, little bit of animation history

Is it worth your time?

If you have a soft spot for the really old-school, stop-motion-y aesthetic where you can practically see the animator's fingerprints on the clay, then yes. It's short, weird, and moves at its own pace. If you are looking for something polished, keep walking.

The Monkey's Big Catch isn't going to blow your mind with a complex script. It's a monkey, a fish, and a whole lot of underwater bickering. That’s really all there is to it.

The vibe

There is this one moment where the monkey’s expressions shift from cocky to genuinely panicked, and it’s surprisingly unsettling. It reminded me a bit of the frantic energy in The Danger Signal, just with less steam and more gills. The king fish character? He’s a jerk. A total, unrepentant jerk.

Watching this made me think about how much work went into these things back in the day. No digital undo button. Just a guy, a puppet, and a lot of patience. It’s definitely not as grand as The Great Impersonation, but it has a weird, twitchy heart to it.

Some quick notes:

• The underwater movement is… well, it’s not exactly fluid. It’s more like rhythmic jerking.
• The king fish’s henchmen look like they were made in a rush. I kind of love it.
• The sound design is basically nonexistent, which honestly helps the vibe.
• I spent most of the runtime wondering how the heck they lit the scene.

It’s funny how some movies just feel like they belong in a dusty box in an attic. This one feels like that. It’s not a masterpiece, and it doesn't try to be. It’s just a monkey getting into trouble. Sometimes that’s enough. 🐒🐟

I wouldn't suggest watching this right after something modern like a big studio release. The contrast is too harsh. It’s best viewed when you’re bored and want to see how far we’ve come—or maybe how much we’ve lost in terms of that strange, tactile feel.