The Slumberland Express: A Weird Little Trip

Is it worth your time?

If you like old-school, slightly unsettling animation, sure. It’s definitely not for anyone who needs a coherent plot to stay awake, and parents looking for a calm bedtime story for their kids might want to skip this one unless they want to trigger some mid-night sobbing. It’s got that specific kind of 1930s charm that’s equal parts sweet and genuinely eerie.

The whole thing starts on this train that’s basically a rolling candy shop. It feels like a fever dream you’d have after eating too much chocolate before bed. There’s this constant, rhythmic chugging that almost puts you in a trance, which I guess is the point. 🚂

Then the kid wanders off. Of course he does. Why do characters in these things never just sit still? He hits Nightmare Land and the tone shift is… abrupt. One minute we’re looking at bright, bouncy visuals, and the next, everything looks like it was drawn by someone having a very bad day.

The ghosts aren't subtle. They don't just lurk; they look like they’re trying to physically jump off the screen and ruin your afternoon. It reminded me a bit of the frantic, slightly unhinged energy you find in L'île enchantée. Same sort of "anything goes" logic where physics are just a suggestion.

The pacing is all over the place. We spend way too long watching the train roll through clouds, and then the actual scary stuff happens so fast you barely have time to register why the kid is terrified. It’s uneven, messy, and I kinda loved that about it. It doesn’t feel like a committee made it.

Some random notes I scribbled down:

• The train whistle sounds like it’s screaming for help, not signaling a departure.
• The contrast between the bright dream land and the shadows is jarring. My eyes had to adjust.
• I’m still not sure what the deal is with the train conductor. Is he a person? A ghost? A figment? Who knows.
• The way the shadows move is legitimately creepy. Not "modern horror" creepy, but "why is that squiggle moving like that?" creepy.

It’s not trying to be a masterpiece. It’s just a weird, little experiment that manages to capture a specific type of childhood anxiety. It’s nowhere near as polished as the stuff you see today, but that’s exactly why it works. It feels hand-made, right down to the wonky lines.

If you find yourself watching this late at night, you might start feeling like you're on that train yourself. And maybe that's the best way to see it. Just don't blame me if you have to check under the bed afterward. 👻