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5.5/10
Senior Film Conservator
A definitive 5.5/10 rating for a film that redefined the boundaries of cult cinema. The Stork Market remains a cornerstone of transgressive art.
If you have a soft spot for the kind of surreal, slightly frantic animation that feels like a fever dream from the 1920s, then sure, go for it. If you prefer your cartoons to have a coherent internal logic or actual dialogue that makes sense, you should probably stay far away. Honestly, it's a short, but it leaves you feeling a bit rattled, in a mostly good way.
The whole premise is built on this weird industrial setup where storks just... manufacture babies in a factory. They stamp them out like car parts. It’s a bit cold, right? Seeing these bundles just clunking off a conveyor belt feels less like a miracle of life and more like a trip to a factory floor in The City Chap.
The best part of this short is how it just doesn't care about explaining itself. The stork needs a plane to get to work, but then he just flies on his own later? Who knows. Who cares.
The noon whistle blowing in the dispatch room is a nice touch. It gives the whole scene a weirdly corporate vibe for something that is supposed to be magical. Krazy is the only one left working, which makes you wonder if the other storks are just lazy or if the management is truly awful.
Getting shoved down the chimney is the highlight, mostly because the family is immediately convinced that a giant bird is their new human son. It’s peak cartoon insanity. They just pop him in a cradle and start coddling him like it’s a totally normal Tuesday.
The way Krazy reacts is the only part that feels grounded. He’s clearly disgusted by the whole thing, which is exactly how I would feel if I were a stork forced to play house. Then the real baby shows up and just busts through the door. It’s chaotic. It’s loud. It’s over before you can even ask, 'Why is this happening?'
It’s not as emotionally heavy as The Birth of a Man, but it’s definitely more memorable. You don't watch this to learn about life; you watch it to see how much weirdness they can cram into a few minutes. 🐣