Why The Wayward Pups is still a cozy, chaotic watch

If you have eight minutes to spare and love hand-drawn dust storms, yes, watch this. It is a sweet little relic for anyone who misses when cartoons felt like they were drawn by people who drank too much coffee.

Modern kids raised on hyperactive 3D stuff will probably get bored in thirty seconds flat.

The whole thing is basically about a very smug house cat who tricks two tiny puppies into getting lost outside. Then the cat feels bad—or maybe just fears the wrath of the owner—and goes out into the storm to drag them back.

It is simple, but the physical comedy is surprisingly heavy. 🐾

I love the character designs here. The pups, Ruff and Reddy, are just these round blobs of fat and curiosity.

Their ears move like little flags. When they run, their back legs do not quite match what their front legs are doing, which is incredibly accurate to how real puppies actually move.

There is a moment early on where the cat is just lounging on a pillow. The sheer smugness on this feline's face is incredible.

It reminded me of the vintage hand-drawn charm you get in Freddy the Freshman, back when animators just drew whatever made them laugh during late nights at the desk.

But then the rain starts. 🌧️

The storm scene has this weirdly dark atmosphere. The rain looks less like water and more like aggressive grey pencil scratches covering the screen.

It actually gets a bit spooky when the puppies hide under a hollow log. One of them shivers so hard his spots almost shake off.

That is the kind of silly visual gag that makes these old shorts so fun.

The cat’s redemption arc is pretty fast, though. He goes from being an absolute menace to a hero in about three seconds.

I guess when you only have eight minutes of screen time, you do not have luxury of a slow moral awakening. It is like, okay, I was evil, now I am wet and regret everything.

There is also this bizarre frog that shows up. It just stares at them with these massive, unblinking eyes for what feels like an eternity.

It does not add anything to the plot. It is just… there, being a weird frog.

I love that they kept that in.

If you are looking for something grand, look elsewhere. Maybe try something like Ye Olde Songs if you want more of that specific nostalgic musical energy.

But for a quick hit of cozy, slightly chaotic animation, this one does the trick. Just do not expect a masterpiece.