Tom, Tom the Piper's Son: A dusty, flickering relic

Is it worth your time?

Honestly, only if you are the type of person who stares at old film stock for fun. If you want a story that makes sense or characters with depth, skip it. If you want to see how cartoons looked before they figured out how to be actually smooth, dive in.

It’s barely a movie, really. It’s more like a series of wobbly drawings that refuse to sit still.

There is this one moment where Tom is just walking, and his legs move in a way that feels like he’s fighting the floor. It reminded me a bit of the frantic, messy energy in Custard Pies. Just constant motion for no clear reason.

Mary Mary shows up, and the garden just... happens. The flowers grow because the animator said so, not because of any real rhythm. It lacks the weird, dark charm you find in something like The Haunted Castle.

I found myself watching the frame edges more than the actual characters. There’s a scratch in the film that stays there for a solid ten seconds. It’s more interesting than the plot.

Odd bits and pieces

• The pacing is frantic, like it’s trying to finish before the film runs out.
• The music—if you can call it that—sounds like a piano being poked with a stick.
• Tom’s face changes shape every time he turns his head. It’s almost a little unsettling.

It isn't trying to be deep. It isn't trying to be anything other than a moving drawing from a time when that was enough to blow people's minds. It’s not quite as charming as Toy Time, which at least has a bit of personality in its little objects.

Maybe it’s unfair to judge something this old by today's standards. But even then, it feels empty. It’s just shapes doing things. 🤷‍♂️

I kept waiting for a joke that never arrived. It’s just noise and lines. You can feel the effort, though. Someone sat there and drew every single frame by hand, probably in a room that was way too hot. That counts for something, even if the result is just kind of weird.