Towne Hall Follies: Oswald's brief, frantic dance

Should you watch Towne Hall Follies? If you are a fan of 1930s animation history, absolutely. If you are looking for a complex narrative, you are in the wrong place. It’s a relic, but a charming one.

The premise is simple enough. A singer gets cornered by a bad guy, and Oswald the Lucky Rabbit plays the hero. It moves fast. Maybe a little too fast.

There is this one moment during the stage performance that felt surprisingly fluid for the time. Then, the villain enters, and suddenly the whole thing turns into a high-speed chase. It’s funny how these old shorts don't bother with exposition. They just start running.

If you enjoy this kind of frantic energy, you might also like the pacing in Fish Hooky. They share that same DNA where the plot is basically just an excuse to see how many weird shapes the animators can make the characters twist into. 🐰

Watching Oswald is always a bit nostalgic for me. He has this permanent look of mild confusion that I find very relatable. The way he saves the day here isn't through some grand plan, but just by being in the right place at the right time. It’s accidental heroics.

I found myself staring at the background art during the vaudeville scenes. Someone spent a lot of time on those little details that barely stay on screen for three seconds. It’s a shame, really. You blink and you miss a decent piece of craft.

Some random observations:

• The villain’s movements are genuinely jerky. It looks like he’s running on a treadmill that keeps changing speeds.
• The sound design is mostly just whistles and thuds. I love it.
• The singer’s voice is... well, it’s a product of its time. Let’s leave it at that.

Is it a masterpiece? No. But it is delightfully weird. It’s the kind of thing you watch when you want your brain to turn off for seven minutes. Just don't expect it to change your life.

I’ve seen similar energy in Springtime, though this one feels a bit more aggressive with its punchlines. It’s not trying to win an award. It’s just trying to keep the audience awake. Mission accomplished, I suppose.