Training Pigeons is 6 minutes of Pudgy being a disaster

So, is Training Pigeons worth your time today? If you have exactly six minutes and you like watching hand-drawn dogs look confused, then yes. It is a total breeze. If you hate the high-pitched squeak of 1930s cartoons, stay far away.

It starts off with Betty Boop in her house. She isn't the flapper anymore here. She is more like a nice lady who lives in a house that seems way too big for her. She’s training these pigeons.

The pigeons are actually the best part. They march in a line like they are in the army. They have these tiny little movements that feel very Fleischer Studios. It’s that bouncy rhythm where everything moves to a beat even when it doesn't have to. I love that.

Betty is blowing a whistle. She’s wearing a little hat. She looks very serious about these birds. But then there is Pudgy.

Pudgy is the real star of these later Betty shorts. He has these massive eyes that take up half his head. He looks like he’s constantly vibrating with anxiety. He tries to join in with the birds, but he just can’t get the rhythm right.

The way he tries to march is hilarious. His little paws don't quite hit the floor at the right time. It reminded me a bit of the animal antics in The Robber Kitten, though that one feels a bit more like a fable. This is just pure chaos.

Then this one stray pigeon shows up. This bird is a jerk. It starts teasing Pudgy. It leads him out the window.

The Rooftop Mess

The middle of the movie is basically a chase. They go over the rooftops. The backgrounds are actually pretty cool. They have that deep, moody look that old black and white cartoons do so well.

There is a moment where Pudgy is walking on a thin wire. It’s actually kind of stressful. I know he’s a cartoon dog, but the way he wobbles makes you feel it in your stomach. The pigeon is just mocking him the whole time.

• The birds saluting is a weirdly specific detail.
• Pudgy’s tail wagging is very fluid.
• The sound effects for the bird’s feet are way too loud.

I noticed that Betty Boop herself doesn't actually do much after the first two minutes. She just kind of exists to start the plot. It’s funny how her name is on the title but the dog does all the heavy lifting. It’s like watching The Girl from Calgary where you expect one thing but the energy shifts halfway through.

There is this one shot of the pigeon looking back at Pudgy. Its face is so smug. It’s just a few lines of ink but you can tell exactly what that bird is thinking. "I'm going to kill this dog," probably. 🐦

The animation on the rooftops feels a bit more dangerous than what you see in stuff like The Lure of Hollywood. There is a sense of height. When Pudgy slips, the way the camera angles down is effective. It’s simple, but it works.

I did find the ending a bit abrupt. It just kind of stops. They get back home, and everything is fine. No one really learns a lesson. Betty just smiles.

Actually, I think the pigeon might be smarter than Betty. It definitely has more personality in this short. The way it tricks Pudgy into a chimney is classic slapstick. It’s not ground-breaking, but it made me chuckle while I was eating my toast.

"Training Pigeons doesn't try to be art. It just tries to be a dog falling over things."

If you've seen things like The Cyclist, you know how much can be told through movement. This is a much dumber version of that, obviously. But the physics of the cartoon world are always fun to watch. Gravity only works when the character looks down.

The music is also very jazzy and frantic. It never stops. Sometimes the music is doing more work than the actual drawings. It keeps the energy up even when the chase goes on a bit too long.

One thing that’s weird is how domestic Betty is now. If you’ve seen her early stuff, she was a bit more... edgy? Here she’s just a lady with a lot of pigeons. It’s a bit boring if you think about it too much. So don't think about it.

Just watch the dog. Pudgy is precious. Even when he’s being a total idiot.

The way the pigeons fly back into the coop at the end is very satisfying. They all fit perfectly. It’s like Tetris but with feathers.

It’s not a masterpiece. It’s just a solid little cartoon from an era where they made a million of these. It has more soul than a lot of the CGI stuff we get now, mostly because you can see the imperfections in the lines.

I'd say give it a go if you're bored. It won't change your life. But it's got a dog and some mean birds. What else do you need? 🐶