Western Whoopee Review: A 1930s Fever Dream

If you like cartoons where the characters move like they have no bones, Western Whoopee is for you. If you hate scratchy audio and things that don't make sense, maybe go watch something else. Like, right now. This is for the animation nerds who stay up too late watching public domain stuff on YouTube.

It’s an old Aesop’s Sound Fable. Don't let the name fool you. There is no moral here. There is no fable. It is just a bunch of animals bouncing around in the desert for six minutes.

Milton Mouse is the star. He looks so much like Mickey Mouse that I’m suprised Disney didn't sue them into the ground back in 1930. Milton and Rita are out West. They end up in a saloon, obviously. Because that is what people did in movies back then.

The first thing you notice is the constant movement. Everyone is always bobbing up and down. Even the buildings. Even the cacti. It is honestly kind of exhausting to watch. My eyes started to hurt after three minutes.

The piano music never stops. It just loops and loops. It’s jaunty but also sort of threatening? Like it’s trying to hypnotize you into joining the cartoon cult.

I found myself thinking about Monkeying Around while watching this. Both have that same frantic energy where nobody can stand still for even a second. It feels like the animators were on some kind of high-speed caffeine.

There is a scene with a horse. The horse is playing a flute. Or maybe it is a pipe? The film is so grainy it’s hard to tell what’s happening. But the horse seems to be having a great time, so who am I to judge.

The saloon scene is where it gets real weird. A bunch of characters are dancing. They all move in perfect sync. It’s very uncanny valley before that was even a thing. One guy looks like a dog but also a human? Idk. It’s creepy.

I missed the plot because I was staring at the background. The backgrounds are actually kind of nice. They have this dusty, hand-drawn charm that feels more real than the characters. It’s like the characters were dropped into a world they don't belong in.

A villain shows up eventually. He has a big mustache. He tries to be scary, but he just bounces like everyone else. It’s hard to take a guy seriously when his knees are made of jelly.

Speaking of knees, nobody has them. Their legs just bend in circles. Rubber-hose animation is a trip. It’s like physics didn't exist yet in 1930.

Cinematic perspective: Exploring the visual vocabulary of Western Whoopee (1930) through its definitive frames.

If you’ve seen The Barker, you know how these early sound films had that weird, hollow audio. Western Whoopee is loud. Very loud. The sound effects for the gunshots sound more like someone hitting a tin can with a spoon.

I noticed a small detail in the corner of the screen during the saloon fight. There’s a cat just sitting there. He doesn't move. He just watches the chaos. He’s the only relatable character in the whole movie.

The word "Whoopee" in the title is very 1930s. It just means having a loud, wild time. And they definitely do that. It feels like a party where you don't know anyone and everyone is screaming.

It reminds me of Be Yourself in how it just tries so hard to be funny without actually having jokes. It’s more about the vibe of being funny.

Is it a good movie? Not really. Is it a fascinating relic? Yeah. It’s like looking at a weird fossil that still has a little bit of life left in it.

I think the animators just wanted to see what they could get away with. There’s a moment where a cow walks by and it’s wearing shoes. Why? Nobody knows. Don't ask questions.

If you want a real western with actual humans, go find The Last Outlaw. This is just for people who want to see a mouse fight a mustache man.

The ending is very abrupt. It just stops. No credits, no "The End" for more than a second. Just blackness. It’s almost a relief when it’s over.

I feel like I need a nap now. My brain is buzzing from the piano loop. Whoopee!

Check out Jane Goes A' Wooing if you want something that feels totally different but from the same era. Or don't. I'm just a guy on the internet.

Things I Noticed While Eating Cereal:

• The mouse's ears stay perfectly round no matter which way he turns. It’s magic.
• The dust clouds look like little cotton balls.
• I think I saw a character from Edgar, the Explorer in the background, but I might be imagining things.
• The way the piano player hits the keys makes it look like his fingers are actually sausages.

Anyway, it’s worth a watch if you have six minutes to kill and you want to feel slightly uncomfortable. It’s a piece of history, even if it’s a noisy, bouncy, confusing piece of history.

"It’s not Disney, and it really, really wants you to know that."

Final thought: Why were old cartoons so obsessed with saloons? Every single one. It’s like they didn't have any other locations to draw. I guess it’s easier to draw a bottle than a park.