Mysterious Mose Review

Here's a fun little activity for animation enthusiasts:

Watch every single Betty Boop cartoon you can from her inception to her demise, with the inclusion of some Screen Songs if necessary. This short in particular is fun so far, yes.

But pay attention to Betty.

Judge her not from her ever-changing personality, but from a visual standpoint.

Watch if you want how she goes from dog to human, but when the Hays Code kicks in, pay close attention as her face becomes more and more polished and her head shrinks down so small it loses cartoonish value. Watch how those eyes slowly but surely resemble anime more than Japanese artists ever gave her credit for, and how high up her mouth is. Still adorable, but you can't deny you've seen better.

You done? Now go all the way back to this short, look straight at canine Betty, and see what you haven't thought of the whole time you've been watching these cartoons.

That's right. There's never been a better Betty.

Grim Natwick, everyone.