Spoilers need one more rabbit to get the rope.

Since there’s no way I can review this in grunts and screams, I’m afraid you’re going to get a regular review for this one. However, if you’re one of those filmgoers who doesn’t mind experimenting a bit, Fantasia serve us a treat. A movie told in complete pantomime and no dialog whatsoever. If you are at all curious I suggest you stop reading and see where you can watch it next. Do come back, you hear?

Hundreds of Beavers (2023) is directed by Mike Cheslik who co-wrote it with Ryland Brickson Cole Tews. If you were keen to ask me which film in Fantasia most resembles a Bugs Bunny live action cartoon, this would be the answer. When we first meet the apple cider farmer Jean Kayak (Ryland Brickson Cole Tews), we’re treated to some narration in song form. We learn he’s made good in setting up his own business harvesting apple cider until the dreaded beavers ruined him. Now he’s out for revenge, but the beavers are not going to make this easy for him.

In case you haven’t caught on, the filmmakers are committed to tell an epic tale with no dialog and employing nothing more than cartoonish style cues to convey plot. To be fair, this is a fairly minimalistic plot. Jean Kayak is trying to survive in the wild, get food and shelter and eventually will run into several other characters that might be either help him or make his situation worse. Eventually he’ll even want to start trading furs with the merchant and even fall in love with his daughter, the furrier (Olivia Graves). What he has no clue is that the beavers are building something big… And the odds are not in his favour.

Why does it work? I couldn’t exactly tell you. There’s no particular technique here that stands out. The winning concoction seems to be a mix of silliness, charisma, comedic timing and sociopathic furry little stinkers that make Jean’s life impossible. Yet after he fails at any task several times, eventually Jean starts to learn to do better. There’s a little bit of a video game feeling for those who have experienced any game that forces you to grind to level up. Fortunately it does feel like everytime we’re close to get tired of something, there’s a saving gag or a merciful change in the narrative that moves the story forward. Still, it does start to feel a little bit long halfway through.

Recommended for open audiences willing to experiment and specially for the lovers of the weird and the silly. For casual audiences, it might start to feel a bit long around an hour in. Fortunately it doesn’t overstay its welcome, but it’s a bit too niche if you’re not a willing participant. Worth a watch for the right audience.

That will do for now.