Bartholomew Versus the Wheel (1964)

Bartholomew Versus the Wheel Review

Bartholomew Versus the Wheel is a 1964 animated short film from the Merry Melodies series. It is a very idiosyncratic short.

This is a one-off short that is unlike any other in the series for better and for worse. The art style is a mixed bag. I did appreciate its Peanuts-inspired character designs, but the backgrounds are ugly and it is overall way too simplistic and rough around the edges. The boy’s narration is also too on-the-nose and downright insufferable at times, making the movie very childish.

But the plot is pretty good nonetheless. It’s about a boy who out of revenge starts taking down vehicles, but eventually he realizes that not all people riding vehicles are bad. It’s a great message for kids that revenge is never an answer and that not everything in life is painted in black and white. Bartholomew is a very endearing dog that is well developed and it’s interesting how clever he is, which produced some very charming moments throughout.

Bartholomew Versus the Wheel isn’t the best one-off Merry Melodies short out there due to its rough animation, but the story and the message are strong.

My Rating – 3.7