Betty Boop, M.D. (1932)

Betty Boop, M.D. Review

Betty Boop, M.D. is a 1932 animated short film from the Betty Boop series. It is a very surreal, crazy short.

Betty, Bimbo, and Koko sell a concoction in their medicine show which has odd side effects. These include rapid hair growth, unusual changes in shape and even death itself. It’s such an adult, manic movie that most surely functions as a fever dream. I am not a fan of drug-oriented storytelling, which is why ultimately this movie didn’t appeal to me as much, but it’s a perfect subject for the animated medium treatment nonetheless, which resulted in a lot of creativity.

There is no plot to be found here whatsoever. It is very thin in its script and almost non-existent. But the movie was elevated largely thanks to gorgeous, inventive animation and effects. The offbeat, crazy atmosphere was also a big plus. The highlight in terms of scenes it the ending itself where a man turned into basically Mr. Hyde, which was surprisingly disturbing and scary for a Betty Boop cartoon.

Betty Boop, M.D. has a weak plot, but the visuals are very creative and the ending is memorably disturbing in its imagery.

My Rating – 4