In HUNDREDS OF BEAVERS (2022), a 19th century applejack salesman’s orchard is destroyed when a beaver gnaws through one of the beams supporting a giant keg, which rolls into his house and blows up. Jean wakes up in winter and finds himself in a struggle to catch food, then decides to become a fur trapper, and finally sets out to trap enough furs he can win the hand of the lovely daughter of the local supplies trader.
This movie is wacked in the best ways, sort of a live-action, multimedia TOM AND JERRY cartoon where the wildlife consists of people in animal costumes and the conflict between Jean and the animals plays as nonstop slapstick comedy. There’s a simple gaming element in Jean acquiring enough fish and pelts to trade to slowly build up his capabilities with items like weapons. The last act overplays its hand a bit, but overall, it’s great fun, with plenty of goofy laugh-out-loud moments.
I enjoyed this one a lot for its borrowing what worked about old childhood cartoons and using them to carve out its own goofy identity with a simple story that is fun and never, ever takes itself seriously.
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