THE BIG BURG (1929) Animation, Comedy | Short | Free Movie

Please visit our streaming service at https://lostnfoundfilms.uscreen.io/

The Big Burg is a 1929 black-and-white animated short from Paul Terry’s Aesop’s Fables series, known for blending urban slapstick with anthropomorphic animal characters. Set in a bustling cartoon city, the film spoofs big-city life with fast-paced gags, zany chases, and musical moments, all in Terry’s signature rubber hose style.

Synopsis:

The cartoon begins with a wide shot of the "Big Burg" — a caricature of a noisy, overstuffed city teeming with talking dogs, suited pigs, rats in bowler hats, and other urbanized animals. Our hero, a country bumpkin dog or pig (depending on the version), arrives on the city train, excited to explore.

He quickly gets caught up in the chaos: dodging trolley cars, getting trapped in revolving doors, chased by cops for jaywalking, and enticed by the bright lights of a vaudeville theater. A slick-talking city fox tries to con him, but the country critter turns the tables with clever rural tricks.

In the end, after a wild chase through skyscrapers and manholes, the hero escapes the madness and hops the next train home—happy to leave the “Big Burg” behind. The cartoon ends with a humorous moral, something like:
“You can’t fry bacon with noise.”

Cast & Crew

Director: Paul Terry
Co-Director: John Foster
Animator: Paul Terry
Animator: John Foster
Production Company: Aesop’s Fables Studio
Distributor: Educational Pictures