Animal Crackers

The maddest comics of them all!

1930 • 98 min • Comedy · Music

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Synopsis

The well-known explorer and hunter Captain Spaulding has just returned from Africa, and is being welcomed home with a lavish party at the estate of influential society matron Mrs. Rittenhouse when a valuable painting goes missing. The intrepid Captain Spaulding attempts to solve the crime with the help of his silly secretary Horatio Jamison, while sparring with the anarchic Signor Emanuel Ravelli and his nutty sidekick The Professor.

Our family guide

Best from age 7

Movie Knight Score

269 reviews

100 Reviewers · 1 · 51%
69 Audience · 268 · 49%

Captain Spaulding, a renowned explorer, attends a lavish party where a valuable painting disappears. With his eccentric secretary, he tries to solve the mystery, amidst comedic chaos caused by Signor Ravelli and his sidekick. This classic screwball comedy is a wild ride of wordplay and mistaken identities.

Violence & peril: 1/10
Language: 1/10
Drinking, drugs & smoking: 2/10
Romance & sensuality: 1/10
Scary moments: 0/10

Heads up

Some characters smoke cigars and drink socially
References to past hunting adventures (implied violence)
Mild flirtatious remarks

What it models well

Quick wit and clever wordplay
Imagination and playful absurdity
Unraveling mysteries

Talk about it after

Different styles of humor, including puns and slapstick
The rapid-fire dialogue and what makes it funny
How early films portray social events

Written by the Movie Knight editorial team for Animal Crackers. Our own words, our own scoring — always double-check against your family's standards.

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Top billed cast

Director: Victor Heerman • Crew: Morrie Ryskind, George S. Kaufman

Trailers & clips

Animal Crackers (1930) Official Trailer - Marx Brothers Movie HD

Reviewer notes

RecommendedTrusted family reviewers
So a renowned explorer ("Capt. Spaulding" - Groucho Marx) returns from doing his David Livingstone in Africa and attends a lavish reception in his honour. Whilst at this swanky soirée, a very valuable painting is stolen and so he, along with Harpo, Chico & Zeppo all pitch in to recover it for their hostess; the glamorous but no-nonsense "Mrs.…
CinemaSerf, TMDB Community