Tired of the nonstop barrage of uninspired IP cast-offs at the box office? I’ve got just the antidote for you. The funniest movie of 2024, Hundreds of Beavers, is now available to watch for free at home on the ad-supported platforms Tubi, Pluto TV, and the Roku Channel. (We loved it so much, we hosted a screening for the movie where we gave 150 tickets away.)
An outrageous comedy inspired by video games, Looney Tunes, and silent movies, Hundreds of Beavers follows a 19th-century trapper contending with a harsh winter and hundreds of angry beavers as he tries to survive. The beavers, and most animals in the movie, are portrayed by humans in mascot suits, which is a constant source of joy as they fight with the trapper or go about their various day jobs. We’re talking beavers in construction uniforms, beaver judges, beaver lawyers, a beaver Sherlock-and-Watson team on the case to solve the many beaver murders our protagonist has committed, etc.
Created on a micro-budget of around $150,000, Hundreds of Beavers nevertheless looks better than many modern blockbuster productions. Director Mike Cheslik, who also designed the lo-fi visual effects for the movie and served as its editor, creates a consistent aesthetic with a joyful goofy tone out of the black-and-white scenery, a myriad of varied influences, and endless gags that build upon themselves to riotous conclusions. There’s the part where the trapper’s makeshift fire keeps getting blown out by gusts of wind that seemingly change direction each time he settles in. Or perhaps you prefer when the trapper is trying to steal eggs from a bird’s nest but keeps getting in his own way by whistling with joy whenever he gets close, drawing the bird’s attention and getting pecked in the face. Add in a hilarious Bruce Campbell-esque performance from Ryland Brickson Cole Tews as the trapper, and you have one of the most unforgettable and funniest movies of the year.
Hundreds of Beavers is destined to be a midnight cult favorite in the future — now’s your chance to get ahead of that and be an early adopter. It feels simultaneously like a throwback to a better era of comedy and like something wholly new.
Hundreds of Beavers is now streaming for free with ads on Tubi, Pluto TV, and the Roku Channel. It is also available to watch for free with a library card on Hoopla, for digital rental or purchase on Amazon and Apple, and streaming on Fandor.
