Hundreds of Beavers

Words by Orlando Callegari Jr.

Hundreds of Beavers is the quintessential cult movie. Both a paean to the silent comedies of Chaplin, Lloyd and Keaton and a tribute to the Warner Bros. cartoons of the 40s, 50s and 60s.With a little “Mr. Bean” thrown in for good measure.

The film starts as a musical, following the misadventures of apple-jack brewer, Jean Kayak (Ryland Brickson Cole Tews). He’s a joyful tippler until the day his still is obliterated by wood-chomping beavers. Following that misfortune, like a true American, Kayak must pull himself up by his bootstraps and attempt to rebuild. Soon, what starts as a tale of survival morphs into the Great American Dream and then a revenge fantasy.

Or maybe it’s all just stupid poop jokes.

That’s for the viewer to decide.

Made on a shoe-string budget of just $150,000 (the average major Hollywood movie has a budget of about $65 million) the film has since grossed $450,000 as it now becomes available for streaming. This is an impressive achievement in independent filmmaking and a boast in its own right. Few independent films are profitable, let alone have the power to continue growing years after release.

The brainchild of Mike Cheslik, the film was shot over the course of two winters after being conceived in a bar in 2018. Cheslik and Ryland Tews considered their assets (a snowy environment, Cheslik’s ability with special effects programming and Ryland Tews physical comedy prowess) and a new cult classic was born.

The film was shot by a six-person crew with many nights spent in negative degree weather while various extras took turns playing the many animals that populate the movie.

Once completed, Cheslik and Ryland Tews booked several theaters and took the finished movie on a 12-day tour from Minneapolis to Toronto that involved wrestling matches with beavers (the costumed variety) and a Q&A made to roast Cheslik.

With that effort the movie is now a bona fide hit with a growing, and rabid, fan base.

No doubt much of the fun is derived from the audacity of the project (in all fairness it drags in the middle; there’s a reason Looney Tunes were only about 7 or 8 minutes long). Most of the runtime only contains three human characters amongst a menagerie of mascot-sized animals. Everything else, aside from the snowy set, is CGI. This method allows the film to completely immerse the viewer in its off-kilter, shopworn aesthetic. 

The film has some scatological humor and some non-G-rated gags but won’t offend most audiences. If anything, it may bewilder the majority. Black and white, silent comedies are not really an easy sale to audiences seeking blockbuster comic book adaptations or the next Oscar hopeful. Yet, somehow, this film has found its niche in audiences wanting something different. 

Hundreds of Beavers is, without a doubt, the most unique experience you will have in a theater this year. You might regret it, but you absolutely will not forget it.