Diner (1992) User Reviews

A short cult-classic from the early 90s

[Rectangular_businessman · 7/10 · 6 May 2023]

I must confess I'm not very familiar with the work of Gahan Wilson, but the premise of this short seemed very interesting, so I decided to give it a chance.

The plot honestly felt a bit random, with some stuff not being very clearly explained. It was an interesting watching experience, though.

A dark comedy with some horror elements was frankly such an oddity for American animation back then in the early 90s, when the perception of the medium being something akin to Disney movie was only starting to change thanks to series like The Simpsons.

The animation seems a bit dated by modern standards, but the atmosphere is pretty great; such a shame there doesn't seem to be any copy of this short available online.

A fun cult classic animation from the 90s which honestly shouldn't be such an obscure title.

this puts the bite in a bite to eat

[lee_eisenberg · 10/10 · 20 October 2015]

I'm not familiar with most of Gahan Wilson's work, but I understand that he's best known for a Charles Addams-style cartoon that appeared in "National Lampoon". Outside of that he wrote this twisted animation short. "Diner" is kind of like a haunted house story except that the setting is a roadside diner. My favorite scene was the blender. Part of what this cartoon shows is that animation doesn't have to be cute stuff for children; it's simply another type of filmmaking.

So, now that I've watched this, I'll have to check out Wilson's more famous work. If "Diner" is any indication, it's gotta be a cool cartoon. And just be suspicious if you come across a greasy spoon that has teeth for a door.

A very great animated short

[dandm7981 · 10/10 · 13 November 2005]

I was at a horror marathon and in between two of the horror movies, this short story came on. I recognized the name "Gahan Wilson" at the beginning. I had seen "Gahan Wilson's The Kid" and I loved it. This was also a treat to watch. It is basically about a man who goes to a diner at night and meets a butcher that he later finds out is a cannibal. This butcher has killed a number of people that have come to this place before and the man must escape with his life before he too becomes served on the menu. There is little or no talking in this short story, the animation is like something out of a children's book. The animation is very fluid and surreal, like you can expect anything to happen at any second. A very great short story to watch during or around Halloween or any time.