# animate! › Films › Cowboys by Phil Mulloy › synopses

Canonical: https://animate.org.uk/films/cowboys/synopses

Discovery terms: 1990s animation, hand-drawn animation, brush and ink, conformity, violence, social values, satire, western, filmmaker, animator

The following is the archived page text; discovery terms above are separately sourced metadata.

Archive status: restored in 2026; historical calls, deadlines and services are closed.

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**Cowboys** a film by Phil Mulloy

1991, 18 min

### animate! synopsis

Grotesque Wild West goes vaudeville. Prairie tales in stark, dark ink to outrage and illuminate.

Six 3-minute episodes:

**Slim Pickin’s** – poor ole’ Josh finds he’s the victim of false promises.

**That’s Nothin’** – a few of the boys get together in the saloon.

**Murder!** – an eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth. The silent majority get their way.

**High Noon** – Clint and Chuck face each other out in the final showdown.

**The Conformist** – “If you want to fit in around here, you best do what’s expected of yer.”

**Outrage** – The whole of Joseville is disgusted by the behaviour of their young folk.

### long synopsis

A series of six, three-minute films which comment on contemporary values through a reinterpretation of the myths of the old Wild West. Mulloy’s witty and acerbic fables, drawn in brush and ink, contain scenes calculated to outrage horses.

Six 3-minute episodes:

**Slim Pickin’s** – poor ole’ Josh finds he’s the victim of false promises.

**That’s Nothin’** – a few of the boys get together in the saloon.

**Murder!** – an eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth. The silent majority get their way.

**High Noon** – Clint and Chuck face each other out in the final showdown.

**The Conformist** – “If you want to fit in around here, you best do what’s expected of yer.”

**Outrage** – The whole of Joseville is disgusted by the behaviour of their young folk.

**Cowboys** film, stills and other materials © Phil Mulloy 1991