PHOTO BY JOHN P. JOHNSON / NETFLIX

I’m very happy that “Unfrosted” exists.

We don’t often see bold and deliberately zany comedies — the sort of high-concept, sketch-influenced capers that haven’t had a mainstream moment since the days of Austin Powers. Points of comparison to “Unfrosted,” an imaginatively fictionalized take on the invention of the Pop-Tart, are decades old; this film shares DNA with the likes of “Pee-Wee’s Big Adventure” or “History of the World Part I.”

And if “Unfrosted” is not quite as good as those classics, it hardly matters. Its existence is such a gift that the handful of bits that don’t land are easily shrugged off.

So why did this comedy unicorn see the light of day? Because Netflix is happy to throw money at comedy legends — particularly reclusive ones. Jerry Seinfeld plays enthusiastic cereal exec Bob Cabana, a ’60s striver riding high at Kellogg’s. When he discovers that cross-town rival Post, led by scheming CEO Marjorie Post (Amy Schumer), is developing a game-changing breakfast pastry, he assembles a dream team of pitchmen and personalities to beat the bad guys to the toaster.

Most of the plot is an opportunity to introduce famous funny folks for rapid-fire jokes. Legendary voice actor Thurl Ravenscroft (Hugh Grant) takes off his Tony the Tiger head to lead a mascot rebellion. Chef Boyardee (Bobby Moynihan) and Sea Monkey magnate Harold von Braunhut (Thomas Lennon) inadvertently create a living ravioli. President John F. Kennedy (Bill Burr) demands that Kellogg’s prevail and stop Post from establishing an alliance with Krushchev (Dean Norris).

There are so many diversions and riffs that you’ll likely rewatch the movie just to catch the ones you missed — and, vitally, none overstay their welcome. Each joke is set up, hit then discarded for the next. It has a sitcom quality; there’s no interest in lingering character development or, often, moving the plot. We’re here for the jokes — and most are good.

Hopefully, “Unfrosted” will establish that comedy needn’t be broad and bland; movies like these have been missing from both streaming services and multiplexes for too long. Regardless of the impact, though, it will stand as a delightful throwback and one of the largest collections of comedic talent ever assembled.

My Rating: 8/10

“Unfrosted” is now streaming on Netflix.