Discussion and review of old Disney short cartoons
Self Control February 11, 1938 available in The Chronological Donald Duck Volume 1 I usually love the Donald Duck shorts that focus on his personality, since that is Donald’s Achilles’ heel . This short is about Donald trying to rein in his temper with the help of a radio personality. Naturally this means a series…
The Worm Turns January 2, 1937 available in Mickey Mouse In Living Color This is a wonderfully classic Mickey Mouse short. Mickey plays a mad scientist who develops a serum to increase strength and bravery, which he then uses to wreak havoc in the natural world, turning fly against spider, mouse against cat, and so…
Alice In Wonderland May 16, 1923 available in Disney Rarities – Celebrated Shorts from 1920’s to 1960’s A little girl walks into a cartoonist’s studio to watch him “draw the funnies”. He sits her in his chair and she delights to a little cartoon of a cat and dog fighting over a dog house. This…
Mickey’s Man Friday January 5, 1935 available in Mickey Mouse In Black and White Volume 2 Mickey is a cast-away who comes upon a group of cannibals about to cook up dinner. He saves the victim who becomes his “man Friday” a la Robinson Crusoe. They forge a friendship and build a fort together to…
Shanghaied January 13, 1934 available in Mickey Mouse In Black and White Volume 2 Mickey and Minnie have been (spoiler alert) shanghaied. Peg Leg Pete is the captain of a ship that is almost certainly up not to modern health codes and, having kidnapped our favorite mouse pair, he tries to get Mickey to join…
Building a Building January 7, 1933 available in Mickey Mouse in Black and White Oh man, I remember this from my grandfather’s old VHS tapes. It’s great. Mickey is a steam shovel operator working on a building who becomes distracted when Minnie shows up with box lunches for the workers. This has so many great…
The Bird Store January 16, 1932 available in More Silly Symphonies This is an odd cartoon. The first half is a series of meager music-based gags trying to set up some comedy within the birdshop. The second half is a fun cartoon about a cat trying to eat one of the baby birds and the…
Birthday Party January 7, 1931 available in Mickey Mouse in Black and White Minnie surprises Mickey for his birthday and (spoiler) he gets a piano, which he plays with Minnie. The rest of it is singing, dancing, playing instruments. Nothing new or special here, except that Mickey abuses exactly zero animals in this one. Maybe…
Summer January 16, 1930 available in More Silly Symphonies This is a fine short with no narrative whatsoever. It is entirely a sweet but repetitive melody set to the frolicking of a group of insects. Caterpillars turn to butterflies, insects dance and skitter across the water, etc. There was a moment toward the end when…
The Barn Dance March 14, 1929 available in Mickey Mouse in Black and White, Volume 2 Mickey and Peg Leg Pete compete for Minnie’s affection, showing their peacock feathers in the form of vehicular pride. Upon Mickey’s triumph, he and Minnie go the barn dance. A pretty good short for what it is, good gags,…