02.06
Here we go, five shorts this month. How do they fare for me? Let’s see.
Mickey’s Service Station (1935)
This time I start off with a black and white short. In it, Mickey, Donald, and Goofy run a gas service station that are given 10 minutes to fix a squeak in Pete’s car. Funny since this short is only about 7 minutes long, and it takes about 2 to give them the time to work on it.
Not much in terms of story, but it’s a cute short. The three have good chemistry with each other as they try to fix the car’s problems, but only make it worse. Tons of funny predicaments occur from their meddling, including Goofy getting into a fight with his own hand and Pete getting what is coming to him. A simple classic comedy bit that doesn’t lose its entertainment value throughout.
Alpine Climbers (1936)
Another trio short, this time replacing Goofy with Pluto and done in color. Mickey, Donald and Pluto live up to their names and climb up a mountain while facing different situations. Mickey finds some eagle eggs and tries to protect himself from their family, while Donald attempts to get back at a goat that bugged him. Meanwhile, Pluto chases one of the baby eagles that just hatched and gets lost along the way. He ends up being saved by what looks like the prototype for Nana from Peter Pan.
It’s a standard Disney short, but has some charm. Probably the most memorable part is that Pluto was force fed some rum by the rescue dog, and acts drunk after drinking it. It’s a funny concept, something you wouldn’t see in a kid’s cartoon nowadays, but the sequence does feel a little dragged on.
The entire cartoon feels dragged on, actually, which makes it suffer in the long run. Disney has done better cartoons teaming up Mickey and his pals, and at about 9 minutes long, this one feels like its length. It’s not an awful short, but far from their best.
Mickey’s Rival (1936)
Fun fact: Mickey’s name was nearly Mortimer. Walt nearly called the mouse that, until his wife intervened. Eventually the name Mickey stuck and the rest is history.
This cartoon introduces us to the new Mortimer Mouse- a competitor for Minnie, and an old friend who catches her and Mickey on a picnic. He eventually upstages Mickey and gets invited to their lunch. Mickey doesn’t fall for Mortimer’s act for a second and attempts to show his worth for Minnie, even participating in a bullfight, which Mortimer won’t.
A good cartoon. Mickey is likable here in his plight to prove his worth to Minnie, and Mortimer is a fair rival for him. He ‘s bigger than Mic, but is more on his level than Pete and is a little more fun to mess with, too. Mortimer didn’t appear much in the classic age, but this was a fun debut.
Mickey’s Polo Team (1936)
A little self-explanatory, but there’s more to this than just the gang. Mickey, Donald, Goofy and the Big Bad Wolf are playing a game of polo against each other, alongside a slew of celebrities, some of which include Laurel and Hardy, Harpo Marx, and Charlie Chaplin.
Part of the fun of this cartoon comes from noting the caricatures of certain celebrities from the era, like seeing the Three Little Pigs sit next to Shirley Temple or Clarabelle swoon over Clark Gable and his big ears. Then some of the polo playing caricatures renact their own bits, like how you get to see Laurel and Hardy fight and Harpo mess around with Donald.
If you’re a fan of 1930’s Hollywood, especially the more comedic side, you’ll love this. If you’re not as familiar with the stars from this era and typically watch these cartoons just for Mickey and the gang, you might still get a kick out of it, since they’re still in character and still are charming. Me, I love old-school Hollywood and find this cartoon very refreshing, so I’d consider it the highlight of my set.
Mickey’s Kangaroo (1935)
And I end this month off with a black and white short starring Mickey and his pooch. Mickey gets a gift from Australia, which turns out to be a boxing kangaroo. It even comes with a baby kangaroo! Fun until Pluto’s jealousy kicks in.
This is more Pluto’s cartoon than Mickey’s. He even gets to speak a little through his teeth. Pluto might be a little too quick to judge against the kangaroos, however, which sets it back a little. The moment the kangaroo jumps out of the package, Pluto already wants it gone. There’s a difference between being jealous of your best friend spending time with a less-worthy chum and plotting a vendetta without even knowing who you’re against.
By the end, Pluto softens up to the little guy, and the big one plays a little too rough with Mickey, but it’s still a fairly weak short in terms of plotting overall. Light on humor, as well.
Five cartoons, and each one go all over the place for me, from highly entertaining to forgettable. As much as I’m enjoying seeing some of these cartoons again, I am starting to get annoyed by how many Mickey shorts I’m getting, especially when he ends up being the least interesting character in the shorts. I’d love to get some solo Donald or Goofy shorts in here, but I don’t think that’s happening. Until then, I’ll enjoy what I’m getting to look over.
Originally posted on Monday, March 28, 2011.