Toon Talk: Walt Disney Treasures: Mickey Mouse in Living Color
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1938:
Mickey's Parrot
September 9, 1938. Directed by Bill Roberts.
Summary: Mickey and Pluto mistake a parrot for an escaped convict hiding out in their house.
Behind the Shorts: The first short directed by Roberts.
Uncensored: Mickey's got a gun.
Boat Builders
February 25, 1938. Directed by Sharpsteen.
Summary: Mickey, Donald and Goofy put together a "do-it-yourself" boat kit.
Behind the Shorts: Minnie is on hand to christen her namesake, the "Queen Minnie".
The Whalers
August 19, 1938. Directed by Dick Huemer.
Summary: Mickey, Donald and Goofy set out on the open sea to harpoon a whale ... call Greenpiece!
Behind the Shorts: Two years later, a more realistic whale would appear in Pinocchio.
Uncensored: Did I mention they are out to harpoon a whale?
Mickey's Trailer
May 6, 1938. Directed by Sharpsteen.
Summary: Mickey, Donald and Goofy travel the countryside in their new gadget-filled trailer.
Behind the Shorts: This was a favorite short of mine as a kid; I still eat my corn on the cob the way Mickey and Donald do, "typewriter"-style.
Brave Little Taylor
September 23, 1938. Directed by Roberts.
Summary: Mickey stars in the fairy tale as the title character, dispatched to do away with a treacherous giant. His reward: the hand of the fair Princess Minnie.
Behind the Shorts: One of the most expensive and elaborate Mickey shorts, it's cost caused Walt to take a closer look at the budgets of future shorts.
Academy Award nominee for Best Cartoon Short Subject, it lost to Disney's Ferdinand the Bull.
The print here is shockingly grainy at times.
Uncensored: The giant rolls and smokes a hay cigarette.
Bonuses:
Gallery:
Mickey-shaped icons can be clicked on with your remote to view pencil sketches,
storyboards and various poster and promotional artwork from the shorts included in this
set, including rare art from The Band Concert, Thru the Mirror, Brave Little Taylor and
Lonesome Ghosts.
Mickey in Living Color:
Leonard Maltin returns in another brief recap of Mickey's career, including clips
from the black and white shorts Steamboat Willie, Plane Crazy and Mickey's Gala Premiere.
Also included is footage of Walt himself on the Disney television show talking about his
beloved creation.
Toon Talk Rating: A-
Toon Talk Trivia:
Director Wilfred "Jaxon" Jackson joined Disney in 1928 and worked on Steamboat Willie. He went on to become sequence director on 11 of the animated features, from Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs to Lady and the Tramp.
Director Ben Sharpsteen, known as one of Walt's "right-hand men", went on to work on the animated features as well and then the True Life Adventures series. He won an Oscar for the Peoples and Places featurette The Ama Girls.
Director Dave Hand directed 70 shorts and three features (Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, Bambi and Victory Through Air Power). Hand was posthumously named a Disney Legend in 1994.
Want List for Mickey Mouse in Living Color,
Part 2:
The Pointer, Nifty Nineties, Orphan's Benefit (remake), Mickey's
Birthday Party, Symphony Hour, Mickey and the Seal, Pluto's Christmas Tree, The Simple
Things, Mickey's Christmas Carol, The Prince and the Pauper, Runaway Brain.
Final Word:
"When people laugh at Mickey Mouse, it's because he's so human; and that is the secret of his popularity." -- Walt Disney.
Toon Talk Grade: A-
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-- Kirby C. Holt
Kirby is a lifelong Disney fan and film buff. A frequent contributer to the LaughingPlace.com Discussion Boards, he currently resides near one of the Happiest Places on Earth: Orlando, Florida.
Took Talk: Disney Film & Video Reviews by Kirby C. Holt is posted whenever there's something new to review.
The opinions expressed by our Kirby C. Holt, and all of our columnists, do not necessarily represent the feelings of LaughingPlace.com or any of its employees or advertisers. All speculation and rumors about the future plans of the Walt Disney Company are just that - speculation and rumors - and should be treated as such.
-- Posted December 6, 2001