Moving Day-The 1936 Mickey Mouse short that is...

Let's start August 2024 with something else shall we.

I usually don't make blogposts about Disney shorts due to things like me crusading against the style of acting I see in their films when I do my own animations.

But this time, I decided to change that and talk about a particular favorite Cartoon of mine featuring Walt's most famous rodent: Mickey Mouse.

And that short?

Released in 1936, about a year and a half before SNOW WHITE.

This short is also a fitting as an allegory of how it’s wrong to have Overdue Rent.

Compared to today’s rental costs becoming too high for most of us no matter where we live.

But let’s get back to 1936, where finance was still the issue due to the height of the Great Depression.

It all starts with Mickey and Donald walking worryingly in circles over their overdue rent.

Notice something strange about that font on that Calendar?

Yeah, that font would later be used as the official Corporate Font for the Disney Company.

Suddenly, the area shakes.

One of the few times a background animates without being in perspective.

I’m guessing shaking the overhead camera wasn’t on Walt’s radar back then so he told his artists to animate the walls, door, and picture frame as if it’s shaking.

Mickey opens the little door.

“Good Morning”

And my favorite gag: 

Mickey gets punched in the face.

And this illustrates my issues with acting like a Disney Character on camera when it comes to recording reference footage for MAYA.

I had a dream once where a character said “Hello” in the most ridiculous way and gets his camera and his glasses punched.

Anyway, Metaphor over, 

Who punched Mickey in the face?

Why it’s none other than Pete!!!

Did you know that Pete actually predates Mickey Mouse by 3 years?

It’s true. Pete made his debut in the Alice Comedies in 1925, three years before Mickey debut in Steamboat Willie in 1928.

Of course back then, He was designed to be a bear, not a cat like he's portrayed now.

Anyway, here’s Pete as the sheriff of AnyTown, USA, where our characters live.

Pete is pissed off that Mickey and Donald haven’t paid their overdue rent.

And to add insult to injury, not only is Pete demanding the two out of his property but he threatens the two to dispossess their furniture so he can pay off the debt.

Realizing what’s going on, it’s time for our mouse and duck duo to move out so they can keep their furniture.

But they're short staffed.

Fortunately,

This cartoon is full of gags.

You just need to pin point what your favorite is.

Is it Pete using Donald's Beak to light a match?

Goofy's fight with a sentient piano?

My personal favorite is Donald Duck's fight with a toilet plunger stuck on his ass

A look. A duck with a plunger on top of his head.

A good 57 years before Homer Simpson suffered it....

I still vividly remember watching this particular Mickey Mouse short on YouTube on my MDG Horizon 2400 Desktop PC back in January 2009.

Good times...

I got plenty more Mickey Mouse Shorts to talk about in the future once I get all my sources... by which I mean screenshots.