Mickey's one Cartoon that didn't get it's Copyright renewed-THE MAD DOCTOR

There's this one Mickey Mouse Cartoon that for all it's years even before the eventual inevitability that STEAMBOAT would be put in the Public Domain in 2024, it has for many years never had it's Copyright renewed.

That Cartoon is THE MAD DOCTOR.

A 1933 Mickey Mouse Cartoon with Horror Related Macabre

It was DISNEY's 52nd MICKEY CARTOON and the second to be made in the year 1933.

It all starts with a scary windy night

Mickey is sound asleep. 

It's a good thing DISNEY is based on the WEST COAST so no HURRICANES.

But then.....

Mickey hears the sound of PLUTO howling. 

And that is enough to wake up our rodent.

Who could have done this atrocity to our favorite cartoon Bloodhound?

And why is this figure taking Pluto to this scary looking castle?

Hmmmm.... Does this castle look strangely familiar to you? After all, it was 1933.

Anyway, Mickey follows the figure.

All while braving that strong wind storm

Not even collapsing bridges can stop this rodent

Though some door alert systems of the past just don't have manners

And then it segues into various scenes of exploration for Mickey here

Especially this wonderfully animated perspective shot that looks almost CG...

But this was the early 1930s and nobody had access to computers unless you were a scientist or mathematician and even then, those early computers were all VACUUM TUBE based.

OLLIE JOHNSTON must have had both the wrist dexterity and the patience to pull this off unlike us animators of today who either have to rely on CG software like MAYA or Blender

Or by tracing perspective shots from photographs that we source from like our Camera phones.

Anyway, where did Mickey fall down to?

Just a fireplace with scary looking Gargoyles to deter people away from touching open flames.

"Did somebody call for Gargoyles?"

Oh put a sock in it HUGO. 

You're not susposed to be in this blogpost... at least not until June 2026 when I celebrate your movie's 30th Anniversary....

Anyway, where was I before HUGO the Gargoyle interrupted me with his anachronisms?

Oh yes. The fireplace.

What's so funny Mickey? HUGO's Anachronisms?

Oh that's it!

"AHHHHHHH!"

Serves you right for laughing it up.

Now pay attention to what's going on.

Is it pitch black? You're gonna need a light.

What a smart lad. Carrying a match. Did GRIM NATWICK lend you his match box?

Look out behind you!

OHHHHH! You got careless. 

While Mickey gains his bearings, 

Let's see what where PLUTO is as I've rigged a MITCHELL CAMERA to a laboratory.

OH MY GOSH!!! IT'S THE MAD DOCTOR!

IN THE FLESH!!!!

Poor Chicken... He knows that it's gonna hit the fan big time.

"And now!"

PLUTO is confused at why he needs to see his X-RAY and his beating HEART.

And then the DOCTOR explains what his plan is with PLUTO and THE CHICKEN.

"I'm a raring tearing wizard..."

"When it comes....."

"to....."

"Cutting."

"HAHAHAHAHA!!!!"

"I can graft a Chicken's gizzard...."

"on the wishbone of a DOG."

Pluto realizes what the DAMN DOCTOR is about to do.

"And here's the end result that I'm just about to tackle..."

"To find out if the net result will

BARK, CROW, OR CACKLE!"

Ok... So what the DOCTOR's planning looks more benign than evil as he's clearly ahead of this time, especially for 1930s medical science.

But PLUTO does not see eye to eye with this experiment.

As a matter of fact, he dreads it.

Anyway, where were we?

Oh yes Mickey has to save Pluto.

What was he doing FIGHTING A SKELETON like that while I was typing away?

Run all you want Mickey but there are more tricks up this DOCTOR's Sleeves.

"OH NOW YOU"VE DONE IT!!!

YOU WON'T LIKE SKELETONS WHEN YOU INTERUPT THEIR DANCE REHEARSAL!!!"

Heh Heh.

I had to make a joke about THE SKELETON DANCE(1929)

"I ain't PRESIDENT HOOVER but...

ALWAYS GIVE A SKELTON A HANDSHAKE!!!!"

"OWW!!!!

DAT HOITS ME DER!!!!!"

Well..... Mickey has found himself in a rather interesting situation here.

And just when the DOCTOR is about to do his job....

Yes. Even Gruesome Cut Ups required cleaning the specimen.

UH OH!

Call for PLUTO all you want MICKEY.... but you're toast

????

Why's he back home?

"AHHHHHHH!!!!"

It's all been a dream?

Yes. Disney has been pulling this old trick 

long before DALLAS controversially pulled it off in 1986

"PLUTO! PLUTO! PLUTO!"

Ok.

1933 was a weird year, if you could ignore the DEPRESSION PERIOD of that time.

But at least this Cartoon provided Prosperity around the Corner much better than HERBERT HOOVER tried to do

Even though THE MAD DOCTOR had it's share of controversy over it's subject matter, what with how infantile the younger generation gets when it comes to Western Cartoons,

Uhhh.....Pay no attention to MUFASA's Cadaver and continue reading.....

THE MAD DOCTOR has had it's place as one of the most memorable MICKEY MOUSE cartoons to have graced the planet.

People have said this Cartoon is a scary one but I don't see it as scary.

I see it as more of a Comedic Horror Comedy than legitimate scary even compared to the scariest of movies both of it's time and in the future.

THE MAD DOCTOR has had his share of being in video games but the most famous of them all has to be when the 2010 Wii game

featured THE MAD DOCTOR as an antagonistic character. 

And the MICKEY MOUSE cartoon from which he came from was also featured as an unlockable bonus for players of said game.

If you have this game for the Wii? Go watch it.

And yes, it's preserved on the 2024 REBRUSHED remake too.

(I have this game both the Original on the Wii & Rebrushed for PC)

And..... I have a funny but regretful confession to make:

I accidentally dropped and broke a MAD DOCTOR porcelain figure

at the former WONDERBUCKS store at Commercial Drive. in Vancouver during my childhood...

Luckily, the store managers never got pissed at me for doing so but to this day, I'm still wracked with guilt over this incident.

The only person who got pissed at me was my mother because even when I was still at my early Elementary school years, she still did not appreciate my reckless actions that time.

Oh well, it's all in the past.

Oh and as for why THE MAD DOCTOR has been in the Public Domain after all this time?

Well, in an unusual case for DISNEY, a company who went out of their way to be HYPER PROTECTIVE of their I.Ps even if it means extending their copyrights,

DISNEY for some reason in 1962 did not renew the Copyright for THE MAD DOCTOR.

I did some reading and as it turns out, the reason might be tied to the fact that this cartoon was often banned in most European Theaters for it's Subject matter so as a result, DISNEY felt no need to renew the Short's Copyright after all those years.

However, it took a while before the Cartoon fully entered the Public Domain as a whole due to MICKEY still being under Copyright until 2024

and now Pluto has entered the Public Domain since January 1 2026.

I said you can watch this cartoon on the two versions of EPIC MICKEY but I guess I should be the nicest guy in NORTH AMERICA and forward you this link to the Cartoon:

The Mad Doctor(1933)