Der verrückte Arzt

This has to be one of the best Mickey-Pluto cartoons. It is quite dark for a Disney Silly Symphony, with some parts scaring me as a kid(such as Pluto's heart being at his throat). As a young adult I still enjoy it while admiring its technical values. The story is simple, but still manages to be engaging with a lot of suspense. The animation is just fantastic, the black/dark and white/light shades are some of the best I've seen, helping at times to give some depth to Mickey's design as he enters the Mad Doctor's castle. I also loved the animation for the catacombs, recalling Egyptian Melodies, and the skeletons that Mickey has a constant battle with, imaginatively animated and very expressive even for skeletons. Mickey has more depth animation-wise than he has ever had before and is as likable as ever, Pluto is cute and energetic and the Mad Scientist immediately makes an impact by how frightening he is. The gags are clever, the creatures are suitably creepy and the cartoon goes at a terrific pace. Overall, while some MAY find themselves cheated by the "it's all a dream" ending, this cartoon is an absolute must see for Disney and animation fans. 10/10 Bethany Cox

This is a fascinating cartoon-sort of a cross between Skeleton Dance and the much later Brave Little Tailor. A dramatic, rather scary short in spots, with some incredible visuals throughout, but most particularly a long scene set in a tunnel. Disney did some exceptional work in the early 1930s and the quality is still clearly evident even some 70 years later. There is apparently a computer-colorized version skulking about. I haven't seen it and, to judge by the colorized early Mickey Mouse black and whites that I have seen, I hope I never have it inflicted on my retinas. Part of the scariness here is the use of shadows in the black and white background. Colorizing this lessens the impact of those shadows. Excellent cartoon with an early appearance by Pluto. Well worth watching. Recommended.

There is non-stop action in this Mickey/Pluto cartoon. Skeletons seem to be the fear monger of choice, and poor Pluto is at the center of everything. I was involved all the way...too bad the ending had to be so cheapened. Still, the animation in the 1930's really clicked.

For me, this cartoon illustrates why Disney has the edge over the other animation companies – it has a lot of heart. In The Mad Doctor, Mickey Mouse tries to save his dog, Pluto, from an evil scientist who wants to conduct a life-ending experiment on Pluto. Through the short, you feel for the characters and are actually concerned for them.

The cartoon is very well drawn despite it only being in black and white. Disney animators use this limitation to their advantage with great shading and lighting effects. You even get a sense that you're looking at an old horror flick. The gags are great too, especially seeing what Pluto goes through when he's scared by the doctor. But by far the best part of this cartoon is the ending. It's both surprising, slightly scary, and heartwarming. This cartoon is a bright spot in the early days of an inspirational and innovative enterprise.

My IMDb Rating: 10/10

I can recall only seeing this once on tv some 30 years ago & was a rarity amongst Disney's early output/ This is no Silly Symphony and has a particular interest in that it was given a very limited release in the UK for one good reason - it has the rare distinction in the history of animation of having the then censor's new "H" for horror clapped on it (noone under 16 years admitted irrespective of the programmes). Disney's best children's later attractions as Snow White,Dumbo, Pinnochio & Fantasia had their darker moments of terror which gave the then censor some problems(unlike today!).Hence,like the later Wizard of Oz Snow White was initially given the "A" certificate before going on General Release when it was then changed to the Universal cert unlike Wizard which was never changed. Ever since The Skeleton Dance, ol'Uncle Walt like Hitchcock took secret glee in the anxiety element. Perhaps that there Big Bad Wolf in the 3 Little Pigs was not so far from The Wolf Man! Boo!