Micky, der fidele Bauer

The Ployboy (1929)

*** (out of 4)

If you're looking for plot then it's best you stay away from this Mickey Mouse short, which has him working in the fields with his cow Clarabelle. She's refusing to work that well so Mickey ends up getting into some trouble. THE PLOYBOY is a pretty entertaining cartoon even though it contains pretty much zero story. It's basically a cute little film thanks in large part to the animation but there's also a nice little score that goes along with it as Mickey and Minnie both whistle a nice tune. There are some funny moments to be found including one sequence where Mickey gets fed up with Clarabelle licking him so he has to resort to a couple tricks.

Another of the Ub Iwerks animated (and directed) Mickey Mouse cartoons from his time with Disney in the late 20's; here Mickey is on a farm, milking a cow, surrounded by some other farm animals who make sounds, and Minnie comes along. The charm and total joy in seeing this short is seeing Mickey Mouse at a time when he was basically the Bad Boy, in capital letters. He plants a giant kiss on Minnie Mouse's face without any asking, and gets a swift bucket of milk over his head after she huffs and puffs. He also without any sense of right or wrong gets this cow into a state where she's just had it with him.

There's a chase (of course), with the perspective of the cow coming at the camera - as if in a very early 3D - and it ends with a pig being used as the new plow (!) Very short on plot, but if you love black and white Mickey Mouse cartoons, the likes of which were just about the animators and Walt Disney trying to make sure they got this thing called synchronized sound down - and, to be sure, all the other competitors didn't have them beat in that regard at the time - this is another wonderful one, with gags a-plenty and (relatively innocent) attitude to spare.

I like the early cartoons of Mickey Mouse. Even though they are very crude by today's standards, there is a certain unmistakable charm about them that I just love. However, with this being said, I finally found a Mickey cartoon that just isn't up to snuff because it has virtually no plot--though it is still enjoyable.

Mickey is doing chores on the farm. This is THE plot. However, some of the things he does are milk Clarabelle (in her first cartoon), plow the fields with Clarence (in his first cartoon) and give Minnie a huge kiss--for which he pays dearly. The entire cartoon is set to music, which is timed very well with the action occurring on screen. Additionally, you get to hear Minnie sing--and it's painful indeed! Overall, watchable but somewhat pointless. Watch it if you are a big fan, otherwise try to find one with a bit more plot.

I don't expect a cute person (or mouse) like Mickey to be tough to animals. Here, we see him cherish the soil using a plough. But when it breaks, he thinks a pig will be ideal for his job, the pig is not willing, but he forces him to work. The film is not bad, but I can't bear such criminal stuff.

I agree there is no plot. It's strictly a series of events involving farm animals and Mickey's efforts to plow a field. Of course, conventional methods don't work and the animators come up with alternatives. The animals are quite interesting, especially the cows and pigs. The problem is that nothing goes anywhere and there is no rhyme or reason for most happenings.