Mickys Alptraum

As a big fan of Disney and Mickey Mouse, I was expecting more from Mickey's Nightmare. Not that it's bad, actually it is a good short. Apart from an intriguing set up, there is not much new to the story. While the children's antics are amusing, such as with Pluto and the carriage and the pulling in and out of drawers, they aren't much more than that, mostly they are very predictable. And it is easy to see why some may tire of the children-wrecking-the-house routine, as it is something that we have seen many times before and in a fresher manner(in my opinion). I too didn't care all that much for the brassiere joke, it was not very funny and came across as crude instead. However, there is still much to like. The animation is just wonderful, the shadings, lighting effects and backgrounds are in monochrome grey and are used absolutely beautifully, while all the characters are well drawn and the backgrounds crisp. The effects of the spinning rays and Mickey's exploding head are also very well-done. The music is full of spirit and character and the opening sequence is very charming. There are some good gags like with Mickey slapping away in disgust Pluto's paw after the babies are delivered by an army of storks and the children are irresistibly cute. Pluto has his usual energy, but at the end of the day(other than the animation that is) it is Mickey's cartoon. We smile through his exploits, sympathise with him through his torment and admire the sense of mischief still in him when he wakes up and smashes the Cupid statue. All in all, worth watching but not one of my favourites from Mickey or Disney. 7/10 Bethany Cox

A Walt Disney MICKEY MOUSE Cartoon.

MICKEY'S NIGHTMARE shows him what married life would be like with his home overrun by countless ill-behaved Mice offspring.

Frenetic action/reaction animation tells the story here. Opening is charming, with Mickey & Pluto saying their bedtime prayers. Music mavens will recognize "My Blue Heaven" as the tune being played as the squadron of storks arrive with their bulging bundles. The animators include a brassiere gag which is both unnecessary and crude. Walt supplies Mickey's voice in this black & white cartoon.

Walt Disney (1901-1966) was always intrigued by drawings. As a lad in Marceline, Missouri, he sketched farm animals on scraps of paper; later, as an ambulance driver in France during the First World War, he drew figures on the sides of his vehicle. Back in Kansas City, along with artist Ub Iwerks, Walt developed a primitive animation studio that provided animated commercials and tiny cartoons for the local movie theaters. Always the innovator, his ALICE IN CARTOONLAND series broke ground in placing a live figure in a cartoon universe. Business reversals sent Disney & Iwerks to Hollywood in 1923, where Walt's older brother Roy became his lifelong business manager & counselor. When a mildly successful series with Oswald The Lucky Rabbit was snatched away by the distributor, the character of Mickey Mouse sprung into Walt's imagination, ensuring Disney's immortality. The happy arrival of sound technology made Mickey's screen debut, STEAMBOAT WILLIE (1928), a tremendous audience success with its use of synchronized music. The SILLY SYMPHONIES soon appeared, and Walt's growing crew of marvelously talented animators were quickly conquering new territory with full color, illusions of depth and radical advancements in personality development, an arena in which Walt's genius was unbeatable. Mickey's feisty, naughty behavior had captured millions of fans, but he was soon to be joined by other animated companions: temperamental Donald Duck, intellectually-challenged Goofy and energetic Pluto. All this was in preparation for Walt's grandest dream - feature length animated films. Against a blizzard of doomsayers, Walt persevered and over the next decades delighted children of all ages with the adventures of Snow White, Pinocchio, Bambi, Peter Pan and Mr. Toad. Walt never forgot that his fortunes were all started by a mouse, or that simplicity of message and lots of hard work always pay off.

Mickey dreams that he gets married to Minnie, and then subsequently have 20 children together. Seems like a dream come true, with the perfect family in the perfect house, until the little rascals start trashing the place.

Not much plot to follow or laugh about here - just the kids throwing stuff around, misbehaving, driving Pluto crazy, and painting the house or all sorts of colors.

Mickey saying his prayers with Pluto before bed was a nice and sincere touch, though.

Grade C-