The Prince and the Pauper

Very cute, the book is fantastic, a necessary social criticism and rare at the time, in the Disney world, simple, efficient and cute, despite not being a Mickey fan, Goofy always steals the scenes, it's the most fun...

The Prince and the pauper is a cartoon, inwhich a prince and a pauper look the same(both are a Mickey Mouse-character). The two characters switch roles, which leads to quite a few complications. There is great animation, familiar faces like Donald and Goofy, and an okay story. Not Disney`s best, but worth a look. 7/10

Disney's short adaptation of "The Prince and the Pauper" delivers the expected slapstick stuff, with appearances by a number of the Mouse House's famous characters. I've never read Mark Twain's original story, although it's safe to guess that this is a loose adaptation even so. One thing that I noticed was that Frank Welker voiced both the king and archbishop. This was unusual for him. While he often provides voices for cartoons - namely Fred on "Scooby Doo" and Ray on "The Real Ghostbusters" - it seems like he seldom does multiple voices in a single production (he often provides voice effects, as in "All Dogs Go to Heaven"). As for some of the other cast members, Arthur Burghardt, who voices Pete, played the Great Ahmed Kahn in "Network", while Elvia Allman, who voices Clarabelle, appeared as Lucy's and Ethel's boss in the candy factory.

Anyway, it's nothing special but entertaining.

Maybe this film is not the best that Disney's has produced, but it has many merits of its own. For one thing, the artists have managed to have at least have an element of the satire of the Twain book as with the Prince's lesson about the only two lines you need to learn as a king.

Furthermore, while the humour is excellent, the film allows for at least a few moments of legitimate drama. Nowhere is this more evident than when the Prince learns that his father has died. You see Mickey in mourning and then soulfully rise to his new responsibility as the true heir to the throne who must end the tyranny he has seen among his people. It's an inspiring moment to see the boy realize the weight of his duties and face them with a new maturity.

This film is a stellar effort from Disney's second golden age.

For some reason, I confused The Prince and the Pauper with The Brave Little Tailor when I rented this movie. I was only 52 years off! It's interesting to see the amount of effort put into this movie. I think after Who Framed Roger Rabbit, there was an idea to bring Mickey & the Gang back in some big projects. Unfortunately, I think things quieted down a bit after The Prince and the Pauper.

There are definitely some nice moments in this short movie toon. As always, Donald and Goofy provided some great comic relief throughout the film. Pluto was even a nice addition to the film as Mickey's best buddy, who was at the mercy of the evil Captain of the Guards, Pete.

However, what I'm about to say may be blasphemous for a Disney fan and hopeful future cast member like myself to utter, but Mickey kind of annoyed me a few times throughout the movie. Maybe it was his British accent as the Prince, but I'm not totally sure. But Mickey's strength of being a lovable character is most evident in the surprisingly emotional scene where he meets with the dying king. People just love him, even though he doesn't necessarily get the best jokes or steals many scenes.

Speaking of that emotional scene, this movie is quite different from any animation project you'll ever see. It has a quite serious tone to it, where some of the characters suffer in a poverty-like environment. It's not exactly the light-hearted and happy-go-lucky atmosphere most people are accustomed to in cartoons. While I was split on how I felt about this, I realize that Disney is really the only animation company that can pull this off. People care for Disney characters like they would their own personal friends and family members. I'm not sure if the Warner Brothers crew could have the same effect.

Overall, The Prince and the Pauper isn't necessarily my favorite Disney creation. It can get a little too serious for my taste, but I appreciate the effort the filmmakers put into this movie. Hopefully, we'll see even more projects with the classic and beloved Disney characters. Be on the lookout for 2004's Three Musketeers starring Disney's 3 best buds, and maybe even more to come!

My IMDb Rating: 8/10. My Yahoo! Grade: B+ (Memorable)