O Médico Louco

This cartoon has some pretty weird, spooky stuff - a dark side you would never see in later Mickey Mouse cartoons. Unless your four-year-old can handle a mad doctor threatening to cut Mickey's head off, steer him clear of this one. For adults, though, it's quite original.

Disney's cartoons were known for their light-hearted optimism that enthralled his mostly young audiences. But in January 1933's "The Mad Doctor," he threw a curve ball by releasing a rather dark Mickey Mouse cartoon. A mad scientist who lives in a castle above Mousetown captures Mickey's pet dog, Pluto. The nut case wants to use the dog to conduct an experiment where he thinks if he cuts off Pluto's head and attaches it to a chicken it may lay eggs with puppies inside. Mickey Mouse's 52nd cartoon was deemed so scary some theaters refused to show it. The United Kingdom banned it, and even Nazi Germany prohibited the cartoon nationwide.

"The Mad Doctor" does have its fans, however. The Film Daily called it "one of the liveliest animated cartoons to come along, and plenty comical." Cracked Magazine included it for its 'Top 8 Most horrifying Moments from Kids' cartoons.' Billy Bletcher, specializing in scary voices, provided his vocals for both the mad doctor as well as the big, bad wolf in the later "Three Little Pigs."

A familiar theme of the period cinematography. An imaginative story. Humor. Mickey Mouse and pluto. And a reasonable solution for the end. But , more important, a great story of friendship. And the good sourcefor nostalgic emotions.

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

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.