L'avion fou

Plane Crazy is the very first film with Mickey and Minnie so the animated short is of some historical value. As far as the animation itself, it is just plane crazy. Mickey builds a plane and takes Minnie with him for the ride. Once they are up in the air Mickey comes on way too strong for Minnie so she ends up jumping out of the plane. In the end, Mickey got what he deserved.

It's not a great film but is a little entertaining - It's a good watch to see the beginnings of the famous couple.

7/10.

Although "Steamboat Willie" was the first Mickey Mouse cartoon released, this one was actually the first Mickey ever made. In fact, it was a silent film when it was first produced, but it was released after sound had been added. I remember the first time I saw this cartoon was on a video that I had rented in 1st or 2nd grade. I didn't really care much for it at the time, but now I like it. This and many other Disney animated shorts will entertain people of all ages, 3 to 103, all over the world.

This short is the first one done and this is not the "gosh, aw shucks" mouse Disney so carefully protects today. Mickey early on was a bit of a cad and a rogue. Quite the smart aleck. Interesting glimpse at Mickey. This short holds up well after 70+ years and is well worth watching. Recommended.

Plane Crazy (1928), the first Mickey Mouse cartoon, offers modern viewers a vision of the character which has been eclipsed by a more family friendly rendition. The old school Mickey was a rascal and a jerk, always looking to cause trouble. Here we see him rough-housing other animals in a barnyard and forcing a kiss on a reluctant Minnie Mouse, something modern Mickey would blush to do.

Ub Iwerks' animation is fantastic and chaotic. Around this time, the stiffer animation of the early 1920s/late 1910s was giving way to the looser movement which would reign supreme in the 1930s.

Plane Crazy is not as mesmerizing as Steamboat Willie (1928), but it sure is a lot of fun and a great time capsule.

ORIGINALLY PLANNED AND executed as a silent, PLANE CRAZY is the true first appearance of MICKEY MOUSE. It was held back and not released along with its following installment, THE GALLOPIN' GAUCHO until the release of the revolutionary and game changing STEAMBOAT WILLIE. The latter cartoon was of course the first sound cartoon short.

BEING THAT TODAY'S honored movie, PLANE CRAZY does come across as a little movie that it is torn between two worlds. In this case, it has all of the signs of the strictly visual silent; but the addition of the sound effects and dialogue (such as it is) may well be in effect an overkill of screen storytelling.

THIS MAY WELL not have been as readily apparent at the time of release; owing to the fascination that was generated with all of the publicity of Mickey Mouse just talking. Furthermore, all of the animation that was made from the various studios suffered from the same malady. It would take several years of film technique evolution to "modernize" the overall look of the characters, backgrounds and rendering of the sight gags depicted in a typical outing.

THE GENISES AND indeed the very reason for doing the cartoon with aviation as the subject as in PLANE CRAZY was the popularity of Charles Lindbergh's solo crossing of the Atlantic in the previous year of 1927. This is no subtle or subliminal message, as Mickey does actually display a photo of "Lucky Lindy" at the very beginning. Mickey even attempts to style his hair to look like Lindbergh's tonsorial work of art.

AS FOR THE cartoon's storyline, Mick builds a plane, it crashes and immediately destructs into an impossibility of a salvation project. Undaunted, Mickey immediately converts an old, broken down jalopy into a new plane. Enter the female of the species. Minnie Mouse, making what is her real and true first appearance, presents the young aviator with a good-luck horse shoe and gets a ride in the airship as a reward.

FOLLOWING MANY INFLIGHT type gags Mickey's amorous intentions are revealed and he is rejected with a slap. Minnie bails out, using her unmentionables as a makeshift parachute. Meanwhile Mickey safely crash-lands. The twosome parts the scene in less than happy and lovey-dovey relationship. Mickey pitches the horseshoe away, but it promptly returns to catch him around the neck in a boomerang fashion.

ONCE AGAIN, THIS short does not seem like much when viewed now; but, once again, back in the day.................. '