Bâtissons

This cartoon has the feel of an old-time melodrama in some respects and has one of the least-interesting Disney villains in Pete. The Mickey in the early cartoons is more prone to mischief and is more frenetic, bearing more resemblance to Krazy Kat than to the mouse that most know and love today. The cartoons were more slapstick early on and Mickey evolved over time. Well worth seeing, it runs on the Disney Channel when the spirit moves them. I wish the shorts would come into print in a substantial way.

This cartoon kinds of reminds of of a later Disney cartoon, Donald Duck's The Riveter. Mickey tries to save Minnie in this one from Peg Leg Pete at a highrise construction site. Plenty of action, adventures and some slapstick moments. Not a bad earlier Mickey cartoon.

Grade B

"Mickey" is grafting away on the building site when "Minnie" arrives with his lunch box. A series of mishaps get him in trouble with his boss but luckily the hooter goes and he can spend his break with her. Except, well the foreman has designs on her too - and soon the mice are desperate to escape his clutches. I'm not quite sure why it's got this title - there's not really much building going on; indeed quite the reverse as our loved-up pairing engage in some animated slapstick antics with "Pegleg Pete". The animation delivers this quite creatively destructive story quite amiably, imbuing many of the tools with human qualities (and faces) and we've even a kiss at the end. I'm not sure I'll recall it for long, but it's watchable enough for seven minutes.

Back through the shorts on Disney Plus, in alphabetical order, and I land on "Building a Building" a 1933 Mickey Mouse short, that was nominated for an Oscar.

Mickey Mouse (Walt Disney) is working on a construction site, when Minnie (Marcellite Garner) arrives to sell lunches. Site foreman Pete (Pinto Colvig) sees Minnie and tries to flirt with her, but she only has eyes for Mickey. The pair fight until the lunch bell chimes when Pete kidnaps Minnie using the crane.

I liked this one a lot, the building site is a bit of a trope in cartoons and all the classic moments are here, such as blinding walking on planks of wood that fill in gaps in the building. It's set to a score, which I prefer in my Disney shorts and it's really strong animaton. I like this style a lot.

Some of these shorts have really been hit and miss, but this was a good one.

Building a Building is one of my favourites regarding the Mickey Mouse cartoons. Again the story is simple and reminded me a lot of Sky Scrappers, but very crisply paced and uplifting. The cartoon is also I feel an important one considering that anybody would do anything to keep their job during the depression even if they were being mistreated. The animation looks great, the part where Pete is falling through all those girders never fails to amaze me, and all the characters are well drawn. The music beautiful and energetic, the action is swift and all the gags are imaginative, my favourite being the one where Minnie puts the hot rivets down Pete's pants. The steam-shovel was also a nice addition, and I loved the bond between Mickey and Minnie, you see it in a lot of their cartoons, but not as thrillingly or as touchingly as Mickey helps Minnie battle Pete in Building a Building. Mickey and Minnie are as endearing as ever, and Pete is a great foil to them. Pluto still looks cute, some may find it odd that he seems to be working for Minnie here, but others like me will be thrilled just to see him. In conclusion, a must-watch. 10/10 Bethany Cox