Dingo et Wilbur

A Walt Disney GOOFY Cartoon.

GOOFY AND WILBUR, his tiny grasshopper buddy, go fishing and encounter danger in & out of the water.

Goofy had his first solo starring role in this very funny little film. The animation is first-rate and the laughs are genuine as the Bug acts as bait to entice fish for the Goof to catch - the bullfrog & stork simply add to the fun. Although full of spunk and obvious talent, this was to be Wilbur's only appearance in a Disney cartoon.

Walt Disney (1901-1966) was always intrigued by pictures & 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 comic 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, Dumbo, Bambi & Peter Pan. Walt never forgot that his fortunes were all started by a mouse, or that childlike simplicity of message and lots of hard work always pay off.

A "No fishin" sign isn't going to stop "Goofy" and his grasshopper pal "Wilbur" from trying to catch some fish! The latter critter is the bait to lure the fish to their doom and at first, things seem to be going to plan - but for how long before the fish decide to turn tails on the dog and his increasingly cocky little friend? There's some good animated, all-action, synchronicity here with the increasingly menacing fish, the cheeky bug and even an hungry frog. "Goofy" shares the limelight a bit more than usual with the characters in what's a more substantial and entertainingly scored story, too.

This is the first cartoon where Goofy takes center stage, without appearing along side Mickey and Donald. Here, he goes fishing with the help of his grasshopper friend, Wilbur. He uses Wilbur as bait as to catch of bunch of fish, but Goofy ended up having to help Wilbur when he is eaten by a frog.

It is a fun cartoon to show both Goofy's blundering and friendship side - funny and touching and it's a great treat for the children to enjoy. The music is carefree and the animation is some of the best I've seen, especially for a short created in 1939.

I first watch his cartoon short when it was a part of a Wonderful World of Disney episode, and it remains one of my favorites from Goofy.

Grade A

Apparently, this is the first animation that features Goofy as a solo act. Our funny guy goes fishing. He has, as his mate, a little grasshopper named Wilbur. Wilbur is masterful at getting the attention of fish and leading them into Goofy's net. The action is excellent and goofy does well, until a frog eats the little guy. It is well plotted and has a nice ending.

As I aim to do with all Disney shorts, I found myself really enjoying Goofy and Wilbur. It is an interesting change of pace from the How To...shorts(which I personally do find funnier and more creative), and works very well on the whole. It does get a little too sentimental at times, but this is occasional. The animation is truly lush and colourful, with all the characters beautifully drawn, not just that but they also have depth in the designs. The music is energetic and enhances the action, which is always a plus when it comes to animation and shorts especially. The gags are clever, Goofy using Wilbur as bait is the main crux of Goofy and Wilbur but it is not the only trick that the short uses, the fishing deal is very creative as is the stuff with the bullfrog and the stork. The gags with the fish colliding, Goofy's net breaking and the fat fish weighing down the net are also very well done. The story has drama, fun, suspense and action rolled into one and skips along nicely. Goofy and Wilbur's friendship is charmingly realised and does feel very real. The bit though where Wilbur hatches out of the egg has always perplexed me, particularly how he manages to get inside it, though maybe that is just me looking too much into things. Goofy is likable and endearingly clumsy, though he does work better when he is confronted by a solution that is obvious to us but not to him, but the real jewel is Wilbur, his adorable yet spunky presence is enough to make us wonder why we never saw him again after Goofy and Wilbur. In conclusion, great cartoon if not quite a masterpiece. 9/10 Bethany Cox