VioletGirl37 Reviews

Carnival of the Animals (1976 TV Movie)

Amazingly boring!

[5/10 · 6 April 2024]

If you want to turn a neophyte off of both animation and classical music, show them this!

Camille Saint-Saëns' Carnival of the Animals is one of my favourite pieces of music of all time - such a great classic, and honestly a great choice with which to introduce one to classical music. I found the animated parts mostly quite boring and also poorly done. It's like a bad rip-off of the classic Looney Tunes of the golden age, with a poor attempt at aping the humour. The Fantasia ripoff of animated music visualization is done with crude children's drawings instead of the wonderful high art moving paintings of Disney's masterpiece. Of course budget is likely a main reason, as well as the overall cynical ethos of Warner Bros. As compared to the sincerity of Walt Disney. Some of them are interesting, and I suppose they likely did the best they could with their budget. Maybe I'm spoiled by the high art of the Disney studio, as there is charm and interest to some of the visualizations.

I thought the musical performance at least would be worthwhile listening to, and it's done alright in in many places, but fails in others. The conductor seems sincere, expressing enjoyment, engagement, and probably the most enjoyable to watch conduct this piece at least.

One of the worst parts is that it isn't performed in full, and hence it seems somewhat disjointed.

I like the effort put into Bugs Bunny's speeches in verse, though I found them not the easiest to grasp. I also just don't really like Daffy Duck and never have, so that certainly affects my appreciation of the film.

The ending of Bugs Bunny entering "That's All Folks" into "a computer" that looks like a pocket calculator strikes me as a bizarre attempt at humour that dates this film in a weird way. It's like if they made a similar film today and inserted a nonsensical reference to "AI" or "ChatGPT" that had nothing to do with anything in order to make him seem smart I guess.

Tl;dr: Some bits have some charm, but overall a very poor attempt to recreate the golden age classical music Looney Tunes in the dark ages. I still can't believe how poorly the piano playing was animated.

The Shindig (1930)

A Delightful Song and Dance Shindig of its time!

[7/10 · 2 December 2023]

Looking through Mickey Mouse films to watch this evening, as it had been too long, and found The Shindig which I thought I might have already seen before due to its similarity to others, but I had not!

Wow - what a treat from 1930 - sound quality was pretty poor, but still so enjoyable, because of the good music, and most of all due to the characters of Mickey, Minnie, and the now much rarer and more mysterious Horace Horsecollar and Clarabelle Cow! They really aren't the most refined or consistent character designs at this point, and the entire plot is simply "they go to a shindig and have a shindig", but a real delight for me! Definitely past the all-time Mickey Mouse low point of "The Picnic" for example!

I am extremely weak of heart (at the moment), so I was happy to see an episode with so very little conflict! Horace's motorcycle was rough, but Clarabelle put up with it (reminding me very much now of the Merrie Melodie "You Don't Know What You're Doin'" which as former Disney employees Harman and Ising often did, ripped off a Disney cartoon idea the next year (though improved on the execution I think) and Mickey teased Minnie with snapping back her panties, and she eventually told him to stop - both really character-revealing moments I think!

Perhaps most fascinating of all is that Mickey dances with another woman! And then another! I was shocked; especially the attractive and very long weiner dog girl, and somewhat surprised that there was no conflict with Minnie, although I think this is early enough that Mickey and Minnie were still not yet a really exclusive couple!

Grand Uproar (1930)

A really interesting Fleischer cartoon!

[8/10 · 25 September 2023]

Something kind of awesome and mysterious about the way it was drawn and painted; like the part of Dizzy Dishes I've seen. After recently watching a lot of cartoons from the studio van Beuren, the quality and *atmosphere* of the drawing here is really gripping! Lots of unexpected and funny gags! Some may say the hippo making his way throughout the crowd was done too many times, but I enjoyed it, and it wasn't exactly the same every time. The ending featured a *beautiful* painted drawing of the opera house in the city. Talk about a moving work of art! The blowing through the roof at the end was interesting, though definitely lacking in suitable musical accompaniment for such a spectacular finish! If you want to see such a thing done better than any time else in cinematic history, check out "Gayle"; the Web series by Chris Fleming on YouTube; particularly in great classic episodes like "Code Bega", "Chibby Point", or best of all, "Luncheon Blitz"!

Wild Waves (1929)

Some Great Animation, Bad Singing, Decent Dancing, and an Uneven, but Enjoyable Musical Time!

[7/10 · 22 June 2023]

As in other films of this series (the Gorilla Mystery comes to mind), Minnie is a very dumb damsel who dives into danger, and Mickey diverts her from dying. Mickey has a singing voice here which I find awfully unappealing! That's definitely the worst part of this. Apparently it was most likely provided by a random studio employee. The animation is wonderful overall, especially notable are the waves themselves, which are not realistic, but quite comically animated. A number of funny and clever gags throughout with some innuendo. Drawings are quite inconsistent, reminding me of the lookalike mice from Van Beuren cartoons, Milton and Rita. Some shots look like the perfect Ub Iwerks drawings, and others look like weird (though interesting) knockoffs. It is known that at this time, other animators Walt hired really struggled to live up to the standards and consistency of Ub's superb artwork! Some animation errors are apparent (such as elements like Minnie disappearing for a frame). The musical sound effects are pretty interesting and well done, especially using timpani (a.k.a. Kettledrums) for the waves coming in and out, with cymbal crashes for their break. I have to wonder when this language of sound was established for certain effects like this. 1929 was still quite early in the era of sound films, though I know that many of these effects were established in the silent era.

Some of the dancing animal animation was reused in a Silly Symphony I also saw for the first time just earlier today, Arctic Antics, which I would say is not as interesting due to the lack of plot, though I think musically it is better (not that that's a high bar!)

I enjoyed it, though I doubt it's one I'd rewatch often.

Max Is Convalescent (1911)

A Lovely little film!

[8/10 · 24 May 2023]

The other reviews can fill in context - I was simply happy to find a very nice 1080p full HD restoration of this film on YouTube with a lovely and very fitting piano score. It is clearly played to the film in the traditional way, as we can hear appropriate sound cues when some significant action occurs. I would probably find this too slow and boring with no music, but the wonderful accompaniment makes this into a truly lovely relaxing experience - the scenery is beautiful, well shot, the actors good, both human and animal. The nice dog's part is sweet, and the horse's part funny. I still don't know how they train animals to do such things, but I am certainly impressed!

Circus Capers (1930)

Absolutely Fascinating look at Bizarro World Mickey and Minnie!

[7/10 · 12 April 2023]

A new Ultra High Definition scan (1440p) of a 16 mm print of this was suggested to me on YouTube this afternoon (on the "Farmer Alfalfa" channel), which I was curious about since it's a 1930 Æsop's Sound Fable, which is the time period I've been watching lately, and while somewhat uneven, wow; it really was a strange and pleasant surprise!

Two mice star, who look extraordinarily similar to Mickey and Minnie mouse, but are apparently called Milton and Rita! Disney made them cease and desist. Honestly still has the brilliance of the silents, even if the work is of less consistent quality, more pure cartoon brilliance shines through than in any Disney cartoon of its time, more similar to the Fleischers' work, though honestly similar levels of brilliance! Amazing extreme perspective shots on the level of the work of Ub Iwerks! Some clever and well-executed gags as well, in particular the one with the leopard spots! The broken heart was beautifully done in a way I've never seen before! The singing at the end seemed pretty bizarre at first since it sounds like an older woman's voice, but it's extremely pleasant and an got used to it quickly! Sound synchronization is often quite sloppily done compared to a Disney cartoon though. This really is a lot more like a silent film plus sound added as a bonus. Despite being like a silent, the irreverence and animation style really do remind me of much newer stuff. Maybe sounds silly to say, but it really does seem both ahead of its time and behind its time at once! Really impressive stuff overall though! Sound is recorded by the RCA Photophone system, so it's simply high fidelity! A totally different league than Disney cartoons with Pat Powers' Cinephone system! This might be an 8 for me if not for the slow start and sloppy production! Definitely recommend, especially if you want to see a bizarro world Mickey and Minnie and see some wonderul animation and hear some beautiful music!

The Barnyard Broadcast (1931)

Another Enjoyable Musical Mickey Mouse Cartoon!

[7/10 · 12 April 2023]

Watched The Barnyard Broadcast for the first time this morning, which I thought I had maybe seen before, but I was confusing it yet another of the many barnyard/musical films! Pluto and the cats are quite cute; the characters are deeper than before, though far from their peak. I really like all of these classic Disney characters, and as Bethany said, they are simply delightful and fascinating to see on their own, though I think Pluto is most of all IMO! The radio equipment is beautiful and fascinating; especially Mickey's monitor/control panel. Like seemingly most of these Cinephone films, the sound started off really rough and got better fairly quickly. Mickey's voice sounds the roughest overall and does not improve. It sounds like we're hearing him through some terrible old radio equipment, but we're supposed to be right there in the room with him! Lots of cute and funny gags; suspect it would be too slow-paced for many casual viewers. Some really beautiful animation that's clearly better and more detailed than the older Disney works. Easy 7/10!

The Barnyard Battle (1929)

An Interesting Early Mickey Cartoon!

[7/10 · 10 April 2023]

Mickey joins the army, and the mice fight the cats!

Relatively slow paced in my opinion.

Strange like many of the early Mickey cartoons, though interesting!

Some amazing perspective shots which clearly mark the work as a product of Ub Iwerks' incredible mind!

Some clever gags, my favourite being Mickey running out of machine gun bullets and using piano keys instead, to musical effect!

Musical Mickey almost always seems to have a handy piano at hand!

I think the best thing about this is the wonderful pastoral world of early Mickey Mouse. The universe, though sometimes scary, is wonderful all the same. This also makes me see what people are talking about when they say that the early Mickey Mouse cartoons have very insubstantial two-dimensional characters at best. In my opinion, Steamboat Willie was great, The Karnival Kid even greater, and everything else I've seen from this era really pales in comparison! The Karnival Kid is just such an incredible outlier for such an early work (only the ninth animated Mickey Mouse cartoon, just two after this one), it's strange to me that it took so long to reach that level of quality once again. I've honestly never seen one better, though for reference, I still have not seen any Mickey Mouse cartoon beyond 1933! I await what's ahead with excitement!

6.7/10.

The Talking Magpies (1946)

One of the greatest animated cartoons of all time

[9/10 · 30 March 2023]

I was fortunate enough to have this on a VHS tape from when I was pretty young; so I saw it many times. Even now, many years later, with much more options through the Internet, I still watch it often! Wonderful music and incredible voice acting, and solid sound effects, perfectly paced and synchronized with great animation. TerryToons get such a bad name, but this is truly legendary and the début of the Heckle & Jeckle series! My only disappointment is what poor shape it's in, I hope a decent print turns up some day and gets restored?

Spoiler: the magpies are a straight couple in this pilot episode, whereas I'm told that before the second episode, they break up, and the female magpie transitions to male. I can't say first hand since this is only one I've seen so far!

Blue Rhythm (1931)

a Musical Delight!

[8/10 · 29 March 2023]

Absolutely delightful and even hilarious in parts! Actually got some laughs out of me! Minnie and Mickey's singing was so bizarre it was really funny! Like many of these Cinephone films, they sound quite rough, especially to start, but my enjoyment was really not hampered by it! I love seeing the iconic classic Disney characters and having their mysteries and idiosyncrasies gradually revealed to me. The old goat man (here with a clone), Clarabelle Cow, Horace Horsecollar, that little tiny creature at the end who also featured in The Birthday Party, and I think most interestingly of all, Pluto, Mickey's dog, who at this stage had become somewhat anthropomorphic, bothering his master by playing a trombone, and wearing white gloves while doing it! Definitely some weirdness and continuity errors (like with the long shot of Minnie and the slide of the trombone after Mickey breaks and shortens it restoring in the next cut) but overall great classical *and* jazz music, great animation, iconic characters, and a delight to see and hear! Mickey's performance on the piano was more enjoyable than usual (wonderfully "gagged up", as Walt would say). Just so much better than earlier concert cartoons like "The Opry House", and the chewing gum gag was a nice new surprise (despite the fact that it took me some time to figure out what it was supposed to be)

Despite the weirdness, uneven (terrible to poor) sound recording quality (even for its time) and animation errors, I will bump this to a solid 8/10 for the fascinating historical value alone.

Ups 'n Downs (1931)

Amazing Revision of the Karnival Kid!

[6/10 · 11 February 2023]

As before, I was at first amazed at how blantantly this Bosko cartoon seems to rip off Disney and Ub Iwerks' Mickey Mouse cartoons, though I know that Ising did first work for Walt and probably helped to influence what came to be thought of as "the Disney cartoon style" himself. At first, this seemed to be a pretty blatant ripoff of the hot dog scene from "The Karnival Kid" (which by the way is a masterpiece and definitely the best Mickey Mouse cartoon I've seen of the era). As other reviewers pointed out, this cartoon's pacing was far from perfect, as it did have slow bits (although after watching some silent cartoons from fifteen years earlier, wow have my standards for good pacing been lowered!) It also referenced "The Jazz Singer", but even if you are like myself and didn't know the reference, I thought that scene was brilliant! Warner Brothers cartoons can often be cruel, gross, or gruesome, and yet I *loved* how this took a scene from the Karnival Kid and reimagined it with the living hot dog's humanity being recognized, and finding acceptance in a new parent! Honestly one of the most beautiful scenes I've seen in a cartoon - what a joy! I agree with the other reviewers that the horserace setting was not well established at the beginning, giving the cartoon a disjointed and confusing impression. I can see it says "RACE ____" on the back of a sport stadium in the background (probably "RACE TODAY"), but my eye was not drawn there the first time, and the print looks pretty poor quality, so I know I'm not getting the full frame and that may be contributing to my confusion. Perhaps an establishing shot could have made this clearer?

Pacing and cohesiveness could have been better, but overall a wonderful, clever, and extremely joyous and funny cartoon - the dog scene was definitely the highlight, but this cartoon got a lot more smiles and laughs out of me than average!

Police Dog on the Wire (1916)

Typical for its time

[4/10 · 9 February 2023]

I saw this cartoon for the first time today; the version from the Cartoons On Film Bray Studios release.

Not terribly drawn - decent amount of detail, however, not very attractively drawn. Definitely in the more detailed style of many newspaper cartoons of the time. Story was incoherent IMO, and the pacing was terrible! Mostly very slow-going, and yet all of the intertitles flash by the screen so quickly that very few people could fully read or comprehend them in that time! Literally a fraction of a second for intertitles after extremely long scenes with very little action. When they show the telephone booth inside of the cafe, the handset is apparently just levitating in the air since they didn't bother to draw a shelf for it to sit upon! Also, Tommy Stathes' Cartoons on Film release is really low quality, especially at the beginning, and it looks largely due to artifacts from digital encoding and overcompression!

Might be interesting to skip through to get a feel for it, but this honestly might be the worst cartoon I've ever seen except for Bray's very cheap (and bad spirited) Gertie the Dinosaur ripoff (Diplodocus, 1915)

Hold Anything (1930)

Wow! Surprisingly brazen copying *and* innovation here!

[7/10 · 9 February 2023]

Wasn't sure what to expect here...

As I suspected from the previous films in the series, we get a musical cartoon with Bosko working on a construction site. Some surprisingly brazen copying from the contemporary Disney cartoons, first with the mice which looked suspiciously like Mickey, and then one even lifts his ears off like a hat, exactly like Mickey famously does in "the Karnival Kid" the previous year. Pleasant, mostly because of the music. The animation is a bit slow, and then Bosko starts playing with a mouse on a nearby handsaw. We get a very interesting and fitting sound with it which I couldn't distinguish whether it was a theremin or a human voice! And then BAM! Bosko slices off the mouse's head! Was not expecting that one! In this cartoon world however, the mouse seemed basically unharmed at least!

While some of the gags I have seen in many other cartoons, I spotted some really unique ones here! I think most memorably Honey's typewriter, which Bosko plays his sheet music on like a piano!

I don't know why so many people complain about Bosko and Honey - I find them so cute and likeable, even if Mickey and Minnie usually show more depth in Disney's cartoons (though in 1930, not always! Just compare with "The Picnic" for example!

Unfortunately there is only a low-quality print of this available, though I would still recommend it as a fun cartoon (though not for young children or the faint of heart given the mouse decapitation!

Sinkin' in the Bathtub (1930)

A Great Start to this Historic First!

[8/10 · 28 January 2023]

Saw Sinkin' in the Bathtub; the first ever Looney Tune!

Truly delightful! Music pales in comparison to the amazing work of Carl Stalling, but still innovative and very enjoyable throughout! I do really like the magical world of classic animated cartoons that they live in, which I most associate with Otto Messmer's Felix the Cat. Really cute and loveable characters I think! (I don't know who can beat Mickey and Minnie Mouse, though to be fair, Mickey and Minnie's first appearance in Plane Crazy wasn't nearly as cute or charming as this! Some people said that this was crude or plotless, but I thought it was relatively action packed (though I'll acknowledge a few spots that could have been cut tighter). I think that to fully appreciate this, you must get into the mindspace that this is a Looney Tune! Just like the contemporary Mickey Mouse and Silly Symphony cartoons it is inspired by - it's silly! The humour is very silly, and you won't like it if you don't appreciate that. I also thought that some of the background art was really beautiful work (and much better than the background art done at the Disney studio at the time!

It seems like most aren't highly recommending this one, but I have to!

Father Noah's Ark (1933)

Most Beautiful and Colourful Silly Symphony I've seen Yet!

[9/10 · 27 January 2023]

Saw Noah's Ark Silly Symphony for the first time this morning!

Truly a wonderful cartoon; beautiful, amazing, and very advanced Technicolor animation! Just appalled by how this wonderous work of art is rated so low here on the IMDb! Seems like people here just don't like great animated cartoons!

Funny how "Father Noah" looked *exactly* like Santa Claus (as he appears in other Disney cartoons around that time). My only criticism is that as in many of these Silly Symphonies at this time, it seems like they don't have anyone checking continuity! The lyrics from the wives about loading the ark with canned sardines was a funny and silly anachronism, but all the food shown on screen was very beautiful fresh fruit and vegetables! These flaws don't detract that much in my opinion however, and overall maybe the most wonderful, lush, and colourful Silly Symphony I've seen yet! (I haven't yet seen "Flowers and Trees" nor "Funny Little Bunnies")

Highly recommended if you like purely enjoyable sing-song and dance animated cartoons that are beautifully drawn, painted, and orchestrated!

The Best Mouse Loses (1920)

Interesting, but Krazy!

[6/10 · 21 January 2023]

I think that this may be the first Krazy Kat cartoon I've ever seen all the way through! I honestly found the plot to be a but hard to follow, though that may be entirely attributable to my being a bit slow. Not my favourite cartoon, but definitely an interesting premise, with some interesting, funny, and clever cartoon bits. Also interesting to see that while the drawing style is quite simple, the boxing match really allows the animators to show off their cartoon physics, with what looks an awful lot like stretch and squash to me! I thought I'd heard that Disney invented that in the '30s, but apparently not!

Definitely gave me a smile and maybe even a chuckle for its clever humour!

The Black Duck (1929)

Nonsensical and silly, but funny!

[6/10 · 13 January 2023]

From what I've read, this Fable was made in 1922 and re-released in 1929 with synchronized sound. It does look quite sped up (playing a silent film at sound speed will do that) but I like the fast pacing, especially with the weird plot. I would rate this higher if the plot were comprehensible. The Mickey Mouse ripoff is pretty funny; I would say funnier than the real Mickey in some ways, and the voice was closer to a Mickey Mouse voice than you find in some actual Disney cartoons of the same year! I don't think this deserves to be currently rated more highly than every actual Mickey Mouse cartoon of 1929 as it currently is however!

Mickey's Follies (1929)

The Début of Mickey's Theme Song!

[7/10 · 4 January 2023]

Regardless of whatever merits or demerits of this cartoon, it is in my opinion a must see for the début of Minnie's Yoo Hoo; Mickey Mouse's theme song! (As they clearly introduce it by in the film). I thought I might have seen this one before, but this morning was my first time seeing it. I was definitely confusing it with another one which is not so good. I agree with Bethany Cox's review - not the best or worst, but certainly worth seeing for the historical significance alone. To me the most remarkable part of this was Mickey's singing! It really surprised me because his voice is again so much different from what I'm used to, given that it's not Walt's voice! The animation also looks different from what I'm used to. Very interesting stuff!

Come Take a Trip in My Airship (1924)

First Cartoon to be synchronized with sound!

[9/10 · 4 January 2023]

This is the first of the Fleischers' Sound Car-Tunes! Released as a silent film in 1924 (to be accompanied in the traditional way by live music in the theatre), it was synchronized with a soundtrack in 1930 and rereleased once the sound era was underway.

I saw this for the first time today on YouTube! The picture is really in terrible shape, though it sounds surprisingly good. The music and animation were wonderful - truly a wonderful cartoon all around! Very high quality stuff; great fast pacing and very funny and heartwarming. As a catgirl pianist myself, I truly loved and related to the catgirl character and her love and excitement of her piano's arriving! What a great and funny character! Also the piano coming alive to become a character was great as well! I really hope that this film gets restored, and soon - I'd love to see a high quality 32 mm copy - this production certainly deserves it!

The Gorilla Mystery (1930)

Not much of a mystery, though still quite entertaining!

[7/10 · 2 January 2023]

I finally saw this for the first time today! I would say this has an interesting mysterious atmosphere at times, though the plot is not thick enough to qualify as an actual mystery. There is a gorilla on the loose; they have to catch him; what is so mysterious and unknown about that? Mickey reads about a gorilla on the loose in the newspaper, calls Minnie on the phone, she tells him not to worry and plays him some music on her piano. We see the gorilla fall from a tree and make a move on her, showing Mickey to be righteous in his fear! Definitely not the best Mickey Mouse cartoon, but honesty still quite entertaining IMO. Lots of fun and funny surprises! Most interesting novelties to me: first time hearing this very soothing whispering voice, which we discover is Mickey's and the first time I've ever seen Mickey's eyes illuminated alone, separately from the rest of his face, since he's in the dark. The bit where he pulled and used the gun was very funny, and so was the Maypole triumph at the end. Also, it had some of those big closeups that Ub Iwerks was known for, though I was pretty sure that he'd left the Disney studio by this point? Almost certainly an imitation, as not up the same quality standards, but still enjoyable! :)

The Cat Came Back (1944)

Disappointing Adaptation!

[5/10 · 22 December 2022]

I grew up with an absolutely enchanting cassette tape album which I believe was entitled "The Cat Came Back".... or "Cat's Night Out"?

In any case, "The Cat Came Back" was always an incredibly mysterious and awesome song to me from a very young age. As a cartoon, this was not terrible, just mediocre. As an adaptation of "The Cat Came Back", it was not up to my standard; not even close. The cat was okay for a cat character; just not for the Cat who Came Back! Also, the plot of this seemed incredibly similar to another film I grew up with: The Talking Magpies! Very interesting to see Farmer Alfalfa's canine companion in this be such a generic dog, when in The Talking Magpies of two years later, his dog is a character of incredibly unique and wonderfully dopey disposition! I just have to wonder what the difference was production wise between this mediocre cartoon and the great sound cartoon masterwork that is The Talking Magpies!

Midnight in a Toy Shop (1930)

Cute and Fun Silly Symphony!

[7/10 · 22 December 2022]

This Silly Symphony begins with a lovely establishing scene of a spider trying to hang on to the outside of a toy shop in the midst of a blizzard! He manages to find his way inside and explores. I am surprised at what a cute and fun character they could make out of a spider! I probably did watch this while I was in the mood for such a thing (for the first time this morning!) and while as everyone else commented, it doesn't have an especially sophisticated plot, the end is foreshadowed, and I will say that the minstrel show in the middle seems like a pretty bizarre feature, the music and animation together made this an enjoyable watch for me! Definitely nowhere near the quality of the.masterpieces of Ub Iwerks (as I believe this would have been made shortly after his departure from the Disney studio), but still good fun! :)

Lullaby Land (1933)

Beautiful Colour Silly Symphony

[8/10 · 18 December 2022]

Today was my first time seeing this beautiful Technicolor Silly Symphony. A baby is being rocked to sleep by their mother with her stuffed toy who looks suspiciously like Pluto! We get a very interesting animation of the "Rock-a-bye Baby" lullaby, then the baby and their dog find themselves in Lullaby Land. I think the most interesting part of this cartoon was the Forbidden Garden, which we are introduced to by a wonderful theme song and animation. It really seemed unusual for a Disney cartoon, and really reminded me much more of a Fleischer cartoon, specifically the recurrent Nightmare Cave! (lol). Drawings overall still have the distinctively rounder and cuter / more wholesome look of Disney cartoons however.

I have to recommend this one for the great music, interesting character designs, and interesting Forbidden Garden sequence.

Mickey's Choo-Choo (1929)

Great Mickey & Minnie Mouse Cartoon!

[8/10 · 18 December 2022]

I saw a number of the early Mickey Mouse cartoons.many years ago when I got the "Classic Mickey" DVD (I think that's what it was called) but today was my first time getting to see this one!

Even more enjoyable than I expected! Lots of fun!

Just earlier today I was watching some later 1930s Disney cartoons, and while still enjoyable, the drop in quality is huge. The work of Ub Iwerks is just so distinctive. Does animation get any better than this? The train might be kind of silly and simply drawn, but once the action gets going, just wow! The first-person Point of View out-of-control train animation through the tunnel is just so realistic, it's truly incredible. Probably the most thrilling animation viewing experience I've ever had.

As others said, it might not have the most plot, but I always love to see Mickey and Minnie. First time I've ever seen Minnie play violin!

Some people mentioned inconsistent character design. The only thing I noticed which was immersion breaking was that when Minnie first appeared, she basically had Mickey's voice! I don't know what is going on there - is it a goof? Did Walt not have his Minnie voice warmed up? Definitely an oddity, but still very fun and enjoyable. Hard to rate this one, because while I couldn't call it a masterpiece like "The Karnival Kid", that first-person runaway train sequence is better than I've ever seen; just unrivalled brilliance from Ub Iwerks!