Michael Wermuth- Mickey Mouse is one of the most iconic cartoon characters of all time, not just for The Walt Disney Company. And he has starred in a lot of great shorts. Let’s take a look at my top ten favorite Mickey Mouse shorts.
10. His red shorts. You know which ones I’m talking about, the ones with the two yellow buttons.
9. His other red shorts with the yellow buttons. Man, nobody wears red shorts with buttons quite like Mickey.
8. Those other red shorts with the two yellow buttons. I’d like to see Donald and Goofy try to wear shorts like those.
….Hmm, as I guess I didn’t think this list through. All of Mickey’s shorts look the same.
Oh, right, animated shorts starring Mickey Mouse. Silly me….
10. Get a Horse!
Get a Horse is the most recent theatrical short starring Mickey Mouse, and it’s a lot better than I had expected (and keep in mind I already had great expectations for this short). It starts out in the style of a 1928 Mickey Mouse cartoon – Mickey doesn’t wear gloves, has his round black eyes, there’s barely any dialogue (though existing audio from Walt Disney is used for the few times Mickey’s voice is heard), but then when Mickey tries to save Minnie from Pete, they leave the theater screen, becoming computer animated as Mickey, Minnie, Pete, and others constantly go in and out of the screen. In fact this short seems like something that would have made a great Disney theme park attraction (unfortunately, I didn’t see the short in 3D). I would have liked to have placed this higher on the list, except it’s too new and I’ve only seen it once so far.
9. Mickey’s Rival
In this short, Mickey and Minnie have a picnic, which gets interrupted by an old acquaintance of Minnie’s, Mortimer Mouse (“Mortimer” was what Walt Disney had originally wanted to name Mickey). Mortimer not only causes jealousy for Mickey, but is also a very rude jerk to Mickey. It’s especially funny when Mortimer asks Mickey if he wants the buttons on his shorts. Eventually, Mortimer finds a bull behind a fence, and foolishly holds a red cape over it, unaware that the gate is open, and cowardly runs off, accidentally getting Minnie wrapped in it and needing Mickey (and Mickey’s car, who happens to be alive in this) to rescue her.
8. Mickey’s Delayed Date
In this short, Mickey is late to his date with Minnie, and goes through a lot of trouble getting dressed and arriving, causing much of his clothes to get ruined. But then it turns out that they’re going to a costume party, and Minnie thinks Mickey’s outfit is a costume.
7. The Little Whirlwind
This short was made during a brief time when Mickey’s ears had some perspective in them. In this short, Mickey finds a pie on Minnie’s window, which Minnie won’t let him have, but agrees to let him have some pie in exchange for doing yard-work. However, the wind keeps messing things up for Mickey. What’s interesting about this short is that Mickey and Minnie don’t appear to be a couple. There have been other shorts where they aren't a couple at first but instantly fall in love upon meeting, but here Minnie doesn't seem interested in Mickey at all.
6. Mickey’s Good Deed
In this short, Mickey is a homeless street musician on Christmas Eve. A very spoiled, very bratty boy sees Pluto and wants him, but Mickey refuses to sell his dog until he comes across a house of poor children, and sells Pluto so he can buy presents for the children. However, the kid plays rough with Pluto, and eventually the boys father gets so fed up that he orders his butler to throw Pluto out and gives his son a well-deserved spanking. Mickey and Pluto are reunited, and Pluto happened to have some turkey tied to his tail.
5. Plane Crazy
The first Mickey Mouse cartoon produced. Mickey takes Minnie on a plane ride, which gets wild and crazy at first, eventually going off on its own as pilot Mickey falls out of the plane. This cartoon shows a rare mean side to Mickey, with him intentionally scaring Minnie when she refuses to kiss him, and later laughing at Minnie after she falls off the plane (saved by her panties, which inflates into a parachute for her). It’s fun watching the early, more mischievous side to Mickey (before he had to become a goody-two-shoes role model).
4. Lonesome Ghosts
In this short, Mickey, Donald Duck, and Goofy work as ghost exterminators (pre-dating Ghostbusters by a few decades). They get a call from ghosts who are bored. Although the ghosts constantly get the better of them, the ghosts end up getting scared away when the trio gets stuck in dough, making them look like ghosts.
3. Runaway Brain
I saw this one in the theater. In Runaway Brain, Mickey forgets about his and Minnie’s anniversary, and in an attempt to convince Minnie that he had remembered, plans a golf date, only when showing her the ad in the paper, she sees the wrong ad, thinking Mickey was taking her to Hawaii. With a trip to Hawaii being too expensive, Mickey accepts a job that pays the amount needed in just one day, but unfortunately it’s to have Mickey’s brain switched with a Frankenstein’s Monster-type monster, who soon becomes crazy about Minnie.
2. Mickey’s Birthday Party
In this cartoon, Minnie and the gang throw a surprise birthday party for Mickey, with some great music and dancing, as well as funny scenes with Goofy struggling to make the cake.
1. Steamboat Willie
Yes, I honestly feel like the first (theatrically released) Mickey Mouse cartoon is the best. There’s so much to like, including the classic image of Mickey steering the helm of the boat, Mickey and Minnie making music from animals, and the ending, in which Mickey throws a potato at a parrot, is hilarious.
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