The Mad Doctor

Disney's cartoons were known for their light-hearted optimism that enthralled his mostly young audiences. But in January 1933's "The Mad Doctor," he threw a curve ball by releasing a rather dark Mickey Mouse cartoon. A mad scientist who lives in a castle above Mousetown captures Mickey's pet dog, Pluto. The nut case wants to use the dog to conduct an experiment where he thinks if he cuts off Pluto's head and attaches it to a chicken it may lay eggs with puppies inside. Mickey Mouse's 52nd cartoon was deemed so scary some theaters refused to show it. The United Kingdom banned it, and even Nazi Germany prohibited the cartoon nationwide.

"The Mad Doctor" does have its fans, however. The Film Daily called it "one of the liveliest animated cartoons to come along, and plenty comical." Cracked Magazine included it for its 'Top 8 Most horrifying Moments from Kids' cartoons.' Billy Bletcher, specializing in scary voices, provided his vocals for both the mad doctor as well as the big, bad wolf in the later "Three Little Pigs."

Pluto has been dognapped by Dr XXX for his mad science experiment. Mickey Mouse risks his life to save his beloved friend. This is a fun Disney cartoon with a dark Halloween theme. The spooky scary adventure is pretty inventive and great fun. I especially love the one sequence where Mickey walks down a stone corridor with a falling block. This is great although the ending is the ending. It's probably the easiest way to wrap it all up.

This cartoon has some pretty weird, spooky stuff - a dark side you would never see in later Mickey Mouse cartoons. Unless your four-year-old can handle a mad doctor threatening to cut Mickey's head off, steer him clear of this one. For adults, though, it's quite original.

A familiar theme of the period cinematography. An imaginative story. Humor. Mickey Mouse and pluto. And a reasonable solution for the end. But , more important, a great story of friendship. And the good sourcefor nostalgic emotions.

Such a jarring experience from a Disney short. The Mad Doctor is such a departure from the fun and easy-going Disney vibe. It´s genuinely scary at times and the added comedy feels nearly surreal and out of place for a short like this. But it´s masterfully done no doubt. From the beautiful animation to the incredible score, The Mad Doctor is a most see experience.

In the middle of the night Pluto is kidnapped by a mad doctor, it´s up to Mickey to save his dog.

The animation is so beautiful and stunning. Everything looks so incredible, and the backgrounds and skeletons looks incredible. The backgrounds are no doubt the highlight. The castle both inside and outside is drawn incredibly and the shadows and attention to details look incredible. Every aspect of the animation is incredible in my eyes.

The score also helps. It´s so scary and atmospheric and that is what this short is, atmospheric. It hits that creepy vibe perfectly and this Disney short is actually creepy.

This is a sick plot and so not Disney. It feels like an alternate timeline somehow where Disney went down a darker path. I know Disney himself didn't make it or liked this, but the fact they got this made feels insane. The atmosphere and vibe are just so creepy, and you feel bad for both Pluto and Mickey here. The stakes feel high.

I felt like the ending was a bit too safe, but I get why they went down that route. I also feel the humor nearly fells too much in the short and out of place somehow. While it works, I more so felt the creepy factor here and that it should be the essence of the short.

The Mad Doctor is incredible. While there are a few aspects I didn't like or vibed with me it´s still an incredible experience. The animation at display is incredible, the atmosphere spot on, the creepy factor dialed up, it´s a sight to be seen.