User reviews

Though it is yet another 'everything goes wrong' cartoon (pretty much EVERY Disney short) this one has enough imagination to keep you amused. I remember watching it as a kid and being impressed with the set-pieces and hijinks even then.

Basically Mickey, Donald and Goofy are cleaning a huge clock tower, taller than all the little skyscrapers (surely no one would be able to tell the time from down on the street) at 3 o'clock in the afternoon. It's a risky dangerous job but they seem to all know what they're doing and never loose their footholds. But a big stork, an angry spring and a sleepwalking Goofy all make it end in disaster. Funny!

This short features Mickey, Donald, and Goofy as clock cleaners cleaning a very tall clock tower (possibly Big Ben). What was interesting about this short was that each of the three characters had some sort of problem. Mickey kept trying to get a nesting stork out of the clock and the stork wouldn't cooperate, Goofy was hit on the head by a figure resembling the Statue of Liberty and knocked unconscious, and Donald was having troubles with a spring that seemed to talk back to him. In fact, Reverend Donald Wildmon of the American Family Association thought he heard Donald say a naughty four-letter word that began with the letter "F" followed by the word "you" to the spring. He succeeded in getting Wal Mart to remove all copies of a video containing this short off of their shelves and return them to Disney. Donald was actually saying "Says you!" to the spring. Interesting to note that.

A Walt Disney MICKEY MOUSE Cartoon.

Mickey, Donald & Goofy are the CLOCK CLEANERS atop a very tall tower.

The three buddies have their work cut out for them in this classic little film from Disney's Golden Age. The animation is first-rate and the laughs keep coming as Mickey deals with a stubborn stork, Donald falls foul of the mechanism's mainspring and Goofy, in a nod to Harold Lloyd, teeters about the deadly brink. 'Asleep In The Deep' is the tune of which the Goof keeps singing the first line ('Loudly the bell in the old tower rings.') Walt Disney provides Mickey with his squeaky voice; Clarence Nash does the honors for Donald.

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.

Three of Disney's big guns are given an outing in Clock Cleaners: Mickey Mouse and his mates Donald Duck and Goofy certainly have unconventional methods for cleaning the intricate mechanism situated in a clock tower, and their exploits offer plenty of opportunities for gravity-defying scrapes. A decent enough little comedy that will keep kids above the age of 45 quiet.

This is a truly magnificent cartoon, with the real star being the clock, with a strong supporting effort from a sleeping stork. Mickey, Donald and Goofy are fine, but the detail work on the backgrounds and the design of the clock are exceptional. The gags are hilarious, if somewhat familiar (probably because they've spurred frequent imitation by others) and the ending is priceless. Various bits are reminiscent of some great silent comics like Buster Keaton and Harold Lloyd, particularly the opening shot and an extended bit featuring Goofy on walkabout. Well worth having. Most highly recommended.

I love Clock Cleaners and always have done. The animation has so much detail(like with Goofy close to falling you do feel authentically dizzy due to how everything moves) in the scale of everything on screen and the backgrounds are gorgeously coloured. The music is full of energy as you would expect, and the story while simple is always engaging and crisply paced. Other than the animation, it was the characters and the gags, combining silliness and danger, that made Clock Cleaners. Mickey is as likable as ever, though I do find Goofy with his clumsiness and confusion and Donald with his frustration and temperament funnier in a way. The gag where Goofy stumbles around the top of the clock tower, eventually falling down, walking in a daze across a rope, falling only to jump back up off a flagpole and knock Mickey back inside is my all-time favourite Goofy gag, and the shot of the Mickey, Donald and Goofy in the gears of the clock is priceless also, but the best one is the one with the spring talking back when Donald gets irritated. The visual humour and dialogue never fails to make me laugh, but due to the fact you don't always understand what Donald is saying and the fact it was thought he said a bad word in this exchange caused for it to be censored. In a nutshell, a wonderful cartoon, one of the trio's and Disney's very best in my opinion. 10/10 Bethany Cox

I cannot see why this cartoon is one of the best, I'm not saying it's bad, but it doesn't deserve top spot. The gags and timing are slow. The characters milk their gags to the point where I have to yell "Enough Already!!" And another problem with this as well as many Disney cartoons is that the characters interact with objects instead of with each other. Watch a Fleisher or Warner Brothers cartoon made in 1937, and you notice that it is much more engaging than this cartoon or any late 1930s Disney cartoon. The only good thing I have to say about this, is that it is well animated, and colorful, but that's really it. Even the Fleishers made better artwork with their depression era budget!

This cartoon short features three of Disney's biggest stars: Mickey, Donald and Goofy. They are tasked out to clean a huge clock tower in the middle of the city, but the humor and laughs come when the three each have issues obstructing their work.

Mickey has a hard time sending a sleeping stork away; Donald gets tangled in the main springs of the clock; and Goofy, while cleaning the bell, gets the two statue hour ringers (one which resembles the Statue of Liberty) pound the bell at the stroke of the hour with Goofy inside.

It is a hilarious, delightful cartoon that is one of my childhood favorites and certainly brings back the nostalgia of the better cartoon days.

Grade A

Why, oh why, do many people complain about this short? I liked it!!!!! I rented that "Fun on the Job" VHS all the time as a little kid!!!!! I never even knew people thought Donald was "cussing" until I heard rumors about this online!!!!! Well, actually, it's "says who!!!!!" (Darn voice talents!)

Anyways, I give this 1937 Disney short a ten because, yes, this was the cartoon that got me hooked onto the Disney classic cartoons (because I thought it was a "Goof Troop" tape), and that tape was excellent!!!!! I've also seen this playing on Mickey's TV at Toontown USA in Disneyland a long time ago!!!!!

Yep, I'll never forget the days when the Disney company meant great taste for everyone's viewing needs!!!!!

10 stars!!!!!

Mickey, Donald and Goofy appeared in a couple of cartoons in the '30s in which they would start out together, get separated, and end up reunited following a series of mishaps. "Clock Cleaners" is one example, as the guys get given the assignment of keeping a clock tower spick and span, but all manner of things impede their work.

I understand that the American Family Association - classified by the Southern Poverty Law Center as a hate group - convinced Wal-Mart to discontinue the sale of a VHS tape that included this cartoon over allegations that Donald used curse words while arguing with the mainspring. Two things about that. First, commercial entertainment wasn't allowed to include profanity when the cartoon got produced, as the Motion Picture Production Code (more commonly known as the Hays Code) was strictly enforced. Second, it not only shows what a bunch of cultural degenerates the AFA is, but how morally bankrupt Wal-Mart is (don't even get me started on how Wal-Mart has devastated communities).

Anyway, the cartoon isn't any sort of masterpiece, but the tykes will probably enjoy it.

'Clock Cleaners (1937)' is a short film that sees Mickey, Donald and Goofy clean up a giant clock, contending with various challenges as they do so. These challenges include a stubborn sleeping stork, a cheeky broken spring and, most hilarious of all, a shockingly serious concussion. It's a highly entertaining piece, one that moves quickly and has plenty of laugh-out-loud moments. Most of its hilarity ensues in the second half, once Goofy has become goofy thanks to a hefty whack on the head (see the aforementioned concussion), but that doesn't imply its first half is weak. Having said that, the thing does lack an overall flow, seeming like a few set-pieces rather than an actual narrative. Still, it's a lively and enjoyable time overall. It's great fun. 8/10.

1. The short film showcases the powerhouse trio of Mickey Mouse, Goofy, and Donald Duck, each a well-established character by 1937. Mickey is the earnest do-gooder, Donald embodies the volatile and comically frustrated everyman, while Goofy is the lovable, bumbling oaf with a distinctive laugh. In "Clock Cleaners," each character gets to shine in distinct segments, culminating in a final, uproarious scene where their unique personalities converge.

2. The timing is impeccable, fittingly for a cartoon set in a clock. The film opens with Mickey whistling a catchy tune (just after the clock strikes 3 o'clock), setting the stage for three segments: Mickey's antics with a stork, Donald's battle with a stubborn spring, and Goofy's acrobatics. The latter sequence, in particular, solidified the film's iconic status with Goofy's hilarious stunts.

3. The gags build up in a crescendo. Disney cleverly begins with Mickey, often seen as the more straightforward character. His attempts to deal with the stork may not be the height of comedy, but they serve to set the stage. In the opening scene, Mickey's circular movements around the clock hands add a layer of visual humor, emphasizing the scale and intricacy of the clock's interior. The stork's antics, while predictable, still manage to utilize Mickey's potential, especially when he becomes the straight man in the climactic scene with Goofy.

4. Donald's interaction with the spring is a masterpiece of sound comedy. The spring mockingly echoes Donald's phrases, such as "says who?" (misinterpreted by Donald as a challenge) and "says I," leading to a comedic escalation. This segment could easily have become repetitive, but it delights in the details, like Donald's head getting caught in a gear and his subsequent frantic shaking, which reaches even his hat. This scene is deeply embedded in my childhood memories, its melody evoking laughter every time I hear it.

5. Credit goes to the sound editing, which perfectly captures the myriad mechanical noises-the ticking of gears, the ringing bells, and more. Released during a period when Disney was innovating in animation, the sound design in "Clock Cleaners" is spot-on, enhancing every comedic beat.

6. The animation itself is stunning, starting with vertiginous shots of a clock tower that seems taller than the Empire State Building-a testament to the exaggeration that is the soul of animation. The characters float, jump, and walk precariously on the edges of the clock, reminiscent of Harold Lloyd's famous stunts. This creates a genuine sense of danger, despite the zany context, making us fear for their safety even as we laugh.

7. A standout moment is Goofy's solo sequence, where, after being hit multiple times by the Jacquemart figure, he ends up inside the bell singing "Loudly the Bell in the Old Tower Rings." The moment where Goofy, perched precariously on a plank with a bar of soap and a ladder, teeters on the brink of disaster is both poetic and hilariously absurd. The animation defies logic for the sake of comedy, with objects seemingly held in place by sheer whimsy.

8. This sequence is a shining moment for Goofy, who steals the show without uttering a word. It demonstrates his comedic brilliance and why he was such a valuable character for Disney. I recall a Disney program featuring Goofy's acrobatic scene, which has become an instant classic, even as Mickey continues to play the heroic role.

9. Some might think Donald is underused, but his role in the climax-where Goofy falls and bounces back to safety, inadvertently rescuing Mickey-is pivotal. The final scene, where all three characters return to the clock's inner workings, specifically interacting with the gear train and the Jacquemart figures, concludes with them shaking their bottoms to the tune of "Streets of Cairo." This ending not only resolves the plot with a callback to earlier gags but also provides a perfect, nonsensical harmony among the trio.

10. "Clock Cleaners" is a pinnacle of animation. On the surface, it might seem minimalist, set entirely within a clock tower, but it boasts rich graphics and cohesive animation. Disney's talent for bringing inanimate objects to life-whether a sleepy stork, a mischievous spring, a cogwheel, or a mechanical statue-is on full display, showcasing their readiness for the full-length features like "Snow White."

11. The short is consistently hilarious from beginning to end, with no wasted time or unnecessary filler.

12. It's a classic of my childhood, one I watched and laughed at with my dad, and I never tire of rewatching it. Definitely a cartoon that rocks... around the clock!

Walt Disney released Mickey Mouse's 97th cartoon in October 1937's "Clock Cleaners." Featuring the same trio, Mickey, Donald Duck and Goofy, the three are janitors tasked with cleaning a clock high above inside a city tower. The three again split to spiff up the gigantic clock, and experience all sorts of adventures while doing their cleaning chores. So engrossing is the action of "Clock Cleaners" the eight-minute cartoon is ranked 27th in 'The 50 Greatest Cartoons.'

"Clock Cleaners" is well known today for the controversy it created after the cartoon as released on VHS. A fundamentalist Christian group petitioned Wal-Mart in the 1990s to pull the tape from its shelves. Its main concern was the scene showing Donald swearing at a clock's mainspring as he was repairing it. When the spring hits Mr. Duck, he first says "Says who," with the spring responding "Says I." Donald then calls the offending spring a "snake in the grass." Because of actor Clarence Nash's sometimes incomprehensible spitting voice as Donald, some viewers misinterpreted Donald as saying "f- you," and yelling "son of a b..." Wal Mart pulled the offending videotape. Spurring the Disney studio to re-record the lines clarifying the questionable offending lines.

Mickey, Donald and Goofy clean a clock tower, and run into a few problems.

I have such fond memories of this sketch from my childhood, I had it recorded on a VHS, it definitely had a few lines running through it.

It's wonderful seeing the trio up to all manner of problems, there's Mickey conscientiously trying to get on, Goofy ambling along, and of course poor Donald getting a little angry.

It's very funny, it's very sweet, and the animation is beautiful. Consider this dates back to 1937, it holds up incredibly well.

You have to live this trio, 9/10.

In this charming 1937 Disney short, "Clock Cleaners" is a delightful and whimsical tale that will leave you smiling long after the credits roll. This 8-minute animated gem is a masterclass in concise storytelling, clever humor, and technical wizardry.

The plot is deceptively simple: three clock cleaners, each with their own unique personality, embark on a series of misadventures to clean the intricate mechanisms of a giant clock. However, as the story unfolds, we're treated to a series of clever gags, witty character interactions, and impressive visual feats that elevate the narrative to something truly special.

One of the standout aspects of "Clock Cleaners" is its tone. The film walks the perfect balance between lighthearted humor and slapstick comedy, ensuring that both children and adults can enjoy the ride. The characters are well-developed and relatable, with their quirks and flaws making them all the more endearing.

The animation is, of course, a major highlight. The character designs are charming, with bold lines and expressive faces that bring the clock cleaners to life. The backgrounds are equally impressive, showcasing intricate details and clever use of negative space. The visual effects are seamless, with the clock's mechanical parts coming together in a mesmerizing display of animation wizardry.

The score is equally impressive, with a jaunty tune that perfectly captures the film's playful spirit. The sound design is equally effective, with the sound effects adding to the overall sense of chaos and mayhem that ensues as the clock cleaners try to get their work done.

If I'm being nitpicky, there are a few moments where the pacing feels a bit rushed, but this is a minor quibble in an otherwise flawless short film. Overall, "Clock Cleaners" is a true masterpiece of animation that has stood the test of time. It's a film that will leave you smiling, laughing, and maybe even feeling a little bit nostalgic for the golden age of animation.

Rating: 8/10.

Mickey, Donald and Goofy share the stage in what is one of the most memorable short films of this trio. It is a classic animated comedy of the time in which the three characters must clean a clock in what seems like something inspired by Charles Chaplin's Safty Last. One of the things that can be remembered most from this short film is Donald dealing with a metal band that seems to emit words through sounds. This is a clear reminder of how fantastic the use of sound effects can be in the world of animation. Without the need to argue much, Clock Cleaners is another of Disney's small works of art in its golden age. My final rating for this short film is an 8/10.

Classic Disney short teaming their three stars of the time: Mickey Mouse, Donald Duck, and Goofy. This time the trio are supposed to clean a clock at the top of a high tower in the middle of a big city (presumably New York City since one of the mechanical figures that rings the clock bell is the Statue of Liberty). They each run into some difficulty and even danger, as you might expect, but it's all light and fun. Goofy's near-falls had my head spinning, though. The animation is gorgeous! Well-drawn characters and backgrounds, exciting action, and jaw-droppingly beautiful Technicolor. Great voice work from Clarence Nash, Pinto Colvig, and Walt Disney himself. Lively, bouncy music from Paul Smith and Oliver Wallace. It's a fantastic cartoon, imaginative and funny. It's totally deserving of its reputation as one of the best shorts these three starred in together.