Mickey's Follies

'Mickey's Follies' sees cartoonland's favourite mouse putting on a show in true vaudeville style, but this time in the barnyard.

So a rooster and a hen dance apache, there is an operatic pig (and a subsequent hoist and underwear gag which would be repeated many times over the live of these shorts), before Mickey introduces his theme song Minnie's Yoo-Hoo. And anyone who has seen the short which presented this song for the Mickey Mouse Club will realise that whoever sang the song in 'Mickey's Follies', it certainly wasn't Walt Disney (who did croak it in the short for the Clubs!).

Minnie makes one of her brief appearances here and the short is not without charm. Mickey is still in early design mode as a circular character with rubber legs and arms, but his personality already shines through.

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!

A Walt Disney MICKEY MOUSE Cartoon.

MICKEY'S FOLLIES take place in the barnyard, with Mickey at the piano and the eager participation of many of the farm animals.

Very little plot in this early black & white film. The Mouse gets to sing his theme song - "Minnie's Yoo Hoo!" - but not with Walt's voice. That looks like Clarabelle Cow as one of the spectators. Disney's animators have included a full quota of the udder-posterior-underwear gags they loved so well.

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

Mickey's Follies is not among the best or worst cartoon shorts I've seen. The plot is rather thin on the ground and a couple of scenes are on the routine side especially the ducks. This said, Mickey's Follies is definitely worth seeing. The quality of the animation is truly excellent, beautifully synchronised with the music particularly in the chicken fight sequence. The barnyard setting is not the most interesting setting of all, but serves its purpose. The character designs are nicely rounded and the backgrounds are smooth. The music is not only a pleasant listen, but also brings so much energy to every gag and scene. Minnie's Yoo-Hoo is one of the best Disney theme songs, it is so darn catchy. The gags are a lot of fun also, the best being with Patricia the operatic pig, not just with her bloomers falling down but also because of how bad her singing is and how everyone reacts to it. Mickey is very likable, Minnie likewise in her brief appearance and the supporting characters also shine. Overall, not wholly remarkable but fun cartoon. 8/10 Bethany Cox

This is a dancing and singing cartoon with lots of barnyard acts. You'll see chickens, ducks and pigs dance, Mickey and his friends playing in a band and, ultimately, Mickey singing and dancing.

Back in 1929, this sort of cartoon apparently went over quite well as there were a lot of similar toons by Disney as well as competing studios. However, when seen today, I can't help but think most folks (especially kids) would be bored to tears by the whole thing. There really is no plot. There aren't any real jokes. And, worst of all, there isn't a whole lot of charm to this short. While I will admit that the cartoon is well made compared to other cartoons of 1929, it just isn't fun or entertaining.