Wild Waves

We begin with Mickey being introduced as a lifeguard. He performs as seals and other sea creatures applaud. Enter Minnie. She is grabbed by the ocean's undertow and begins to flounder. Mickey risks his skin to save her. After she recovers she begins to cry. Mickey decides that music is the cure for her blues. Many of these early Disney films involved Mickey banging on various parts of animals. There is also a solo by a walrus that is quite entertaining.

A Walt Disney MICKEY MOUSE Cartoon.

Lifeguard Mickey saves Minnie from the ocean's WILD WAVES. Such bravery surely deserves a musical celebration and a little romance.

This enjoyable early black & white film has a plot propelled entirely by its lively soundtrack. Walt Disney supplies Mickey with his squeaky speaking voice.

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, Dumbo, Bambi & Peter Pan. 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.

This is one of my favorite Mickey Mouse cartoons from 1929. In this cartoon, Mickey is a lifeguard at the beach. And while he was singing with seaside friends (the seals, the gulls, etc.), he spotted Minnie Mouse drowning. Mickey stepped in to help, as it was his duty. As he deposited Minnie on the shore, his seashore pals applauded and shouted.

Confused and upset, Minnie cried out, "Where am I?" as she regained consciousness. But fortunately, Mickey and the seaside critters put on a song-and-dance show to cheer her up. I love this cartoon. I noticed recycled animation in later Disney cartoons. Although I'm sure I've mentioned it a few times, I have nothing else to say about this cartoon. I had assumed it would be another favorite.

Wild Waves is not among Disney or Mickey's best. It is rather routine, and I did find it odd that the first half of the short had a story and then for the second half more of a series of song and dance numbers(I do think it would have been better as one or the other). However, the animation is quite nice, a little primitive at times, but at least the backgrounds have crispness and the character designs don't look awkward. The animation of the waves is very good also. The music is very upbeat and catchy, and the dancing aspect is just as energised and animated convincingly. There are some nice gags like with Minnie's clothesline, and I really did get the sense that Mickey and Minnie genuinely cared for one another. Both characters are very likable, and the animals that join in the second half of Wild Waves are colourful characters as well. Overall, really sweet and is easy to like, but at the same time Wild Waves is not one of my favourites. 7/10 Bethany Cox

I have been watching my Mickey Mouse DVDs we got for Christmas and noticed that most of the cartoons before this one in the Disney Treasures DVD (Mickey in Black & White volume 2) consisted of lots of song and dance numbers with little plot. However, this one appeared quite different--with Mickey and Minnie enjoying a day at the beach. Minnie is soon pulled out to sea and Mickey becomes the hero. HOWEVER, after about 4 minutes, the cartoon abruptly turned to what seemed like filler--lots of the same old song and dance as in the other cartoons of the era. Still, it is quite charming and worth seeing--at least for the first portion. Not a great cartoon, but compared to what else was being made at the time, quite good.