Hawaiian Holiday

FOLLOWING THE BY then well established format of having Donald Duck and Goofy playing the stooges to Mickey's straight man, this musically energized short puts the trio through their usual type antics. This picture, however, has the additional element of having Minnie Mouse present and both singing and doing some rodent-type sexy Hula.

IN ONE SENSE this is a fine example of what has been called "a clothesline picture"; that being a short subject that has a threadbare sort of a minimally constituted plot (if one at all), but exists only to provide to present a series of unrelated gags. (Warner Brothers ROAD RUNNER & COYOTE Cartoons are q fine example of this type.)

AS WE HAVE already stated, the funny business is left to Donald, Goofy and Pluto. The situations generally pit the trio individually against the forces of nature, some local sea creatures and their own pride and ineptitude. The scene quickly shifts to one of the three, only to shift again and keep our attention.

FROM WHAT WE have read elsewhere, there was a lot of interest in the then territory of Hawaii. It was a time in which the typical American viewed the Islands as being our own very piece of paradise.

IRONICALLY, WITHIN THE coming four years, it would become the focus on a very different event, namely the attack on Pearl Harbor of December 7, 1941.

I downloaded this cartoon from archive.org, as it's apparently in the public domain--a rarity for old Disney cartoons. However, why I downloaded it was because it indicated that this one had been banned--presumably for offensive content. Now THAT had my curiosity piqued--especially since I've seen this cartoon playing at the Disney resorts on their closed circuit TV--so it can't exactly banned! In fact, after watching it I noticed two things--there was absolutely nothing offensive about it AND despite the site saying it was from 1941, the film actually came out in 1937. Now for 1937, this was a very good film--with typically exquisite animation and backgrounds (the best of any studio at the time) and a nice sense of fun. Watch this one and see Pluto deal with a nasty crab and Goofy try (very unsuccessfully) to surf at Mickey, Minnie and Donald frolic on the beach. Well worth seeing.

Hawaiian Holiday (1937)

*** (out of 4)

This all-star Disney short isn't a masterpiece but there are certainly enough funny moments to make it worth viewing. Mickey, Minnie, Pluto, Goofy and Donald find themselves in Hawaii on a vacation and while Mickey and Minnie dance away, the rest don't find the stay too pleasant. First of all, Goofy tries to go surfing but the water wants nothing to do with him. Second you've got poor Pluto running to a crab. Thirdly, Donald gets a bit too close to the fire. While the "story" isn't all that strong, there's no question that there are some hilarious moments to be had here with the highlight clearly being the sequence between Pluto and the crab. The beating poor Pluto takes is downright hysterical at times and especially as we see him just not being able to figure out what's going on. The animation is quite good throughout so fans of the characters will certainly enjoy this one.

Mickey Mouse and friends are vacationing in Hawaii where they get into one situation after another in their attempts to have fun. Goofy tries his hand at surfing but the waves aren't cooperating. Actually, the ocean kicks his butt. Donald sets his rear on fire then struggles with a starfish. Pluto has his own troubles with a seashell and a crab. Mickey and Minnie basically do nothing interesting. A slight but amusing short. Disney's first released through RKO after five years of working with United Artists. Nice animation and lovely colors. Good music, too. Funny in spots but nothing hilarious. A good way to kill eight minutes but nothing to write home about.

While on vacation in Hawaii Mickey, Minnie, Donald, Goofy and Pluto get up to the usual mischief. This short mainly focuses on surfing Goofy (in a ridiculous beach outfit) and his many failed attempts to catch a decent wave break and Pluto who just runs about on the beach getting shells stuck on his head. Donald doesn't do much other than burn his tail feathers in the fire and Mickey just serenades Minnie with his ukulele.

Not that funny (actually a bit boring) but vividly animated, as usual, which keeps your attention from drifting completely. Not the best Disney cartoon by far.