Moose Hunters

This time it's the partnership of the thinly disguised "Donald Duck" and "Goofy" who use an old raincoat and a kazoo to try and lure a moose out into the open for "Mickey Mouse" to shoot at! Making themselves as alluring as possible, they do manage to convince a rather dumb critter than there's is a true gal-moose and so a series of daft escapades ensue as the loved up boy-moose flirts away merrily. That's before he discovers his would-be assassin in a tree, another rival moose arrives and things all start to get a bit cross. I was never really a fan of the duck and it's squeaky voice, nor really of the purity of the annoying mouse either - so this didn't really do much for me. There's a fun (brief) duel at the end though but it's all a bit too predictable and just that extra bit silly.

As Mickey, Donald, and Goofy work to land a big moose (disguised as a female) everything goes haywire. Mickey is taken out of the game early as his gun is broken. Meanwhile a mating dance begins (accidentally) as the phony moose attracts a big bull. Soon a series of clever gyrations take place. It is well animated and Goofy and Donald are pretty funny, trying to keep up the act an save their skins.

This cartoon short was included in one of Disney's Mickey Mouse and Donald Duck Cartoon Collections video my mom used to rent for me when I was a little kid. It features Mickey, Donald and Goofy out hunting for a moose, with Donald and Goofy disguised as one to lure a live one to Mickey.

I remembered this cartoon to be very hilarious; Donald and Goofy teaming up in dressing up as a female moose was the highlight of the cartoon. I used to be scared of one upcoming scene of the cartoon - the part where two male moose were unhappy to see each other and threaten each other to a duel because they were fighting over the female moose (Donald and Goofy in disguise). I would be so relieved to be able to get through that scene. Now, of course, the cartoon is just funny stuff and brings back great memories.

Grade A

A Walt Disney MICKEY MOUSE Cartoon.

Mickey, Goofy & Donald become the most inept MOOSE HUNTERS in history.

There's much fun in the forest in this little film as the three pals quickly attract the attentions of the meanest moose males in the area. Goofy & the Duck act together as a team - their impersonation of a female moose is hilarious - while Mickey's rather peripheral role foreshadows his eventual eclipse as Disney's most popular cartoon star.

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 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 will always pay off.

The short starts off slowly, but it kicks off properly half way through. The rest is essentially undemanding but mindless fun, the best gag being Donald and Goofy's priceless female moose impersonation.

I have to say though the animation is lovely here, the forest background especially was gorgeous. The music, as pretty much always, is a real delight to the ears. Mickey, Goofy and Donald, while they have all given better performances whether together or individually, are still great, and brought to life by the wonderful vocal performances of Walt Disney, Pinto Colvig and Clarence Nash.

Overall, while not necessarily an essential must, this is a cartoon worth watching. 8/10 Bethany Cox