Mickey To The Rescue: Staircase/Pluto Runs Away/Daisy Bothers Minnie/How To Ride A Bicycle

Love animation to bits. It was a big part of my life as a child, especially Disney, Looney Tunes, Hanna Barbera and Tom and Jerry, and still love it as a young adult, whether it's film, television or cartoons. Actually appreciate it even more now, having more knowledge of the different animation styles and directors and what work went into them.

Am most familiar with the 'Mickey Mouse Works' cartoons from them featuring on 'House of Mouse', a show still held a fondness for by me. With the colours and sound effects, that 'Mickey Mouse Works' makes a real effort to retain the spirit of the old/classic/golden age Disney cartoons is to be lauded. The characters' original personalities are admirably stuck true to as well, particularly Goofy and Donald, while also expanding those for a few, Mickey being more interesting here than before. The hyperactive energy present here is one of few things that is different.

Am not really a fan of the "Mickey to the Rescue" series. Although with nice settings and some good visuals and moments, the cartoons are not very tense (you know what the outcome is) or hilarious and the series is very predictable and repetitive. Also giving the characters, in melodramatic archetype mode, and voice actors little to do. 'Staircase', thanks to some imaginative visuals, is one of the better cartoons in the series but has all of the above.

'Pluto Runs Away' is not what one would call a hilarious cartoon and Mickey is underused, but it's cute and charming and the chemistry between Pluto and Pete carries the cartoon well. One feels sorry for Pluto but also happy for him later on.

Didn't care much for 'Daisy Bothers Minnie'. Like Minnie and could relate to what she goes through and things do get interesting and the funniest the cartoon gets when the lion shows up. What spoils it is Daisy being insufferably annoying and a total pest, so much so one doesn't buy her change later on.

'How to Ride a Bicycle' is very entertaining and educational in true "How to" style. Goofy's ineptitude and clumsiness is amusing and endearing and the narration gives the cartoon a lot of verve.

While not surprising in outcome, the stories are lively and engaging, kept afloat by the character interaction, characters and the atmosphere. The writing is clever and very funny, even with the deliberately corny moment and pun which made me grin rather than groan.

Really enjoy the spontaneous flow of the episode and Donald's spotlight stealing/accident with the truck is very funny indeed.

Furthermore, the animation is very colourful, smooth in movement and with some meticulous detail. The music is suitably groovy, jaunty and cleverly used.

Voice acting is very good with some of the best voice actors in the business involved. Wayne Allwine, Bill Farmer and Tony Anselmo are more than worthy successors to Walt Disney/James MacDonald, Pinto Colvig and Clarence "Ducky" Nash. Corey Burton brings so much personality to the narrator and Jim Cummings is a perfect choice for Pete.

To conclude, very enjoyable. 8/10 Bethany Cox