August 11, 1995 – The Mickey Mouse Short Runaway Brain is Released to Theaters
“What am I going to do, Pluto?! You need moolah to hula!”
On August 11, 1995, the Mickey Mouse short Runaway Brain was released alongside the live-action feature film A Kid in King Arthur’s Court. The short was based on an idea by Tim Hauser, and directed by Chris Bailey. Mickey Mouse is voiced by Wayne Allwine, Minnie is voiced by Russi Taylor, Pluto is voiced by Bill Farmer, Dr. Frankenollie is voiced by Kelsey Grammer, and Julius is voiced by Jim Cummings. There are two Disney Easter eggs within this short: the name of the doctor is an homage to the animators Frank Thomas and Ollie Johnston, and Zazu from The Lion King makes a cameo appearance.
It’s a stormy day in suburbia, and Mickey is playing video games in his house when Minnie arrives. She tells him how excited she is about that night, but when he seems more interested in the game he’s playing, she accuses him of forgetting their anniversary. Seeing he has forgotten, Minnie turns away angrily, but Mickey brings her a newspaper, saying he hasn’t forgotten at all. As he tries to show her the ad for miniature golf, she spies the ad below it for a trip to Hawaii, and believes Mickey is taking her there. Mickey sees the price of $999.99 for the trip and has sticker shock, but can’t tell Minnie they aren’t going.
The doctor sets to work switching Mickey’s brain with that of his creation, Julius
As Mickey panics, Pluto brings him the want ads, where Mickey finds an ad that promises “$999.99 for a mindless day’s work” by a Dr. Frankenollie. Mickey quickly grabs his coat and sets off to the job. As he arrives, he is sucked into the doctor’s secret lab and bound in a chair. The doctor greets him, trying to convince Mickey it will be an adventure, and hires him on the spot. The doctor then introduces his Frankenstein-like creation, named Julius, who he calls Mickey’s “co-worker.” The work involved requires the doctor taking Mickey’s brain and switching it with Julius. Although Mickey resists, he can’t get out of the chair, and sits helpless.
The experiment results in an explosion, and as the smoke clears, Mickey discovers that his brain is in Julius’ body. As he tries to tell the doctor that he’s changed his mind, the doctor turns into ash, having died in the explosion. Julius appears, now in Mickey’s body, looking like a rabid animal. Mickey tries to stop him, but when Julius looks in Mickey’s wallet and sees a picture of Minnie, he is immediately smitten, and runs off to find her. He spots her entering a store to buy a bathing suit for Hawaii, and follows her in.
A triumphant Mickey (in Julius’ body) captures Julius before he attacks Minnie
As Julius is about to grab Minnie, Mickey breaks into the store and grabs him, warning Minnie that Julius is a monster. Minnie, however, unaware of the switch, screams, thinking Mickey is the monster. She grabs Julius and begins to run, but Mickey catches up with them and grabs her, trying to protect her. Mickey is finally able to convince her that he is Mickey, just in Julius’ body, and after he puts her at a safe place, he begins to fight with Julius. The two land on power lines, which forces their brains to switch back. Unfortunately, Julius still is smitten with Minnie, and tries to take her hostage after he throws Mickey off the side of the building.
Mickey suddenly appears with a vacuum, using a window washer’s cart to appear at the roof again, and attacks Julius. He captures the monster with a rope, and after tying it to the moving arm of a nearby billboard, Julius is trapped like a yo-yo, going up and down with the movements of the arm. In the final scene, Mickey and Minnie are sailing off to their anniversary celebration to Hawaii in an inner tube pulled by Julius, who keeps swimming toward Minnie’s picture suspended in front of him on a fishing rod.
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