November 24, 1950 – The Special Short Film Morris the Midget Moose Premieres in Theaters
“Now, Morris was four years old and should have been full-grown. But no matter how hard he tried, he couldn’t grow an inch.”
On November 24, 1950, the special short film Morris the Midget Moose premiered in theaters. The short was based on an original story by Frank Owen. It also brings back the character of the “boodle beetle,” who was known more often than not for being an antagonist of Donald Duck. It was directed by Charles Nichols, with story by Eric Gurney and Bill de la Torre.
The short begins with two young bootle beetles fighting over a berry. Their grandfather decides to teach them a lesson through telling them a story: the story of Morris the Midget Moose. Morris was unable to grow any bigger than a puppy. He wished to play with the bigger moose, but he couldn’t keep up with them due to his size, and became the laughingstock of his tribe.
The Mighty Thunderclap, the leader of the tribe, stands ready for the day when the other moose challenge him for leadership
The day came where each moose would challenge the mighty Thunderclap, the largest moose of them all, for leadership of the tribe. All the moose lined up for the challenge, except Morris, until he realized that his antlers were as big as the others. But when it came time to battle Thunderclap, he only reduced the mighty moose to laughter. Poor Morris was devastated, and unaware that he was being watched nearby by a moose named Balsam. Balsam gets Morris’ attention and explains that he is just as sad, if not more so, than Morris, for although he was a full grown moose, his antlers never grew in. The two become the best of friends, with the two helping each other out.
One day, they realized by working together, the two appeared to be the biggest moose in the tribe. This gets Thunderclap’s attention, and there is soon a battle between Morris and Balsam versus Thunderclap. The pair is able to scare Thunderclap away, never to be heard from again, and the grandfather explains that the moral is “two heads are better than one.”
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