March 19, 1948 – The Mickey Mouse Short Film Mickey Down Under Premieres in Theaters
“Well…cheerio!”
On March 19, 1948, the Mickey Mouse short film Mickey Down Under premiered in theaters. It was directed by Charles Nichols, with story by MacDonald MacPherson and Jack Huber.
Mickey is seen throwing a boomerang around in the bush of Australia, whistling a merry tune. When Pluto points to a bunch of bananas, Mickey then uses the boomerang to chop off a banana, but when Mickey reaches for it, Pluto immediately gulps it down. The boomerang flies back and startles Pluto, and Mickey has to calm him down. Mickey then shows his prowess with the tool, but it gets stuck in his shirt. When Mickey gets it free, it flies off as if it has a mind of its own, and Pluto hunts it as if it were dangerous prey. Pluto continues to chase it through the bush, and gets it stuck in his mouth, which twists his lips and cheeks into humorous poses.
Mickey comes face to face with the angry emu when he tries to take the emu’s egg
As Mickey searches for Pluto and the boomerang, he discovers an emu egg. He doesn’t realize, however, that he is standing underneath the emu, and decides to take the egg. When he looks up, he sees how angry the emu is, and nervously puts the egg back, hoping the emu won’t hurt him. He then tries to polish the egg, and accidentally hits the emu in the head with his handkerchief. The emu tries to claw him with his feet, but Mickey avoids the emu for the time being. He calls out for Pluto, who is still struggling with the boomerang, and the boomerang sends him flying into the emu, tying the bird up in knots. Although Mickey is grateful for Pluto’s help, he has to make a run for it when the boomerang decides to chase Mickey and Pluto through the bush.
disneydetail 
I’ve never even heard of this. Why isn’t this one of the gazillion Disney movies piled up at Goodwill? Is it locked in their secret vault? This sounds good.
Many of the short films aren’t well known these days – another strong reason to show them on the Disney Channel. This was on my Walt Disney Treasures collection, which I highly recommend if you like the Disney classics.
I am not communist, so of course I like Disney classics.
I meant more in the sense of the era of the short films. Some people love Disney but more of the Renaissance period, some only like the black and white period. The Treasures collection is mostly all the shorts, the WWII era, and some of the serials from the MMC, as well as some interesting tidbits from the parks.