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September 23

Posted on September 23, 2012 by disneydetail

September 23, 1938 – The Mickey Mouse Short The Brave Little Tailor is Released to Theaters

“I’ll be seeing you…I hope.”

On September 23, 1938, the Mickey Mouse short film The Brave Little Tailor was released to theaters. It was based on the fairy tale The Valiant Little Tailor told by the Brothers Grimm, with Mickey taking on the role of the tailor. It was nominated for an Academy Award at the 11th Academy Awards in 1939, but lost to another Disney short, Ferdinand the Bull. It was directed by Bill Roberts, and stars Walt Disney as Mickey Mouse and Eddie Holden as the king.

The short begins with the sound of nervous chatter between the villagers, scared that the giant that has been tormenting them is on the loose. The camera then pans over to the tailor shop, where Mickey is patching up a piece of clothing while being bothered by a swarm of flies. He finally takes two flyswatters and manages to swat all seven flies with one hit. Outside his window, one villager asks two others if they’ve ever killed a giant. Mickey then bursts open his window and proclaims he’s killed “seven with one blow” leaving the villagers to assume that he’s killed seven giants. The rumor spreads like wildfire, making its way up to the king.

Mickey pleads with the king after being asked to be the Royal High Killer of the Giant

Mickey is soon presented to the king, who asks to hear his story. Mickey acts out the story of killing the flies in a dramatic fashion – still not explicitly stating that they were flies, not giants – amazing the entire court. The king then appoints Mickey as the Royal High Killer of the Giant, greatly surprising Mickey. The king promises to present Mickey with a great sum of money, but Mickey stutters that he can’t kill the giant; he only accepts when offered the hand of Princess Minnie.

Mickey is soon off to face the giant, with the entire kingdom cheering him on. Although he puts on a brave front, he admits quietly that he doesn’t know how to catch a giant. As he sits and mopes, the giant soon approaches, stealing a farmer’s crops, destroying a farmer’s well to drink the water, and stealing a farmer’s stove to light a cigarette made from the farmer’s hay. Mickey, who had been hiding in the hay, is found by the giant, and soon springs into action, using his skills as a tailor to tie up the giant and cause him to trip.

Mickey vanquishes the giant, and looks on proudly at his work

In the end, Mickey has vanquished the giant, and the kingdom holds a festival, with the sleeping giant powering the amusements with his snoring as he is kept under heavy chains. Mickey and Minnie kiss while riding the merry-go-round, and the king lets out an excited whoop as his kingdom is once again safe.

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September 17

Posted on September 17, 2012 by disneydetail

September 17, 1932 – The Mickey Mouse Short Film The Whoopee Party Premieres in Theaters

“We’re the kitchen mechanics, we fix all the refreshments.”

On September 17, 1932, the Mickey Mouse short film The Whoopee Party was released to theaters. The short features two popular pieces of music in the 20s and early 30s: “The Maple Leaf Rag” by Scott Joplin, and “Runnin’ Wild” by A.H. Gibbs, Joe Grey, and Leo Wood (mostly known for Marilyn Monroe’s performance in the 1959 comedy film Some Like It Hot). It was directed by Wilfred Jackson, and stars Walt Disney as the voice of Mickey Mouse, Marcellite Garner as the voice of Minnie Mouse, and Pinto Colvig as the voice of Goofy.

A splendid party is taking place, with a whole cast of characters dancing happily to the music. Minnie is at the piano playing and singing, while Clarabelle Cow accompanies her on the violin. Mickey, Goofy, and Horace Horsecollar are in the kitchen, preparing snacks for the party and singing their own version of the song as the “Kitchen Mechanics.”

Mickey asks a rather shy pig to dance with him, and when she agrees, the two begin to dance wildly to the music

After Minnie finishes her first song, the Kitchen Mechanics come out and announce with great fanfare that the food is ready. The guests immediately swarm the table, and the band strikes up again, playing Scott Joplin’s “Maple Leaf Rag.” The guests dance and eat, and Mickey asks a rather shy pig to dance with him. The furniture and the food get involved in the dancing as well, with everyone having a wonderful time, yelling “Whoopee!” and throwing confetti.

Goofy attaches a glove to the end of his noisemaker, and uses it to scare Clarabelle as she dances. In retaliation, she places a horseshoe in a boxing glove, attaches it to her own noisemaker, and uses it to punch Goofy, sending him flying into a fishbowl. The song then changes to “Running Wild” as Mickey uses various household objects to help create the music.

The party is so successful, even the police join in with the celebrations

Suddenly, a patrol car is sent to Mickey’s house, with the police dashing inside. At first, it appears that they’re using force to subdue the party, but when the audience is taken inside, the police have joined the party, dancing wildly and blowing their whistles in time with the music. The short ends with Mickey and Minnie lifting their hats and letting out another loud “Whoopee!”

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September 12

Posted on September 12, 2012 by disneydetail

September 12, 1936 – The Mickey Mouse Short Film Donald and Pluto is Released

“So! There you are! Come on out of there!”

On September 12, 1936, the Mickey Mouse short Donald and Pluto was released to theaters. Although it was released as a Mickey Mouse short, Mickey never appears; Donald’s series wouldn’t begin until the 1937 short Don Donald. This short also shows the new design of Donald, which was a much rounder figure with a shorter bill. The short was directed by Ben Sharpsteen, and stars Clarence Nash as Donald, and Pinto Colvig as Pluto.­

Donald Duck is working as a plumber, using a magnet to grab his tools as he stays perched on a platform near the pipes. Pluto is hanging around the area, trying to chew on a bone, when Donald startles him by using the magnet to pull out his hammer from underneath the dog. As Donald angrily attacks the pipes with his hammer, he knocks the magnet to the floor, which attracts Pluto’s bone. As Pluto tires to release the bone, he ends up accidentally swallowing the magnet, and his bowl with the bone stick to his behind.

Pluto gives the term “magnetic personality” a whole new meaning when the magnet he swallowed begins attracting anything metal nearby

As Pluto tries to chase the bone attached to his rear, he accidentally knocks over the platform Donald stands on, sending the duck crashing to the floor. Pluto escapes to the kitchen, but as soon as he thinks he’s safe, the magnet inside begins to attract all the pots and pan, flying out of their cupboards and latch on to Pluto’s rear end. Pluto battles with his bowl and the magnet inside, unable to stop anything metal from latching on to him, which includes a rather traumatizing attack with an alarm clock.

As Pluto runs back to the basement to free himself from the metal objects, the magnet inside attracts the nails from Donald’s ladder, which causes Donald to fall from the ladder and land in the washing machine. When he is sent through the wringer, the hammer he holds is pulled by the forces of the magnet, and it’s all Donald can do to hold on as Pluto runs frightened up the stairs. When Pluto reaches the top, he is able to knock off the bowl, hammer, and Donald, but Donald chases after the dog, waving the hammer wildly.

While Pluto sits on the roof, Donald’s hammer is attracted to the magnet still in Pluto, and clings to the hammer for dear life he is dragged across the ceiling

Pluto escapes to the roof and sits, relieved as he thinks it’s over. However, Donald is standing right under where Pluto sits, and the magnet pulls Donald up to the ceiling, attached to the force of the magnet. As Pluto struggles to move, Donald is dragged across the ceiling of the house. Donald tries in vain to release the ladder, as Pluto tries just as hard to release his backside. As they both fall down the basement stairs in the end, Pluto is able to cough out the magnet; it is pulled to the boiler, trapping Donald by the neck, and covering him with all of his tools and Pluto’s dish.

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August 20

Posted on August 20, 2012 by disneydetail

August 20, 1932 – The Mickey Mouse Short Film Trader Mickey is Released to Theaters

“Whoopee!”

On August 20, 1932, the Mickey Mouse short film Trader Mickey was released to theaters. It was the first short film directed by Dave Hand.

Mickey and Pluto are on a paddleboat, traveling down a river filled with hippos, with Mickey playing a merry tune on his banjo. They arrive at a riverbank, and Mickey pulls out a gun to go hunting. When Pluto goes to explore, he comes across a native, who scare the dog. As Pluto howls and runs back, he knocks into Mickey, who accidentally discharges the gun. Mickey and Pluto immediately find themselves surrounded and captured by the natives.

Mickey is brought in front of the chief and the chef, both of which think he’ll make a fantastic entree

Mickey and Pluto are taken directly to the king at his camp, and the chef hurries over, thinking that Mickey would make an excellent meal. He is placed in a pot of hot water, and Pluto is placed on a platter, made up like a suckling pig, complete with apple. The natives begin to go through Mickey’s supplies, not knowing how to use any of the instruments. When the chef attempts to use a saxophone as a spoon, Mickey grabs it from him and begins to play a merry tune. The chef begins to dance, and soon all the natives join in with the music.

Mickey, now out of the pot, entertains the chief with a harmonica. The chief takes it from him and begins to play it, accidentally swallowing it. As the music continues, the native continue to dance, with Mickey and Pluto free to join them. In the end the chief falls into the pot, but laughs and gives out a “Whoopee!”

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August 18

Posted on August 18, 2012 by disneydetail

August 18, 1931 – The Mickey Mouse Short Film Blue Rhythm is Released to Theaters

“I hate to see the evenin’ sun come down.”

 On August 18, 1931, the Mickey Mouse short film Blue Rhythm was released to theaters. The song used in the short is “Saint Louis Blues,” a jazz standard from 1914, written by W.C. Handy, and famously sung by Bessie Smith and Louis Armstrong. The short was directed by Burt Gillett, and stars Walt Disney as the voice of Mickey Mouse, and Marcellite Garner as the voice of Minnie Mouse.

The curtain opens on a grand stage to reveal Mickey playing a piece on the piano. He soon switches genres of music from classical to jazz, and begins playing around with the piano keys. Minnie enters stage left and begins to walk in time to the music before singing “Saint Louis Blues” rather dramatically. Mickey finds gum under the piano and gets his fingers stuck to it, which causes him some difficulty playing Minnie’s song.

Mickey leaves the piano to join Minnie in scatting and dancing across the stage

Minnie moves on to perform some jazz scatting with Mickey leaving the piano to join her. The two then begin to tap dance across the stage, and leave as the background curtain rises to reveal Horace Horsecollar and other members of the orchestra continuing to play the piece. Mickey appears from a trapdoor and conducts the orchestra. Pluto, playing the trombone, keeps hitting Mickey in the back with the slide, which causes Mickey to break it in half in frustration.

The lights go out, and the orchestra stops in confusion before seeing the spotlight on Mickey, who puts on a crushed top hat and begins to play the clarinet. The orchestra once again continues to play, and the concert ends with the stage falling apart thanks to their spirited playing.

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August 17

Posted on August 17, 2012 by disneydetail

August 17, 2004 – The Direct-to-Video Film Mickey, Donald, Goofy: The Three Musketeers is Released

“You see, before their dream can come true, our three heroes must learn the real meaning of the musketeer creed. All for one, and one for all!”

On August 17, 2004, the direct-to-video film Mickey, Donald, Goofy: The Three Musketeers was released on VHS and DVD. It was produced by DisneyToon Studios and directed by Donovan Cook. The story is based on The Three Musketeers by Alexandre Dumas, and was adapted by David M. Evans and Evan Spiliotopoulos. Vocal talents include Wayne Allwine as Mickey Mouse, Tony Anselmo as Donald Duck, Bill Farmer as Goofy, Russi Taylor as Minnie Mouse, Tress MacNeille as Daisy Duck, Jim Cummings as Pete, and Rob Paulsen as the Troubadour (narrator). The songs of the film are interpretations of well-known classical pieces; the opera in the film is Gilbert and Sullivan’s Pirates of Penzance.

The story begins with a crew preparing for Masterpiece Theater kind of program, and a turtle is seen sitting in a chair, reading a comic book of the story and singing loudly. He helps to bring the narrator of the show to the set, but when the narrator falls down a trap door, the turtle begins to tell the story from his comic book, of Mickey, Goofy, and Donald, and their goal to become musketeers. Their childhood is in the gutter, and one day as they are attacked, the musketeers save them. Inspired by their bravery, the trio swears they will become musketeers.

Mickey, Donald, and Goofy watch the musketeers as they go through their training drills, dreaming of the day they will join

Years later, the three still dream of the day they will be musketeers, but instead are janitors, constantly getting themselves into trouble, although they always have the best of intentions. Pete, the Captain of the Musketeers, is constantly annoyed with the trio and their accidents, and refuses to ever let them become musketeers. Meanwhile, at the palace, Princess Minnie is sitting and daydreaming about her one true love, while Daisy, her lady-in-waiting, sounds off as the voice of reason. Minnie strolls through the garden, daydreaming about the day she’ll meet him, when she narrowly misses getting hit by a safe. The Beagle Boys, the villains that attempted to crush the princess, report to their boss of their failure – with their boss just happening to be Pete. His plan is to kidnap the princess, then become king in her absence. Fortunately, they weren’t supposed to kill her anyway, but Pete replaces them with Clarabelle Cow.

The Princess calls Pete for a meeting, demanding that he provide musketeer bodyguards. Pete stalls for time, but tells Minnie that she will have bodyguards very soon. He surprises Mickey and his friends with the opportunity they’ve been dying for: to be musketeers. Pete believes that their incompetency will help his plan in becoming king. The trio arrives at the palace, and immediately gets into trouble when Goofy attacks a suit of armor, thinking it’s a bad guy. The door opens to reveal the three trying to put the armor back together again, and the moment Minnie and Mickey see each other, it’s love at first sight. The mood is broken when Daisy enters the room with a snack and, upon seeing the knife she carries, the trio attacks her, thinking she’s a bad guy. Although Minnie is furious at the infraction, she forgives them after hearing Mickey’s apology.

After Mickey rescues the princess, they take a romantic journey back to the palace, with romance blooming between the two

When the trio escorts Minnie and Daisy on a trip through the country, they are ambushed by the Beagle Boys. Mickey fights bravely, but the Princess and Daisy are captured. Goofy cries, thinking they’ve failed, but Mickey rallies their spirits and they track down the girls at a decrepit tower, and launch a brave, if purely accidental, rescue. Romance begins to bloom between Mickey and Minnie as they travel back to the palace, culminating in Minnie giving Mickey a kiss. When Pete sees that his kidnap plan has failed, he switches gears: he needs to get rid of Mickey, Donald, and Goofy, picking them off one by one. Goofy is tricked by Clarabelle and taken to drown in the Seine. Donald is scared off by the Beagle Boys, but hides in a suit of armor. When he sees Mickey, he tries to convince his friend that they need to run away. He tries to explain that Pete is the bad guy, but Mickey can’t understand Donald. Finally, he understands, but Mickey refuses to leave his post. Donald, unfortunately, decides to run, too afraid to stay.

While Mickey remains at the palace, Pete captures him and chains him in the basement of a decrepit castle that will fill with water when the tide comes in. Pete then heads to the opera, where he will trick the people of France into believing that Minnie has abdicated and declared him king. Clarabelle, on the other hand, is trying to drown Goofy, when Goofy falls for Clarabelle at first sight. She tries to resist his charms, but she can’t. Quickly, she tells him of how he needs to save Mickey. The bridge they’re standing on breaks, and as luck would have it, Donald is in a rowboat right underneath them.

The trio fights with Pete for the trunk, which contains Minnie and Daisy

The tide has begun to rise in the dungeon, and the Goofy and Donald race to save Mickey. Donald, still afraid, still tries to run away, but Goofy and the Troubadour are able to convince the duck to get over his fears and save their friend. They reach Mickey just in time, and they all race off to save the princess. When Minnie and Daisy arrive at the opera, they are quickly kidnapped by Pete and his henchmen, who lock the girls away in a trunk. One of the Beagle Boys, dressed as Minnie, declares Pete to be the new king. The show begins, and the trio arrives just in time, beginning an epic swordfight onstage during the opera. The swordfight ends with Pete battling Mickey one-on-one. While it looks like Mickey has been beaten, Goofy and Donald reappear and help Mickey defeat Pete and his evil scheme.

It’s a happy ending for all, and Mickey and Minnie have fallen in love, as well as Goofy and Clarabelle. Donald, meanwhile, gives an embarrassed smile to Daisy, who surprises him by taking him in her arms and kissing him. Mickey, Donald, and Goofy are made official musketeers, as thanks for saving France. The movie ends with a heroic song and dance with all the musketeers.

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August 13

Posted on August 13, 2012 by disneydetail

August 13, 1932 – The Mickey Mouse Short Film Mickey’s Nightmare is Released to Theaters

“God bless Minnie, God bless Pluto, God bless everybody. Amen.”

On August 13, 1932, the Mickey Mouse short film Mickey’s Nightmare was released to theaters. The short was directed by Burt Gillett, and stars Pinto Colvig as Pluto and Walt Disney as Mickey Mouse.

Mickey gets ready for bed, giving a kiss to the photo of Minnie on his nightstand before extinguishing his candle. While he snores away, Pluto sneaks onto his bed and begins licking Mickey’s face, which Mickey interprets as Minnie kissing him in his dreams. The dream begins with Mickey presenting Minnie with a rather large diamond engagement ring while wedding bells chime in the background. The happy couple are seen at their wedding, which is soon followed by married bliss at a house in the country with a “heart” motif.

Mickey enters his room in horror to see that he and Minnie have been presented 21 children by the stork

While Mickey is watering the lawn, the shadow of large bird passes overhead, and Mickey looks up in alarm. The bird is actually the stork, bringing a present for the happy couple. Mickey, proud to now be a father, shakes hands with Pluto. Suddenly, more storks appear with more bundles of joy, dropping them down the chimney of the house. Mickey, alarmed, runs inside to see Minnie and 21 children all tucked into one bed. The children greet him and begin to run around wildly. Mickey and Pluto try to escape, but are trapped.

The children begin to wreak havoc around the house, throwing kitchen knives and dressing Pluto in a corset and heels. Mickey tries to stop them, but to no avail: there are just too many children. At one point, the children grab buckets of paint and begin to paint the house, with one using the cat and another using the parrot as paintbrushes. Pluto finds himself painted with stripes; when he tries to hide in the washing machine, one of the children starts it up.

In his nightmare, Mickey is trapped by his children, with one of them painting his face with a mop

Mickey soon finds himself tied up and held hostage by the children as one paints his face with a mop. He awakes to find himself tied in his sheets, with Pluto happily licking his face. He rejoices in the fact that it was all just a nightmare, and gives out a shout of delight.

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August 11

Posted on August 11, 2012 by disneydetail

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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July 18

Posted on July 18, 2012 by disneydetail

July 18, 1932 – The Mickey Mouse Short Film Mickey in Arabia is Released to Theaters

 

“Alley-oop!”

On July 18, 1932, the Mickey Mouse short film Mickey in Arabia was released to theaters. The short was directed by Wilfred Jackson, and stars Walt Disney as Mickey Mouse and Marcellite Garner as Minnie Mouse.

Mickey and Minnie are vacationing in the Middle East, and are seen riding a rather unusual camel through the desert. They enter a city and pull to a stop, looking around at the strange new sights, including a snake charmer taming several cobras. Mickey and Minnie leave the camel to drink from a nearby beer barrel, and the two explore the city and take pictures. As Minnie is setting up a shot, an evil sheik captures  and rides off with her, while Mickey attempts to pursue them on his drunken camel.

Minnie struggles to avoid kissing the sheik, who has kidnapped her and taken her to his castle

Minnie is taken to the sheik’s castle, where the sheik tries to get Minnie to kiss him, but to no avail. Mickey climbs the castle walls to come to Minnie’s rescue, diving in the room and kicking the sheik out of the way. As he and Minnie try to flee, the sheik’s soldiers stop them at every turn. The sheik, blinded by his turban, pulls out two pistols and begins to fire wildly, while every member of his army hides in terror.

Mickey hides Minnie in a vase and tries to open the door, only to find it locked. The sheik, finally removing his turban from his eyes, throws a sword at Mickey, but misses thanks to Minnie’s scream. Mickey grabs the sword, not realizing he’s grabbed only the hilt, and charges at the sheik. Suddenly realizing that the sword’s blade is missing, Mickey ducks, tripping the evil sheik and sending him flying. Angered, the sheik throws all sorts of swords at the mouse, who dodges them. Mickey hides behind a board, where all the swords land, and throws all of them back at the sheik, tearing the shiek’s clothes to shreds in the process.

Mickey and Minnie watch in horror as the sheik has followed them and attempts to jump onto their perch

As the sheik pursues them in his holey long-johns, Mickey grabs Minnie and the vase she is hiding in and they flee up a tower. Mickey trips on the roof, sending Minnie flying. He saves her by her hat, but ends up falling from the roof himself. The lucky pair land on a veranda blind. The sheik leaps after them, but Mickey pulls the blind in, and the sheik lands head first in the sand. The guards throw their spears at the two as well, but with another pull of the blind, the spears land on the sheik instead. The happy couple jumps from their perch onto their camel’s back and ride off into the desert.

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June 20

Posted on June 20, 2012 by disneydetail

June 20, 1936 – The Mickey Mouse Short Film Mickey’s Rival Premieres in Theaters

“Mickey, I want you to meet Mortimer. He’s a perfect dream!”

On June 20, 1936, the Mickey Mouse short film Mickey’s Rival was released to theaters. The short was directed by Wilfred Jackson, and starred Walt Disney as the voice of Mickey and Marcellite Garner as the voice of Minnie. Oddly enough, Mortimer was the first name suggested for the character of Mickey Mouse, before Walt’s wife Lillian suggested the change to Mickey.

Mickey and Minnie are setting up a picnic, when something zooms down the country road, blowing away everything in its path, including Mickey and the picnic. As the blur slows down, we see that it’s a mouse in a car, and the mouse calls out to Minnie, calling her his “old sweetie.” He quickly reverses, crushing Mickey’s car into a tree, climbs out, and jauntily makes his way over to Minnie.

Minnie, charmed by her former flame, introduces him to Mickey

Minnie smiles and gives a fond hello to her old flame, Mortimer Mouse, who seems to be charming her once again. Minnie introduces him to Mickey, who is not charmed in the slightest, and is rather annoyed at this visitor. When Mortimer gives Mickey his hand to shake, Mickey is not amused to see that he’s fallen victim to a practical joke, as the arm he was shaking was a fake one Mortimer stuffed up his sleeve. Mortimer continues to play pranks on Mickey, with Mickey getting more and more frustrated. Mickey’s car is also experiencing some bullying by Mortimer’s car, and leaps away in fright when Mortimer’s car honks angrily.

Minnie and Mickey continue their picnic, with Mortimer as the guest, although Mickey isn’t too pleased with the situation, especially as Minnie begins to feed Mortimer. Mortimer makes a quick meal of Mickey’s food, then spots a bull in a nearby pen. He declares that he will fight the bull in Minnie’s honor, grabbing the red picnic blanket and shoving Mickey nose-first into his cup of coffee. Mortimer stands outside the pen and waves the blanket, with the bull charging head-first into the fence.

Mickey is not amused by Mortimer’s antics, nor is he pleased by Minnie’s swooning

As Mortimer continues to taunt the bull, Minnie turns to Mickey and asks if Mortimer isn’t just swell, to which Mickey sarcastically retorts that the mouse is a scream before breaking his mug and walking away. Minnie replies that he’s just jealous, and continues to cheer Mortimer on while Mickey walks off and pouts. Mortimer, however, doesn’t realize that the bullpen’s gate has been left open; when he goes to taunt the bull again, the bull rushes straight after him, and Mortimer makes a run for it into his car and speeds away as fast as he can, leaving Minnie draped in the red blanket as the bull charges for her.

When Mickey sees Minnie in danger, he runs after the bull as fast as possible and stops him, while Minnie scrambles up a tree. As the bull charges again, he knocks Minnie from her perch, but Mickey distracts the creature while Minnie escapes again. Mickey taunts the bull, and his car eventually comes to the rescue, driving the bull away. The couple are finally able to escape in the car, but Mickey is still fuming about Mortimer. He asks Minnie if she still thinks Mortimer is funny, to which she replies with a firm “No.” The two are happy together once again as they drive back home.

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