Tag Archives: Minnie Mouse

June 20, 1941 – The Mickey Mouse Short Film The Nifty Nineties is Released to Theaters

“A day in the nineties when grandma was a girl, the horseless carriage was quite the show, grandpa cussed when the thing wouldn’t go…”

On June 20, 1941, the Mickey Mouse short film The Nifty Nineties was released to theaters. This is one of the few shorts that features the appearances of all the “Fab Five,” as well as a special cameo of animators Ward Kimball and Fred Moore. The short was directed by Riley Thomson.

A photo album opens to reveal a picture of Mickey next to his car, and the scene is set in the nineties, where he decides to go for a stroll in the park. There, he meets Minnie, and the two fall in love at first sight. He offers Minnie some candy, and the two head off together for a stroll. They head to a vaudeville show, where they are first entertained by a melodrama called “Father, Dear Father.” The melodrama drives Minnie to tears, and Mickey tries to comfort her. Afterwards, they are delighted by the antics of Fred and Ward: Two Clever Boys from Illinois. Afterwards, the two go on a drive, passing by Goofy riding a penny-farthing, along with Donald, Daisy, and the nephews on their tandem bike. Mickey’s car races at 15 miles per hour through the farmland, and barely makes it up a hill, but spooks a cow on the other side. They crash into the cow, but everyone is able to laugh at the situation.

February 18, 1939 – The Commercial Short Film Mickey’s Surprise Party is Delivered to Nabisco

“My mother used to burn them all the time!”

On February 18, 1939, the short film Mickey’s Surprise Party was delivered to Nabisco. It was created as a commercial for the biscuit company to be shown at the 1939 New York World’s Fair. It stars Minnie Mouse and her dog Fifi, with Mickey making an appearance near the end.

Minnie is busy in the kitchen making cookies for Mickey, but when she puts down the bowl to grab an ingredient, a fly buzzes around the bowl. As Fifi tries to drive the fly away, she accidentally knocks over a box of popcorn, sending the contents into the mixing bowl. She hides as Minnie returns to finish making the cookies. Mickey arrives soon after, and Minnie quickly primps to receive her beau. Mickey gives her a bouquet of flowers, while Pluto gives Fifi a bone. When Mickey asks for his surprise, smoke starts to pour out of the oven; when Mickey notes that something is burning, Minnie races towards the kitchen, alarmed. She quickly pulls out the burnt cookies, which then promptly explode one by one, thanks to the popcorn in the batter. Minnie then sobs over her failed attempt to make cookies like Mickey’s mother made, but Mickey reassures her that his mother used to burn cookies all the time. He decides to solve the situation by running to the store and bringing back a slew of Nabisco products, including Ritz Crackers and Oreos, and Mickey’s favorite, Fig Newtons. Minnie is so thrilled with Mickey, she kisses him.

November 27, 2013 – The Mickey Mouse Short Film Get a Horse! is Released to Theatres

“Where are we? Poughkeepsie?

On November 27, 2013, the Mickey Mouse short film Get a Horse! was released to theaters. This was the first theatrical short film featuring Mickey since 1995’s Runaway Brain, and the first short to use Walt Disney as the voice of Mickey since the 1947’s Mickey’s Delayed Date, thanks to archival recording. It also features archival audio of Marcellite Garner as Minnie (along with additional lines by current Minnie voice Russi Taylor), and Billy Bletcher as Peg Leg Pete (with additional dialogue by Will Ryan). It was also the first short to feature the character of Oswald the Lucky Rabbit since Disney’s reacquisition of the character. It was directed by Lauren MacMullan, with story developed by MacMullan, Paul Briggs, Nancy Kruse, and Raymond S. Persi.

The short begins with Mickey greeting his friends as they arrive on a hay wagon. As he rushes after them, he jumps out of his shorts and shoes due to his excitement. He tries to get them back, but they refuse to listen. He is finally able to retrieve them, and hops on the wagon as it passes by which also picks up Minnie and Clarabelle Cow. The merriment on the wagon is cut short, however, when Peg Leg Pete comes up behind the group in his car, and honks angrily to let him pass. When he spots Minnie, he decides he would rather have her, and takes her hostage before jostling the wagon with his car. Mickey and Horace Horsecollar are thrown into the movie screen, which puzzles Pete, but gives him an idea to throw Mickey and Horace into the real world.

Mickey is thrown into the real world, and finds himself unable to save Minnie from her predicament, much to Pete’s delight

Mickey is shocked about how he looks in the real world, including the red of his shorts, but soon forgets that when he realizes Minnie is in trouble. Try as he might, he has no way of saving her from his position. Suddenly, Horace appears, thoroughly assimilated into the real world (and wearing a Captain America shirt to boot). Mickey calls Horace to attention, and turns him into a makeshift plane, using Milk Duds as bullets to shoot at Pete. The plan, doesn’t work, however, so they try another approach: calling Pete’s phone and spraying him with the contents of a fire extinguisher, turning the animated scene into a winter wonderland. Pete then falls through the ice and lands in a lake, which threatens to flood the theater. Mickey pokes holes in the screen, freeing Minnie and pulling everyone out of the film with them. A chance ensues in and out of the animated and real world, and Mickey is knocked unconscious while Minnie is captured again. After reviving Mickey, the gang then realizes they can manipulate the situation by flipping the screen up and down and back and forth, and Pete is soon injured to the point of unconsciousness. Minnie is saved, and the screen is broken, sending Pete into the real world. The gang then closes the screen, leaving Pete trapped in-between worlds as he tries to get back.