The Mad Doctor (1933 film)

The Mad Doctor is a classic Mickey Mouse cartoon released in 1933. It is known as the first appearance of the title character "The Mad Doctor", or "Dr. XXX". It was the 52nd Mickey Mouse short film, and the second of that year.[2]

The Mad Doctor
Directed byDavid Hand
Produced byWalt Disney
StarringWalt Disney
Billy Bletcher
Animation byArt Babbitt
Les Clark
Ben Sharpsteen
Production
company
Distributed byUnited Artists Pictures
Release date
January 21, 1933 (1933-01-21)[1]
Running time
7 minutes
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish

Plot

The plot centers on the title character, a mad scientist who has kidnapped Mickey's dog, Pluto. Mickey tries to rescue him before the doctor can perform his experiment: putting Pluto's head to the body of a chicken in order to see if a puppy will hatch from an egg (that is if the end result will "bark or crow or cackle"). Mickey battles his way through booby traps and animated skeletons before eventually getting caught and strapped onto a table to get cut open by a buzzsaw, forcing Mickey to suck in his belly, trembling. The scene then fades to Mickey asleep in bed and suddenly woken up by a mosquito, whose buzzing resembles the whirring of the spinning blade. Not yet realizing the events were only a nightmare, Mickey shouts for Pluto, who eagerly jumps onto Mickey's bed with his doghouse and chain still attached to his collar.

Allusions

The short uses the same gag that appears in "Haunted House" (1929), which has the door lock itself after Mickey enters the house.

Reception

The short's horror overtones made it unusual for a Mickey Mouse cartoon. Some theaters refused to show it, believing it to be too scary for kids. At one time, for this reason, it was banned entirely in the United Kingdom,[3] as well as Nazi Germany.[4]

On February 10, 1933, The Film Daily said: "One of the liveliest animated cartoons to come along, and plenty comical."[5]

Legacy

The short's title character had a cameo in the Roger Rabbit short, "Tummy Trouble", in which he was seen on a picture. The Mad Doctor was also the basis for, and title of, the second level in the video game, Mickey Mania: The Timeless Adventures of Mickey Mouse released for the Super NES, Genesis, Sega CD and PlayStation (as Mickey's Wild Adventure); a depiction of the Mad Doctor level is used as the cover art for the game. He also appears as a major character in Epic Mickey and its sequel. The video game Kingdom Hearts III includes a mini game based on the short, with the Mad Doctor appearing as an enemy.

Releases

This cartoon is one of a few Disney shorts that lapsed into the public domain, and can be found on many low budget VHS tapes and DVDs, usually paired with "Minnie's Yoo Hoo" and "The Spirit of '43". It was also released on DVD in 2002 as part of Walt Disney Treasures: Mickey Mouse In Black and White.

Voice cast

See also

References
  1. Kaufman, J.B.; Gerstein, David (2018). Walt Disney's Mickey Mouse: The Ultimate History. Cologne: Taschen. ISBN 978-3-8365-5284-4.
  2. Lenburg, Jeff (1999). The Encyclopedia of Animated Cartoons. Checkmark Books. pp. 108–109. ISBN 0-8160-3831-7. Retrieved 6 June 2020.
  3. "3 Classic Walt Disney World Rides Darker Than Anything at Universal Orlando Resort". 28 February 2015.
  4. Leslie, Esther (11 July 2018). Hollywood Flatlands: Animation, Critical Theory and the Avant-garde. Verso. ISBN 9781844675043 – via Google Books.
  5. "Short Subjects". The Film Daily. Feb 10, 1933. Retrieved 16 February 2020.
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