''Goofy and Wilbur'' is a 1939

animated cartoon Animation is a method by which still figures are manipulated to appear as moving images. In traditional animation, images are drawn or painted by hand on transparent celluloid sheets to be photographed and exhibited on film. Today, most anima ...

short produced by

Walt Disney Productions The Walt Disney Company, commonly known as Disney (), is an American multinational mass media and entertainment conglomerate headquartered at the Walt Disney Studios complex in Burbank, California. Disney was originally founded on October ...

and released by

RKO Radio Pictures RKO Radio Pictures Inc., commonly known as RKO Pictures or simply RKO, was an American film production and distribution company, one of the "Big Five" film studios of Hollywood's Golden Age. The business was formed after the Keith-Albee-Orphe ...

on March 17, 1939. Although the cartoon is billed as a ''

Mickey Mouse Mickey Mouse is an animated cartoon Character (arts), character co-created in 1928 by Walt Disney and Ub Iwerks. The longtime mascot of The Walt Disney Company, Mickey is an Anthropomorphism, anthropomorphic mouse who typically wears red sho ...

'' cartoon (as said on the theatrical poster), it was the first cartoon which featured

Goofy Goofy is a cartoon character created by The Walt Disney Company. He is a tall, Anthropomorphism, anthropomorphic dog who typically wears a turtle neck and vest, with pants, shoes, white gloves, and a tall hat originally designed as a rumpled f ...

in a solo role without

and/or

Donald Duck Donald Fauntleroy Duck is a cartoon character created by The Walt Disney Company. Donald is an anthropomorphic white duck with a yellow-orange bill, legs, and feet. He typically wears a sailor shirt and cap with a bow tie. Donald is known fo ...

. In this cartoon Goofy goes fishing with his pet

grasshopper Grasshoppers are a group of insects belonging to the suborder Caelifera. They are among what is possibly the most ancient living group of chewing herbivorous insects, dating back to the early Triassic around 250 million years ago. Grasshopp ...

, Wilbur, only for persistent bad luck to befall the duo. An anthropomorphic dog Goofy and his grasshopper friend Wilbur (who has limited ability to think or feel), catch fish in a net using Wilbur as bait. This cartoon has a violent depiction because Wilbur is nearly, or perhaps actually, killed.

Plot

Goofy and his friend Wilbur, a tame grasshopper, team up for a fishing expedition. Goofy decides to use Wilbur as bait, but has second thoughts when he realizes too late, that his friend might actually get eaten by a fish. Goofy has a row boat and a net, but no fishing rod. Wilbur, being a live bug, becomes the perfect choice for bait inside the net, which will lure fish when the boat approaches. Wilbur's life depends on the hapless and incompetent Goofy to save the little bug, who becomes the bait for a half-dozen fish. As Wilbur gets tricked again and again, he is even swallowed by a frog; then that frog gets eaten by a stork, all while Goofy desperately attempts a chasing rescue. In the end Wilbur hatches out of the stork egg, and to Goofy's relief, seems okay. It is not explained how Wilbur ended up in the egg of the stork. One dedicated blog writer comments; "I wonder if Goofy has had a psychotic break at the end of the cartoon, and the reappearance of Wilbur is simply a delusion".

Reception

The Film Daily ''The Film Daily'' was a daily publication that existed from 1918 to 1970 in the United States. It was the first daily newspaper published solely for the film industry. It covered the latest trade news, film reviews, financial updates, informatio ...

'' wrote, "Wilbur, the grasshopper, is a new character among Disney creations, and will immediately have millions of cheering fans.. The affection between him and his master, Goofy, is something beautiful to behold... The characterization of Wilbur is so real, that one seems to have known him a long time. All Disney followers will welcome him."

Voice cast

* Goofy: Danny Webb

Releases

* – Original theatrical release * – ''

Disneyland Disneyland is a amusement park, theme park in Anaheim, California. Opened in 1955, it was the first theme park opened by The Walt Disney Company and the only one designed and constructed under the direct supervision of Walt Disney. Disney in ...

'', episode #2.22: "On Vacation" (TV) * – ''Donald Duck's Summer Magic'' (theatrical) * – ''

Good Morning, Mickey! ''Good Morning, Mickey!'' is an American animated television series produced by Walt Disney Television Animation. It was first aired on April 18, 1983 when Disney Channel was launched. It was one of the Disney Channel's first original programs, a ...

'', episode #59 (TV) * – ''

Turner & Hooch ''Turner & Hooch'' is a 1989 American buddy cop comedy film starring Tom Hanks and Beasley the Dog as the eponymous characters respectively. The film also co-stars Mare Winningham, Craig T. Nelson and Reginald VelJohnson. It was directed by ...

'' (Australian theatrical re-release) * – ''

Mickey's Mouse Tracks ''Mickey's Mouse Tracks'' is an American animated television series on The Disney Channel which ran from 1992 to 1995, and featured Disney cartoons and animated short films, dating from before the advent of The Disney Channel. A similar show was ...

'', episode #46 (TV) * – ''

Donald's Quack Attack ''Donald's Quack Attack'' is an American animated television series which ran on The Disney Channel and was later rerun on Toon Disney. It premiered on November 2, 1992,''The Disney Channel Magazine'', Vol. 10, no. 5, October/November 1992: p ...

'', episode #32 (TV) * – '' The Ink and Paint Club'', episode #1.25: "Goofy Goofs Around" (TV)

Home media

The short was released on December 2, 2002 on '' Walt Disney Treasures: The Complete Goofy''. Additional releases include: * – "Mickey Mouse and Donald Duck Cartoon Collections Volume Two" (laserdisc) * – " Walt Disney's Funny Factory with Goofy" (DVD) * – ''

The Fox and the Hound 2 ''The Fox and the Hound 2'' is a 2006 American animated direct-to-video buddy comedy drama film produced by Walt Disney Pictures and Disneytoon Studios, and an intermediate follow-up to the 1981 Walt Disney Animation Studios film '' The Fox and ...

'' (DVD; special feature)

References

External links

'Goofy and Wilbur'
a
The Encyclopedia of Disney Animated Shorts
* {{Authority control 1939 films 1930s Disney animated short films Goofy (Disney) short films 1939 animated films Films directed by Dick Huemer Films produced by Walt Disney Animated films about insects American black-and-white films American animated short films RKO Pictures short films RKO Pictures animated short films 1930s American films