''Mr. Mouse Takes a Trip'' is a 1940 American animated

short film A short film is any motion picture that is short enough in running time not to be considered a feature film. The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences defines a short film as "an original motion picture that has a running time of 40 minutes ...

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 ...

. The film was directed by

Clyde Geronimi Clito "Clyde" Geronimi (June 12, 1901 – April 24, 1989), known as Gerry, was an American animation director. He is best known for his work at Walt Disney Productions. Biography Geronimi was born in Chiavenna, Italy, immigrating to the United ...

and features original music by

Leigh Harline Leigh Adrian Harline (March 26, 1907 – December 10, 1969) was an American film composer and songwriter. He was known for his "musical sophistication that was uniquely 'Harline-esque' by weaving rich tapestries of mood-setting underscores and ...

and

Oliver Wallace Oliver George Wallace (August 6, 1887 – September 15, 1963) was an English composer and conductor.''Home Front Heroes: A Biographical Dictionary of Americans During Wartime'', Volume 3, ed. Benjamin F. Shearer (Westport, CT: Greenwood Press, 200 ...

. The film was animated by Clyde Geronimi, Ken Muse, Ed Love, Marvin Woodward, and Ray Abrams.Mr. Mouse Takes A Trip
. ''www.bcdb.com'' The voice cast includes

Walt Disney Walter Elias Disney (; December 5, 1901December 15, 1966) was an American animator, film producer and entrepreneur. A pioneer of the American animation industry, he introduced several developments in the production of cartoons. As a film p ...

as Mickey, Lee Millar as Pluto, and

Billy Bletcher William Bletcher (September 24, 1894 – January 5, 1979) was an American actor. He was known for voice roles for various classic animated characters, most notably Pete in Walt Disney's Mickey Mouse short films and the Big Bad Wolf in Disne ...

as Pete. It was the 109th short in the ''

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 ...

'' film series to be released, and the third for that year. The fame of the short has since grown some historical significance, as Walt Disney himself was filmed recording his lines as Mickey Mouse for it, making it one of the only times he was shown doing his voice on camera. Alongside him as voice dubbing is actor Billy Bletcher as the voice of Pete. The cartoon follows

and his dog

Pluto Pluto (minor-planet designation: 134340 Pluto) is a dwarf planet in the Kuiper belt, a ring of trans-Neptunian object, bodies beyond the orbit of Neptune. It is the ninth-largest and tenth-most-massive known object to directly orbit the S ...

traveling by train, except they have a rule forbidding dogs from entering the train;

Pete Pete or Petes or ''variation'', may refer to: People * Pete (given name) * Pete (nickname) * Pete (surname) Fictional characters * Pete (Disney), a cartoon character in the ''Mickey Mouse'' universe * Pete the Pup (a.k.a. 'Petey'), a character ...

plays a menacing conductor intent on enforcing this rule.

Plot

Leaving for vacation, Mickey Mouse and Pluto arrive at a train station in

Burbank, California Burbank is a city in the southeastern end of the San Fernando Valley in Los Angeles County, California, United States. Located northwest of downtown Los Angeles, Burbank has a population of 107,337. The city was named after David Burbank, w ...

(home of Walt Disney Productions headquarters). They board a westbound train to Pomona, but are both immediately kicked off by the conductor, played by Pete, stating that dogs aren't allowed (a side gag reveals Pluto's luggage to contain bones). Pete then rambles off the train's destinations and forces his watch to tell him when the train is ready to leave. When the watch does show the time for the train to go, Pete calls, "All aboard!" Mickey, at this point, decides to smuggle Pluto on board by squeezing him inside the suitcase. At first, the handle breaks, making Mickey almost leave Pluto behind, but he recovers the suitcase and manages to make it aboard the caboose just as the train is leaving the platform. Later, Pluto barks, wanting to be let out. Mickey reminds him that he will be thrown off if Pete finds out that Pluto's on the train, so he takes Pluto out and unsquashes him. The freedom is only short-lived, however, as Pete is coming through the train to collect tickets, forcing Mickey to squash Pluto back into position in the suitcase. After biting "OK" in Mickey's tickets, Pete sees Mickey's suitcase containing Pluto in the seat and forcefully throws it into an overhead baggage net. This causes Pluto to bark, making Pete suspicious. He then recognizes Mickey, who tries to hide behind a large newspaper and make it look like the barking was coming from him. Realizing that Pluto has been stowed in the suitcase, Pete menacingly asks Mickey if he is alone, which Mickey states that he is alone, Pete then makes up a story about owning a little cat who'd cry when he was all alone and screams a loud "MEOW!" (even making his face closely resemble a real cat) at the suitcase, causing Pluto to leap out barking at the "cat". Realizing that his cover's been blown, Pluto ducks back into the suitcase, but Pete has already figured it out. Before he can catch the pair, Mickey and Pluto run away and a chase ensues on board the train. Mickey and Pluto first hide in a sleeping car, where Pete mistakenly intrudes on a female passenger and gets assaulted. Pete then stumbles into another bed where Mickey and Pluto (disguised as babies) are hiding. Pete apologizes for the intrusion, but quickly finds out after covering up Pluto's tail. Just as Mickey and Pluto think that they fooled Pete, Pete bursts in and threatens to beat them to a pulp, but sudden darkness from the train running through a tunnel allows the pair to escape, leaving Pete to beat the mattress to a pulp and experience a brief entanglement with the springs. Mickey and Pluto masquerade as the conductor by hiding in Pete's own coat and hat they had removed in the tunnel. After getting false directions from Mickey with a deep voice, Pete catches on and threatens to catch them, but ends up disturbing the female passenger again. Pete receives another beating and, unintentionally taking the passenger's hat, gets pricked by one of her needles. Mickey disguises himself as an

Indian chief A tribal chief or chieftain is the leader of a tribal society or chiefdom. Tribe The concept of tribe is a broadly applied concept, based on tribal concepts of societies of western Afroeurasia. Tribal societies are sometimes categorized as ...

with Pluto in his

papoose Papoose (from the Algonquian ''papoose'', meaning "child") is an American English word whose present meaning is "a Native American child" (regardless of tribe) or, even more generally, any child, usually used as a term of endearment, often in t ...

, but Pete sees through their disguise after Pluto bites his hand. While Mickey and Pluto are next to an open window, Pluto is caught on a passing

mail hook ] A catcher pouch was a mail bag used by railway post offices of the nineteenth century and the early twentieth century. Its use was limited to exchanges onto moving trains. The specially constructed catcher pouch was grabbed by the catcher mecha ...

, which whisks him outside the train. Mickey runs after him through the train, and is just able to grab Pluto as he exits the caboose. Pete throws their luggage after them, and they fall to the ground from the mail hook. Mickey then looks up at the station sign and is pleasantly surprised that they have arrived at Pomona.

Voice-over footage

''Mr. Mouse Takes a Trip'' is unique among Disney shorts in that film footage exists of the

voice-over Voice-over (also known as off-camera or off-stage commentary) is a production technique where a voice—that is not part of the narrative (non-Diegetic#Film sound and music, diegetic)—is used in a radio, television production, filmmaking, th ...

session, which included Walt Disney and Billy Bletcher. According to film historian

Leonard Maltin Leonard Michael Maltin (born December 18, 1950) is an American film critic and film historian, as well as an author of several mainstream books on cinema, focusing on nostalgic, celebratory narratives. He is perhaps best known for his book of fil ...

, the footage was not known to exist and only discovered (as of 2004) "not too many years ago." The black-and-white film, which is about ten minutes in length, is the only known footage of Disney performing as Mickey Mouse. It was included as an extra on the 1997 VHS and 2000 DVD of ''

Fun and Fancy Free ''Fun and Fancy Free'' is a 1947 American animated musical fantasy package film produced by Walt Disney and released on September 27, 1947 by RKO Radio Pictures. It is the ninth Disney animated feature film and the fourth of the package films th ...

'', and on the 2004 DVD release " Walt Disney Treasures: Mickey Mouse in Living Color, Volume Two" as an

easter egg Easter eggs, also called Paschal eggs, are eggs that are decorated for the Christian feast of Easter, which celebrates the resurrection of Jesus. As such, Easter eggs are common during the season of Eastertide (Easter season). The oldest tr ...

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 ...

'' (Nov 26, 1940): "Funny Cartoon. The irrepressible Mickey Mouse and the equally irrepressible Pluto encounter some amusing difficulties in this short. Mickey sets off with Pluto to pay a visit to Pomona. He is promptly booted off the train because no dogs are allowed, but he circumvents this by cramming Pluto into a suitcase. Mickey and Pluto have lots of conductor trouble before they arrive at their destination, happily being thrown off the train just as it passes through Pomona."

Adaptations

In September 1940, a one-page adaptation of ''Mr. Mouse Takes a Trip'' appeared in ''

Good Housekeeping ''Good Housekeeping'' is an American women's magazine featuring articles about women's interests, product testing by The Good Housekeeping Institute, recipes, diet, and health, as well as literary articles. It is well known for the "Good House ...

'' magazine. In this version, Pete discovers Pluto by seeing his tail sticking out of the suitcase. Instead of being kicked off the train, Mickey and Pluto are confined to the baggage car. The story was told in verse and was illustrated by Tom Wood. In October 1940, a prose version of ''Mr. Mouse Takes a Trip'' was printed in the first edition of '' Walt Disney Comics and Stories''. This five-page version is a closer retelling of the film, with the added detail that Mickey is heading to an "important meeting" in Pomona, which he can't be late for. Pluto comes along only because he would get lonely if he stayed home alone. In 2010, the film inspired the Italian comic story "Topolino, Pluto e la gita in montagna," or "Mickey, Pluto, and the Trip to the Mountain." The story, published in the May edition of ''Extralarge XL Disney'', is 25 pages and written and illustrated by Enrico Faccini

Releases

*1940 – Original theatrical release *c. 1980s – "A Disney Vacation" (TV) *1986 – "Adventures with Mickey" (TV) *1998 – '' The Ink and Paint Club'', episode # 1.43: "On Vacation" (TV) *2009 – ''

Have a Laugh! ''Have a Laugh!'' is an American animated comedy series produced by the Walt Disney Company for the Disney Channel. The series is a set of interstitials, presenting edited versions of classic ''Mickey Mouse'' cartoons that lasted from 2009 to 201 ...

'' (TV)

Home media

The short was released on May 18, 2004 on '' Walt Disney Treasures: Mickey Mouse in Living Color, Volume Two: 1939-Today''. Additional releases include: *c. 1965 – Highlights included in "Mickey's Memorable Moments, Volume 2" ( Super 8)The Old Film Company
/ref> *1984 – "Cartoon Classics - Limited Gold Edition: Mickey" (VHS) *1987 – "Memorable Mickey" (VHS) *1998 – "

The Spirit of Mickey ''The Spirit of Mickey'' is a 1998 American animated direct-to-video anthology film, produced and released by Walt Disney Home Video on July 14, 1998. It features clips from ''The Mickey Mouse Club'', ''The Wonderful World of Disney'', and ''A ...

" (VHS) *2006 – " Walt Disney's Funny Factory: With Mickey" (DVD) *2009 – "Walt Disney Animation Collection: Classic Short Films Volume 1: Mickey and the Beanstalk" (DVD) *2010 – "

: Volume 2" (DVD)

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Mister Mouse Takes a Trip 1940 short films 1940 animated films 1940s Disney animated short films Films set in the San Fernando Valley Films set on trains Mickey Mouse short films Films directed by Clyde Geronimi Films produced by Walt Disney Films scored by Leigh Harline Films scored by Oliver Wallace Animated films about cats Animated films about dogs Animated films about trains 1940s English-language films American animated short films Animated films about mice RKO Pictures short films RKO Pictures animated short films