The Moose Hunt
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''The Moose Hunt'' is 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 ...
short animated film first released on April 30, 1931, as part of 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. It was the twenty-eighth Mickey Mouse short to be produced and the fourth of 1931. This is the first cartoon to feature
Pluto Pluto (minor-planet designation: 134340 Pluto) is a dwarf planet in the Kuiper belt, a ring of bodies beyond the orbit of Neptune. It is the ninth-largest and tenth-most-massive known object to directly orbit the Sun. It is the largest ...
as Mickey's pet – in his previous appearance, 1930's '' The Picnic'', he was called "Rover" and lived with
Minnie Mouse Minnie Mouse is a cartoon character created by The Walt Disney Company. As the longtime sweetheart of Mickey Mouse, she is an anthropomorphic mouse with white gloves, a bow, polka-dotted dress, white bloomers, and low-heeled shoes occasiona ...
. The cartoon is dominated by Pluto's antics, he gets a minute and a half of solo screen time. Pluto speaks three times in the cartoon – crying "Mammy!", telling Mickey to "Kiss me!" and pointing out "The moose!" Except for one more "mammy" at the end of '' Mickey Steps Out'', Pluto never speaks again.


Plot

Mickey Mouse takes his dog Pluto into the woods for a hunting trip. Pluto is distracted by a flea, and sniffs around the forest, getting bitten on the nose by a bird. He examines a raggedy scarecrow, and is frightened when one of the scarecrow's gloves lands on his tail. He flees – knocking Mickey over – and jumps in the water. When he emerges, more fleas climb onto his back. Pluto returns to Mickey, who runs him through a series of dog commands – lay down, roll over, sit up and shake hands. When Mickey tells Pluto to "speak", Pluto does a brief
Al Jolson Al Jolson (born Eizer Yoelson; June 9, 1886 – October 23, 1950) was a Lithuanian-American Jews, Jewish singer, comedian, actor, and vaudevillian. He was one of the United States' most famous and highest-paid stars of the 1920s, and was self-bi ...
impression, kneeling with outstretched paws and saying " Mammy!". Mickey throws a stick for Pluto, who picks up a larger branch and carries it back to his master. Seeing the antler-like twigs in silhouette, Mickey thinks that Pluto's a moose, and he shoots. He finds Pluto lying motionless, and starts to cry, sobbing, "Oh, what have I done? Don't leave me, pal!" Pluto winks at the audience, as Mickey continues to cry. When Mickey begs him to say something, Pluto looks at him sweetly, and growls, "Kiss me!". Mickey's delighted that Pluto's alive, but they hear a moose call and immediately return to the hunting trip. Pluto sniffs around, but completely misses the moose, who starts snuffling after Pluto instead. Pluto taps Mickey on the shoulder, points at the moose, and barks, "The moose! The moose!" Mickey tries to shoot the enormous moose, but his hands shake so much that his gun falls to pieces. The moose chases Mickey and Pluto, but Mickey uses Pluto's flapping ears to get airborne, and they triumphantly fly away, Mickey riding on his dog's back.


Production

This short is the first of six that features Mickey hunting; the theme lasts until '' R'coon Dawg'' in 1951. It includes some recycled animation of Pluto sniffing near the camera from the 1930 short '' The Chain Gang''.


Reception

On the 2004
Walt Disney Treasures Walt Disney Treasures is a series of two-disc DVD collections of Disney cartoons, television episodes and other material. They cover material from the studio's earliest days to its more recent work. There were nine waves, each containing two ...
DVD set '' Mickey Mouse in Black and White: Volume Two'', ''The Moose Hunt'' is in the bonus-features "From the Vault" section, which begins with an introduction by 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 ...
explaining the origins of racial stereotypes seen in Disney cartoons of the 1930s and 1940s. ''The Moose Hunt'' is included in that group because of Pluto's "Mammy!" impression, which refers to
Al Jolson Al Jolson (born Eizer Yoelson; June 9, 1886 – October 23, 1950) was a Lithuanian-American Jews, Jewish singer, comedian, actor, and vaudevillian. He was one of the United States' most famous and highest-paid stars of the 1920s, and was self-bi ...
's famous
blackface Blackface is a form of theatrical makeup used predominantly by non-Black people to portray a caricature of a Black person. In the United States, the practice became common during the 19th century and contributed to the spread of racial stereo ...
performance, "
My Mammy "My Mammy" is an American popular song with music by Walter Donaldson and lyrics by Joe Young and Sam M. Lewis. Though associated with Al Jolson, who performed the song very successfully, "My Mammy" was performed first in 1918 by William Fra ...
". The 1929 short '' The Haunted House'' is also included in that section because of a similar gag featuring Mickey. In ''Mickey's Movies: The Theatrical Films of Mickey Mouse'', Gijs Grob writes: "Its pace is slow, and it contains some awkward gags, like the flying Pluto finale. Most interestingly, the short features a rare gag breaking the fourth dimension: when Mickey accidentally shoots Pluto, he suddenly addresses the audience with "Is there a doctor in the house?" Such a self-conscious audience gag would remain a rarity at Disney, but it would become a staple gag at
Warner Bros. Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc. (commonly known as Warner Bros. or abbreviated as WB) is an American film and entertainment studio headquartered at the Warner Bros. Studios complex in Burbank, California, and a subsidiary of Warner Bros. D ...
after
Tex Avery Frederick Bean "Tex" Avery (February 26, 1908 – August 26, 1980) was an American animator, cartoonist, director, and voice actor. He was known for directing and producing animated cartoons during the golden age of American animation. His mo ...
joined that studio." On the ''Disney Film Project'', Ryan Kilpatrick points out that Pluto gets more and better gags than Mickey, who was starting to become a more limited character: "Pluto acts just like a dog when he encounters a scarecrow, sniffing around it carefully, waiting for his moment to pounce. Mickey could not have done this, as we would expect him to be more sophisticated. But Pluto’s innocence allows for a new range of gags. The ''Moose Hunt'' really shows the direction that the Mickey cartoons are heading. Mickey is the framework for the side characters to do great and funny little bits. This would really come to fruition in the color shorts, like ''
Lonesome Ghosts ''Lonesome Ghosts'' is a 1937 Disney animated cartoon, released through RKO Radio Pictures on December 24, 1937, three days after ''Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs'' (1937). It was directed by Burt Gillett and animated by Izzy (Isadore) Klein, E ...
'' or ''
Clock Cleaners ''Clock Cleaners'' is a 1937 in film, 1937 American Animated cartoon, animated short film produced by Walt Disney Animation Studios, Walt Disney Productions and released by RKO Pictures, RKO Radio Pictures. The cartoon follows Mickey Mouse, Donal ...
'', but it starts back in 1930-1931. ''
Motion Picture Herald The ''Motion Picture Herald'' was an American film industry trade paper published from 1931 to December 1972.Anthony Slide, ed. (1985)''International Film, Radio, and Television Journals'' Greenwood Press. p. 242. It was replaced by the ''QP Heral ...
'' (May 30, 1931): "Here is a great little cartoon comedy number, with Mickey Mouse himself featured in the stellar role of moose hunter. Only the moose turns around and proceeds to hunt Mickey and his hound. The lines are sure-fire and the synchronization touches the Disney par, which is sufficient. Birds, fleas and a skunk for good measure supply the atmosphere. A fine laugh number. Play it, of course." ''
Variety Variety may refer to: Arts and entertainment Entertainment formats * Variety (radio) * Variety show, in theater and television Films * ''Variety'' (1925 film), a German silent film directed by Ewald Andre Dupont * ''Variety'' (1935 film), ...
'' (June 9, 1931): "Of the Mickey Mouse series and good. Will please anywhere. This time Mickey Mouse is aided by a sniffing hound. The two are out amid whistling trills and music accompaniment on a moose hunt. Hound draws laughs by his sniffling, and as he keeps his nose to the ground and is annoyed by fleas. Before the windup the two do meet a moose. Mickey's gun won't work. Usual chase but it winds okay when Mickey picks up the dog's tail and makes the hound fly through the air to safety. Before that he almost popped the dog dead when he mistook him for an antelope." ''
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 ...
'' (June 14, 1931): "Swell: Right up to the high average on the Mickey Mouse cartoon series. As the title implies, the antics in this case have to do with a moose hunt. Mickey is accompanied by a flea-bitten hound and there is a lot of comedy business dealing with the search for a moose and the failure of the gun to go off when the animal is at bay. There is a fast chase finish, with Mickey and the hound coming winners after a narrow escape. Art work and music excellent."


Voice cast

* Mickey Mouse:
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 ...
* Pluto:
Pinto Colvig Vance DeBar Colvig Sr. (September 11, 1892 – October 3, 1967), professionally Pinto Colvig, was an American voice actor, newspaper cartoonist, and circus and vaudeville performer whose schtick was playing the clarinet off-key while mugging. C ...
* Moose: ???


Home media

The short was released on December 7, 2004, on '' Walt Disney Treasures: Mickey Mouse in Black and White, Volume Two: 1929-1935''.


Television

It was included on the TV show ''
The Mickey Mouse Club ''The Mickey Mouse Club'' is an American variety television show that aired intermittently from 1955 to 1996 and returned to social media in 2017. Created by Walt Disney and produced by Walt Disney Productions, the program was first televised ...
'' (Season 2, Episode 77).


See also

*
Mickey Mouse (film series) ''Mickey Mouse'' (originally known as ''Mickey Mouse Sound Cartoons'') is a series of American animated comedy short films produced by Walt Disney Productions. The series started in 1928 with Steamboat Willie and ended in 1953 with '' The Simp ...


References


External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Moose Hunt Mickey Mouse short films 1930s Disney animated short films 1931 short films American black-and-white films 1931 animated films 1931 films Films produced by Walt Disney American comedy short films Columbia Pictures short films Columbia Pictures animated short films Films directed by Burt Gillett Films about hunters 1930s English-language films 1930s American films