''The Prince and the Pauper'' is a 1990 American animated

comedy Comedy is a genre of fiction that consists of discourses or works intended to be humorous or amusing by inducing laughter, especially in theatre, film, stand-up comedy, television, radio, books, or any other entertainment medium. The term o ...

action Action may refer to: * Action (narrative), a literary mode * Action fiction, a type of genre fiction * Action game, a genre of video game Film * Action film, a genre of film * ''Action'' (1921 film), a film by John Ford * ''Action'' (1980 fil ...

adventure An adventure is an exciting experience or undertaking that is typically bold, sometimes risky. Adventures may be activities with danger such as traveling, exploring, skydiving, mountain climbing, scuba diving, river rafting, or other extreme ...

featurette In the American film industry, a featurette is a kind of film that is shorter than a full-length feature, but longer than a short film. The term may refer to either of two types of content: a shorter film or a companion film. Medium-length fil ...

produced by

Walt Disney Feature Animation Walt Disney Animation Studios (WDAS), sometimes shortened to Disney Animation, is an American animation studio that creates animated features and short films for The Walt Disney Company. The studio's current production logo features a scene fr ...

and directed by

George Scribner George Scribner (born September 28, 1952) is an artist, director and animator that is best known for having directed the 1988 animated Walt Disney Animation Studios film ''Oliver & Company''. Biography Scribner was born and raised in the Repu ...

. Featuring the voice of Wayne Allwine as

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 ...

, it is inspired by

Mark Twain Samuel Langhorne Clemens (November 30, 1835 – April 21, 1910), known by his pen name Mark Twain, was an American writer, humorist, entrepreneur, publisher, and lecturer. He was praised as the "greatest humorist the United States has pr ...

's 1881 novel of the same name. It was Disney's final use of the traditional ink-and-paint and camera process, before the

CAPS Caps are flat headgear. Caps or CAPS may also refer to: Science and technology Computing * CESG Assisted Products Service, provided by the U.K. Government Communications Headquarters * Composite Application Platform Suite, by Java Caps, a Ja ...

digital-ink-and-paint process rendered the traditional techniques and equipment obsolete. Some objects, such as the carriage, were created on computers before being printed out on paper and photocopied onto animation cels. The film was released on November 16, 1990, as the first animated short produced by Disney to accompany the original release of a Disney animated feature, accompanying the original release of Walt Disney Feature Animation's 29th animated feature film ''

The Rescuers Down Under ''The Rescuers Down Under'' is a 1990 American animated adventure film produced by Walt Disney Feature Animation and released by Walt Disney Pictures. The 29th Disney animated feature film and the second movie to be produced during the Disne ...

'', a sequel to the 1977 animated film, ''

The Rescuers ''The Rescuers'' is a 1977 American animated adventure comedy-drama film produced by Walt Disney Productions and released by Buena Vista Distribution. The 23rd Disney animated feature film, its story follows Bernard and Bianca, two members ...

''.

Plot

The story begins in

England England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe ...

when a king ruled the country with peace and compassion. However, one day, the good king has fallen ill, and his greedy captain of the guard Pete plunders and terrorizes the country in the king's name.

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 ...

, and

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 ...

are three

beggar Begging (also panhandling) is the practice of imploring others to grant a favor, often a gift of money, with little or no expectation of reciprocation. A person doing such is called a beggar or panhandler. Beggars may operate in public plac ...

s, trying to get money for some food when Captain Pete's carriage, filled with stolen food, passes. Pluto sees a sausage stand out from the carriage and gives chase, pursuing it into the castle. When Mickey knocks on the door to get his dog back, one of the soldiers opens the door and lets him in, mistaking him for the prince. Pete lectures the soldier for letting anyone in, pointing out where the real prince is: in class with his teacher Horace Horsecollar and his

valet A valet or varlet is a male servant who serves as personal attendant to his employer. In the Middle Ages and Ancien Régime, valet de chambre was a role for junior courtiers and specialists such as artists in a royal court, but the term "valet ...

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 ...

. The prince hears Pete outside, roughly handling Mickey and Pluto. The prince orders them to be brought to him right away. Pete kicks Mickey through the door and forces Pluto out of the castle. While in the palace, Mickey meets the prince and they both realize that they are entirely identical in appearance. The prince tells the beggar that he is bored with his life and convinces the beggar to exchange clothes and roles with each other. The prince reassures the beggar that everything will be fine, and if there are any problems, everyone will recognize the true prince with his real ring. Disguised as a beggar, the prince tricks Pete into kicking him out of the palace and meets Goofy and Pluto while Mickey is challenged with the prince's studies. The prince witnesses a couple of soldiers trying to steal a chicken from Clarabelle Cow and her two children. The children explain that for years the soldiers have taken away their food and belongings in the name of the king. When a carriage with the stolen food goes by, the prince stops it by identifying himself through the ring and he returns the food to the people. The soldiers attempt to stop the prince, thinking that he is an impostor, but fail when he escapes with help from the villagers and Goofy. One of the soldiers tells Pete that one of the beggars had the royal ring. Pete is alarmed realizing that he cast out the real prince and that he may see the

corruption Corruption is a form of dishonesty or a criminal offense which is undertaken by a person or an organization which is entrusted in a position of authority, in order to acquire illicit benefits or abuse power for one's personal gain. Corruption m ...

and theft going on outside. As such, Pete plans to execute the prince and take control of the kingdom for himself by using Mickey as a

puppet ruler A puppet ruler is a person who has a title indicating possession of political power, but who, in reality, is either loyal to or controlled by outside individuals or forces. Such outside power can be exercised by a foreign government, in which case ...

. Mickey, still dressed as the prince, is called to see his father, who is now dying. Mickey enters the room of the dying king and the king tells him he must take his royal birthright and become king. Mickey decides to find and inform the prince as quickly as possible, but Pete arrives and blackmails Mickey to be crowned king by threatening to kill a captured Pluto. Meanwhile, the true prince hears the bells announcing the death of his father and realizes that he must return immediately to the palace. Pete captures the prince and detains him with Donald (whose reasons for imprisonment are unknown), while the

coronation A coronation is the act of placement or bestowal of a crown upon a monarch's head. The term also generally refers not only to the physical crowning but to the whole ceremony wherein the act of crowning occurs, along with the presentation of o ...

begins. Goofy disguises himself as an

executioner An executioner, also known as a hangman or headsman, is an official who executes a sentence of capital punishment on a legally condemned person. Scope and job The executioner was usually presented with a warrant authorising or order ...

, and after accidentally knocking out the guard, the three escape the cell and run to the coronation chamber. While Mickey tries to postpone being crowned by the

archbishop In Christian denominations, an archbishop is a bishop of higher rank or office. In most cases, such as the Catholic Church, there are many archbishops who either have jurisdiction over an ecclesiastical province in addition to their own archdio ...

, the prince arrives and fights Pete, who becomes entangled with his soldiers in a fallen chandelier, and they fall out of a window. Mickey and the prince then cheer in their success in defeating Captain Pete and his men. However, the archbishop is still confused and does not know whom to crown until Pluto recognizes Mickey. The real prince is crowned

King of England The monarchy of the United Kingdom, commonly referred to as the British monarchy, is the constitutional form of government by which a hereditary sovereign reigns as the head of state of the United Kingdom, the Crown Dependencies (the Baili ...

, and he happily appoints Mickey and Goofy as members of his royal court while ruling for many years with justice and compassion for all.

Voice cast

* Wayne Allwine as

and the Prince *

Arthur Burghardt Arthur Burghardt (born August 29, 1947) is an American retired actor, best known for portraying Jack Scott on the soap opera ''One Life to Live''. In animation, he's known for lending his deep bass voice as Devastator in '' The Transformers'', D ...

as Captain Pete *

Tony Anselmo Tony Anselmo (born February 18, 1960) is an American voice actor and animator. He has been the official character voice of Donald Duck since 1985 following the death of the original voice actor, Clarence Nash. He has also provided voices for Do ...

Bill Farmer Bill Farmer (born November 14, 1952) is an American voice actor, comedian and impressionist. He has performed the voice of the Disney character Goofy since 1987, and has also been the voice of Pluto (Disney), Pluto and Horace Horsecollar since ...

, Horace Horsecollar and

Weasel Weasels are mammals of the genus ''Mustela'' of the family Mustelidae. The genus ''Mustela'' includes the least weasels, polecats, stoats, ferrets and European mink. Members of this genus are small, active predators, with long and slend ...

#1 *

Elvia Allman Elvia Beatrice Allman (September 19, 1904 – March 6, 1992) was an American actress in Hollywood films and television programs for over 50 years. She is best remembered for her semi-regular roles on ''The Beverly Hillbillies'' and ''Petticoat J ...

as Clarabelle Cow *

Charlie Adler Charles Michael Adler (born October 2, 1956) is an American voice actor and voice director. He is known for his roles as Buster Bunny on ''Tiny Toon Adventures'', Ed and Bev Bighead on '' Rocko's Modern Life'' and Ickis on '' Aaahh!!! Real Mon ...

#2 & 3 , Pig Driver, Peasant and Man in Street *

Frank Welker Franklin Wendell Welker (born March 12, 1946) is an American voice actor. He began his career in the 1960s, and holds over 860 film, television, and video game credits as of 2022, making him one of the most prolific voice actors of all time. With ...

as the King and Archbishop *

Trevor Eyster Trevor Eyster, formerly known as Tim Eyster, is an American actor. He is best known for his role as Eugene "Sponge" Harris on the television program ''Salute Your Shorts'', which aired from 1991 to 1992 on Nickelodeon. The role garnered him a Y ...

as Kid #1 * Rocky Krakoff as Kid #2 *

Roy Dotrice Roy Dotrice (26 May 1923 – 16 October 2017) was a British actor famed for his portrayal of the antiquarian John Aubrey in the record-breaking solo play '' Brief Lives''. Abroad, he won a Tony Award for his performance in the 2000 Broadway r ...

as the Narrator

Home media

VHS/LaserDisc

The short was released on VHS several times. The VHS and LaserDisc counterparts were first released in June 1991 as part of the Walt Disney Mini-Classics line. In January 1994, the Disney Favorite Stories line was introduced a couple of months after the discontinuation of the Mini-Classics line and that same date, "The Prince and the Pauper" was one of the first few Disney short films re-issued as part of it.

DVD

The short was later released on May 18, 2004 on '' Walt Disney Treasures: Mickey Mouse in Living Color, Volume Two: 1939-Today''.

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Prince And The Pauper, The 1990 short films 1990 animated films Walt Disney Pictures films 1990s Disney animated short films Prince and the Pauper 1990 Prince and the Pauper 1990 Animated films set in England Animated films about mice Films set in palaces Prince and the Pauper 1990 Films directed by George Scribner Films scored by Nicholas Pike American animated featurettes 1990s English-language films Films about princes