SUNNY ITALY (1950)
Article 4057 by Dave Sindelar
Date: 10-15-2012
Directed by Connie Rasinski
Voice cast unknown
Country: USA
What it is: Mighty Mouse cartoon

Mighty Mouse must save his girlfriend from Oilcan Harry in various Italian locations.

Ten thoughts on SUNNY ITALY:

1) I remember thinking the first time I saw one of the operetta-style Mighty Mouse cartoons that the series finally found its voice. Unfortunately, I’m finding out with this one that the concept (animated serial-style thrills combined with opera warbling) wears thin rather quickly.

2) Granted, some of my reaction may have been affected by the fact that the copy that I watched was the only one on Youtube… and seems to have been enhanced with an unremoveable Spanish voice translation layered over the cartoon. This is annoying and distracting, to say the least.

3) One problem I have with certain superheroes is that there’s no clear delineation of the extent of their powers, and if this cartoon is any indication, Mighty Mouse is one of the great offenders. Please reference the rest of the items on this list.

4) While Oilcan Harry has Mighty Mouse’s girlfriend suspended from the top of the Leaning Tower of Pisa, Mighty Mouse is unable to free her because he’s fighting lions in the Colosseum. But there’s no top on the Colosseum, so why doesn’t he ignore the lions and fly to her rescue.

5) Mighty Mouse has the ability to beat up ten lions, but lacks the power to break out of a plaster statue.

6) Why does Oilcan Harry break the plaster statue surrounding Mighty Mouse (rather easily by hitting it with his cane) when it’s obvious that the latter can’t do anything while he’s encased in it?

7) Why, when he’s not strong enough to break a plaster statue, does Mighty Mouse have the power to close off a volcano with a lasso?

8) Mighty Mouse apparently has the ability to hypnotize and frighten lava. How many times in his life would he find this a useful ability?

9) Why am I spending so much time on the logic errors in a Mighty Mouse cartoon?

10) This cartoon seems particularly heavy on the opera, with a long sequence where the girlfriend sings while being held prisoner on a Venetian gondola. Maybe it’s because this one takes place in Italy…

Yes, this is all pretty nit-picky, but that’s what ran through my mind while watching this. Granted, since the cartoon runs less than six minutes, it was hardly a great burden on my life.