PLANE CRAZY (1928)
Article 5300 by Dave Sindelar
Date: 11-16-2016
Directed by Walt Disney and Ub Iwerks
Featuring the voice of Walt Disney
Country: USA
What it is: Mickey Mouse cartoon

Mickey seeks to become a pilot like Lindbergh, and invites Minnie to accompany him in the first flight aboard a makeshift plane. Things do not go smoothly.

This was the first Mickey Mouse cartoon. It was shot silent, but after STEAMBOAT WILLIE was released, a soundtrack was added and it was re-released. There are plenty of anthropomorphic animals and impossible gags to add to the fantastic content. There’s a fair amount of risque humor here, including jokes about Clarabelle Cow’s udders, outhouses, and Minnie’s underwear. Despite his later reputation, Mickey is hardly a nice guy in this one; he’s a veritable masher as he makes unwanted passes to Minnie while in the airplane and ends up trying to scare her when she resists. The cartoon is quite well done, but it is working in that early animation style that looks pretty rubbery today.