From my favorite movies..

This movie was so-so. It had it's moments, but wasn't the greatest.

Blending excellent reporting and strong storytelling, this is a disturbing film truly stranger than fiction

Great example of an old-fashioned, pure-at-heart escapist event movie that doesn't pretend to be anything that it's not and has boat loads of fun being its own ludicrous self.

Mickey's Follies (1929) ** 1/2 (out of 4)Once sound came into play all sorts of studios were releasing "follies" so that they could show off various acts in hopes of finding someone that would eventually become big. This take-off on that has Mickey Mouse hosting a show in his backyard where various farm animals put on acts. This all leads up to Mickey's big singing debut. There's no doubt that the animation here is extremely good and there's actually more plot than your typical Mickey short but at the same time this thing contains very few laughs. I think the biggest reason that there aren't any laughs is that the farm acts simply weren't very well-written and this here pretty much sunk the film. Mickey's sounding like what Betty Boop would eventually sound like so you might want to keep ear plugs handy.

Mickey's Follies is not among the best or worst cartoon shorts I've seen. The plot is rather thin on the ground and a couple of scenes are on the routine side especially the ducks. This said, Mickey's Follies is definitely worth seeing. The quality of the animation is truly excellent, beautifully synchronised with the music particularly in the chicken fight sequence. The barnyard setting is not the most interesting setting of all, but serves its purpose. The character designs are nicely rounded and the backgrounds are smooth. The music is not only a pleasant listen, but also brings so much energy to every gag and scene. Minnie's Yoo-Hoo is one of the best Disney theme songs, it is so darn catchy. The gags are a lot of fun also, the best being with Patricia the operatic pig, not just with her bloomers falling down but also because of how bad her singing is and how everyone reacts to it. Mickey is very likable, Minnie likewise in her brief appearance and the supporting characters also shine. Overall, not wholly remarkable but fun cartoon. 8/10 Bethany Cox

This is a dancing and singing cartoon with lots of barnyard acts. You'll see chickens, ducks and pigs dance, Mickey and his friends playing in a band and, ultimately, Mickey singing and dancing.Back in 1929, this sort of cartoon apparently went over quite well as there were a lot of similar toons by Disney as well as competing studios. However, when seen today, I can't help but think most folks (especially kids) would be bored to tears by the whole thing. There really is no plot. There aren't any real jokes. And, worst of all, there isn't a whole lot of charm to this short. While I will admit that the cartoon is well made compared to other cartoons of 1929, it just isn't fun or entertaining.

'Mickey's Follies' sees cartoonland's favourite mouse putting on a show in true vaudeville style, but this time in the barnyard.So a rooster and a hen dance apache, there is an operatic pig (and a subsequent hoist and underwear gag which would be repeated many times over the live of these shorts), before Mickey introduces his theme song Minnie's Yoo-Hoo. And anyone who has seen the short which presented this song for the Mickey Mouse Club will realise that whoever sang the song in 'Mickey's Follies', it certainly wasn't Walt Disney (who did croak it in the short for the Clubs!).Minnie makes one of her brief appearances here and the short is not without charm. Mickey is still in early design mode as a circular character with rubber legs and arms, but his personality already shines through.