Sick Product of a Sick System

It’s fine. It's literally the definition of a fine movie. You’ve seen it before, you know every beat and outcome before the characters even do. Only question is how much escapism you’re looking for.

Let me be very fair here, this is not the best movie in my opinion. But, this movie is fun, it has purpose and is very enjoyable to watch.

The acting is good, and the firecracker script has some excellent ideas.

"Mickey's Grand Opera" is as you probably already guessed from the title a Disney cartoon and a really old one indeed. People having their 80th birthday today did not even live when some of Disney's finest filmmakers and voice actors united for this project. Warner Bros is known for stuff like their cartoon version of The Barber of Seville and others and this one here is perhaps Disney's take on the subject. Referencing music in cartoons was a really big thing back then if you take a look at The Cat Concerto being among Tom & Jerry's best-received works. Not for me though. And this one here disappoints as much. Pluto's early shenanigans were as forgettable as the middle part where we see the stage performance and that fat hen was extremely forgettable to be honest. The ending gives us the best moment of these slightly over 7.5 minutes when all these animals appear. And one given the fact that the two key performers are birds too, even if humanized versions, there is some irony to them trying to chase away the tormentors. It is a color cartoon, but if you see Mickey's and Donald's looks (a bit of a white-feathered Daffy), you will certainly realized that these are still earlier versions of the beloved duck and mouse characters. Poor Mickey only working with fools here. Overall, I give this one a thumbs-down, especially from the comedic perspective it was a disappointment and Mickey may have been the conductor, but he really wasn't as much in charge as you could think when reading the title, probably because he was the only one not causing chaos. But chaos does not equal comedy. Don't watch.

BUILDING ON THE success and artistic acclaim achieved with the release of Mickey Mouse & Company in THE BAND CONCERT, Disney took the next logical step. Taking the Band inside a Concert Hall, adding the visuals of the Opera and bringing new, rising star Donald Duck further into the Spotlight, Walt moved the animation envelope just a little closer to his realization of his true dream of doing a Full Length, Feature Animation Picture.AS IS SO often the case, a cartoon will follow the inter-related actions of two or three characters. In this manner, a story can freely and naturally develop the gags that will both drive the story and please the funny-bone.IN THE CASE of this picture, we contrast Mickey's earnest attention with both Pluto's animal curiosity and Donald Duck's inaudible and confusing singing in the lead male role on stage.AS FAR AS the participation by familiar Disney character, there is a quick drop-off in numbers. In the Orchestra Pit we have only Goofy and Clarabelle Cow. The rest of the various sections are populated with some cookie-cutter dog characters. Then there is Donald and the Hen from THE WISE LITTLE HEN; which was Donald's first picture.THAT WAS ONLY two years earlier; proving how rapidly the Duck's star was rising.

Mickey's Grand Opera is very special to me, as I love the Disney Silly Symphonies and I love opera, so this was a perfect match. I always had loved this cartoon, and I still do. The animation is not jaw-dropping, but it still has beautiful colours with nice light and dark contrasts and all the backgrounds and characters are well drawn. The music is outstanding, not just the energetic background music, but also the inclusion of the Prelude of Act 3 of Wagner's Lohengrin and Clara and Donald butchering with hilarious results the Quartet Bella Figlia D'Amore from Verdi's Rigoletto, she with her high-pitched clucks, he with his guttural quacks, and then there's the chaos going on and off stage as well. The story, really starting to get going after Pluto finds the hat, is simple, but well-paced and not too routine, but other than the music it was the characters and gags that made Mickey's Opera House. Mickey is not the centre of the action but here as the role of conductor he is the one who controls it. His repeated Go Homes are quite harsh, even for the usually kindly Mickey, and evokes sympathy for Pluto. Clara and Donald are hilarious, especially when Donald gets his sword stuck and then gets a frog stuck in his throat(reminding one of Orphans' Picnic), but it's Pluto, especially with the hat that is the cause of all the conflict and chaos, that steals the show for me. The birds and rabbits flying out of the hat, after it falls down the tuba, over the orchestra was an inspired touch, I liked the brief cameos of Clarabelle and Goofy(on flute and violin respectively) and the ending is just hilarious. All in all, a classic and heartily recommended. 10/10 Bethany Cox

Eesh, if I were making an Opera I would NOT cast a hen as the fat lady. Sorry. She's just awful, that noise...ugh! I think Disney should have realized her singing would have put people off! The 1 minute shot of her just singing was too much to bear.As usual for a Disney cartoon, calamity is not far behind. Backstage Pluto is being tormented by rabbits in a top hat, conductor Mickey is desperately trying to keep the Opera from falling apart and Donald has trouble with his acting skills and prodding stuff with his sword prop.The audience gets a fair chuckle as everything goes badly. And the cartoon ends on an abrupt note, as many Disney toons do. Mildly funny.