It's fun, it's light, [but] it has a hard time when its tries to get heavy.

I enjoyed watching this film and would recommend other to give it a try , (as I am) but this movie, although enjoyable to watch due to the better than average acting fails to add anything new to its storyline that is all too familiar to these types of movies.

A clunky actioner with a handful of cool moments.

While it doesn't offer any answers, it both thrills and makes you think.

This is the first time I comment on a film I haven't seen.Not that I didn't want to. I bought the Disney Treasures/Mickey in Color 2 DVD set, official edition (not some bootleg) here in Germany. I watched Leonard Maltin announce it in his intro, including a second of snippet.. I watched all 5 hours of the DVDs, bonuses and all.. tried all the menus for hidden Easter eggs.. no luck.As I've met possible censorship on another Treasures DVD just some days ago (Der Fuehrer's Face was missing from Chronological Donald 2 - possibly because displaying swastikas is illegal in today's Germany), I suspect a somewhat similar reason here.. not law, but viewer clearance. The whole Disney cartoons are cleared for age 0 and up. Now if a DVD contains just one item with a higher limit (6/12/16/18), it must display that clearance for the whole bundle.. I suspect that marketing considerations led the German distributor to self-censor and remove Runaway Brain, even though announced by Maltin. I'm really frustrated.Update, July 11, 2011: Now I've watched the film, on YouTube. A nice combination of modern-day dynamics in cartoons with many 1930s themes: the ancient looks of Mickey and Minnie, the King-Kong, mad scientist, brain transplantation themes and so on... very likable! I was surprised that it was produced in France, but hey, that's globalisation...So I'm softening my above point on censorship, too. It certainly exists, but given the Net, there just as certainly are ways around it. By the way: some weeks ago, I also located The Fuehrer's Face on archive.org.

OK, it's not the Mickey of the early to mid 1930s...or is it? Best way I can describe this cartoon is "1930s fun with a late 20th century sense of humor". Mickey's been a difficult character ever since the censors stopped letting him pull on cow's udders, kick cats, and spit...and I think this cartoon manages to bring back his harmless "bad boy" side. Mickey's always been a reflection of everyman, and in this fast-paced short, he's a typical guy of the time...forgetting his girlfriend's anniversary, jumping at scatter-brained get rich quick schemes, but ultimately coming out on top. I know others have criticized his character in this short, but as a cartoonist myself who is very familiar with Mickey's filmography from "Plane Crazy" on, I thought it really quite good. My only criticisms: (1) the backgrounds: wouldn't it be great to have used the soft focus, muted with gray style of the classic 30s Disney shorts (like "the Band Concert", "Clock Cleaners", etc.? It makes the characters stand out so much better. (2) the Pace: as others have stated, the story is paced more like a Roger Rabbit short or Tex Avery than typical Disney. I'm not complaining about this, but as I felt with "Mickey's Christmas Carol" and "Prince & the Pauper" there was far too much "plot" for the film's length. Admittedly, modern audiences, used to MTV/music video editing may find this less a problem. Overall though, a good effort, and any cartoon that continues Mickey's stardom into another century and introduces him to yet another generation is a good thing.PS: "Julius" is Black Pete/Peg-leg Pete/Pete...the cat-ish hulk who has been Mickey's nemesis from the first cartoon...I think many folks missed this. Also, the tune Mickey whistles in the film is "Steamboat Bill" -- very cool insider touch!

I remember seeing this cartoon attached to, I believe, George of the Jungle. I was in my very early teens at the time, and had been a big fan of the old Mickey cartoons since I had owned several on video as a child. But this frightened me. I was 13, and frightened. The old Mickey cartoons had charm, this new thing was fast paced, way too off the wall for a Mickey cartoon, and didn't have any of the Disney Cartoon vibe you would imagine one should have if you are a fan of the old stuff. They were trying so hard to reinvent Mickey, be funny, have the kids of gags that were not typically Disney, and going for more of an adult audience and I do not think it worked AT ALL. I might watch this again one day since it is out on one of the Disney Treasures DVD sets, but it will probably frighten me again even though I'm in my 20's.

This short was nominated for an Academy Award when it came out and I can see why. It's hilarious, exciting and the pace is frenetic and unrelenting. There are also quite a few gags pointed at heavy-duty Disney and/or movie fans, starting with the opening shot of Mickey playing a video game. Look at what he's playing. This is not your grandfather's Mickey. The visuals are great and the gags come almost as fast as the average Tex Avery cartoon.This was recently released on the Disney Treasures Mickey Mouse In Living Color, Volume 2. If you haven't already got it, you probably better hurry. I doubt they'll last too long. The cost on the secondary market will be considerable. The set is great, as are the other Disney Treasures releases. This short is definitely recommended and the Disney Treasures sets cannot be more highly recommended!