M-I-C-K-E-WHYYY

(Posted as part of the Close-Up Blog-a-thon hosted at The House Next Door)

Viewable on VEOH

Only five years after his first appearance in "Steamboat Willie," Mickey Mouse found himself facing the "The Mad Doctor" in a short from 1933.

I saw this close to 40 years ago (on my dad's "regular 8" movie projector) and have never forgotten it.

The title character is a knife welding psychopath who wants to graph the head of Mickey's dog Pluto onto a chicken. Mickey has to make his way through a house of horrors to rescue his beloved pet.

This close-up of the doctor taking a menacing lunge at Pluto still gives me the creeps.

The Disney animator's attention to detail is great. Wearing latex gloves and a white surgical gown (with various "tools" in his pockets), this doctor would feel right at home on the set of "Saw" or "Hostel."






Speaking of "Saw," near the end of the short, Mickey finds himself strapped to a gurney as a buzz saw is lowered from the ceiling.



Was this really made for kids?