Mickey and the Beanstalk (1947)

The Worst Film Ever

Save your money for something good and enjoyable

Admirable film.

I really wanted to like this movie. I feel terribly cynical trashing it, and that's why I'm giving it a middling 5. Actually, I'm giving it a 5 because there were some superb performances.

. . ."Been there, done that," then at some point in your life (maybe Headstart, or perhaps at Happy Hippo Daycare) you've doubtless seen MICKEY AND THE BEANSTALK. As you probably half-remember it, "Happy Valley's" election year begins with the Singing Harp warbling away her "I'm with Hillary" Happy Song. But midst the Second Debate a Giant Shadow darkens Happy Valley, stealing Hillary's Harp away. "Happy Valley became Gruesome Gulch," states MICKEY AND THE BEANSTALK narrator Ludwig Von Drake. "You can't get away from Willie!" the Blowhard Giant soon threatens Hillary Harp after morphing from her husband President Willie the Crack Cigar Poker to simply Will-He Poke Mine with his ACCE$$ H0LLYWOOOD pudgy digits during a Live TV Debate? Needless to say, Mickey, Donald "Don't Call Me Trump!" Duck, and Goofy must escape Willie Nilly when American Tsar Putin's Dark Shadows send even the Thief of Bragdad fleeing down the Beanstalk. Is there any hope for a Happy Ending in Happy Valley? Only the Shadow knows.

Yay, memories! This is one I hold very dear to my heart. Right behind Pinocchio, it's actually my second favourite ever Disney work, even more so than the other Disney movies that I personally consider great, because it hits me with just the right kind of precious warm nostalgic magic that is so rare. Whenever I'd watch it as a kid, and it would show the magically captivating opening sequence where Happy Valley is 'imagined' into existence, I would always want to live there for the seconds before the place is shrouded by the mysterious and sinister shadow that steals away the land-enriching harp and quickly renders it a most UNhappy valley! Oh my god - the "My What A Happy Day" song!!! Such a cheerfully sunny and uplifting introduction that is infectiously charming! We always got a huge laugh out of the bull's solo! I challenge anyone to watch that whole sequence and not get a big smile on their face. One of the funnest elements is that it features all three of the most famous Disney characters, which is something that I always enjoyed in all the animations they were in together, as they just played off each other so effortlessly. And their chemistry here is top notch, with Mickey being the hero and heart of the team, and Donald and Goofy the slapstick. Goofy's my least favourite, but I do love his duet with Donald where they're singing all about food, watching that part always makes me wanna eat so bad! You can't count on a duck for squat when the going gets tough.. Donald gets one of his all-time best moments when he briefly goes stark raving mad from starvation when they have to split the last bean and slice of bread three ways! It's so hysterical when he snaps at the narrator to "Shaddap! I can't stand it!!!", then proceeds to eat the dishes! And then the way he looks so deranged as he grabs the handy viking axe off the wall and goes after the poor cow! I'm probably in the minority here, but why exactly are they so against eating the cow? Donald had a valid point - kill the cow and get the meat, Bossy's got to go! ::: My favourite scene is when the harp sings "In My Favourite Dream." It's very beautiful and soothing. Oh sweet maiden of the harp, you and your delightfully enchanting song of perfect melodious peace - I could listen to it all day, *forever!* I really enjoy the amazingly intricate and intertwining animation of the vines during the fantastic beanstalk growing sequence. It's so expertly done the way the motions of the creepers move to the music, and how they're given a kind of personality by how they react to the characters as they grow about them in their sleep. Now just how they managed to remain asleep through such chaos is anybody's guess! I love Willie the giant as the villain because he's a tad more interesting than just being a brainless oaf. Which he kind of is too, a lovable dope, but he alternates between playful dumb kid and threatening bad guy real quickly. It is pretty creepy. And he's a real menace for the gang to escape from when it gets to the big finale. And he was a magic giant too! I'd forgotten that the last time I saw this. The song that he introduces himself with is very strange and catchy. And the ending where he's tiptoeing around Hollywood in search of Mickey I always found such a surreal and odd way to end it, but it fits. Practically perfect, it's funny, thrilling and even though it's not a movie it has the look and feel of one of the studio's feature-length animated works. What a beautifully imagined and put together little classic. Pure bliss.

When I first viewed Mickey and the Beanstalk with my toddler son approximately 16 years ago, I saw it as more than a retelling of an old fairy tale. Later, while watching a documentary about the devastation wrought upon a real life "Happy Valley", the Owens River Valley, I was reminded of my initial impression of the back story of this short film - the drought and desolation in Happy Valley caused by the theft of the harp as a veiled metaphor for the appropriation of water resources by the GIANT burgeoning metropolis of Los Angeles under the direction of "Willie" Mulholland. Streams and brooks sing or are musical in their own way. Diversion of riparian resources can cause calamity. A giant municipality that diverts water for its own use can leave the former beneficiaries of those resources woefully lacking the wherewithal to prosper or even survive.If the writers used the foundation for the plot of this short animated film as an opportunity for political protest or commentary, they may have done so secretly, fearing that their theme might be edited from the film or that they might suffer reprisal. I'd like to believe that Walt Disney, whom I believe had a social conscience, left the metaphor in the film but didn't publicize it so as not to cause undue controversy around a film that was intended as children's entertainment. I'd appreciate comments about this subject, especially from anyone who has knowledge of the intentions of the writers, directors, or producer.

Just after WWII, Disney released a feature film ("Fun & Fancy Free") that was actually just two shorts strung very tenuously together. The same thing happened with "Make Mine Music" and "The Adventures of Ichabod and Mr. Toad". And, for the most part, these shorter films were of lesser quality and don't stack up all that well with the best of the studio.As for "Mickey and the Beanstalk", it is the film that makes up the second half of "Fun & Fancy Free". The first half is a very lame short, "Bongo"--and the less said about that dull cartoon the better! Because of that, I'd recommend seeing a copy of "Mickey and the Beanstalk" on its own--without the first portion. I've seen it marketed that way on several Disney DVDs and videotapes. The only major difference is that the live action portion that accompanies "Mickey and the Beanstalk" from "Fun & Fancy Free" is missing--though some of Edgar Bergen's narration is there--along with new narration by Sterling Holloway. While I miss the cute live action portions (Charlie McCarthy had some nice lines in it), it's just more compact and enjoyable on its own. Not a great short--but well made and entertaining--and a variation on the earlier Disney short "The Brave Little Tailor"--which, incidentally, is actually better than "Mickey and the Beanstalk".