The Golden Touch (1935)

I love this movie so much

Good story, Not enough for a whole film

There's no way I can possibly love it entirely but I just think its ridiculously bad, but enjoyable at the same time.

This is one of the best movies I’ve seen in a very long time. You have to go and see this on the big screen.

"The Golden Touch" is an old Disney cartoon and at 10 minutes this one's a bit longer than they usually are. Director is Disney himself and the voice acting is provided by the prolific and successful Billy Bletcher. Here we have the story of King Midas that many know I am sure and really in an animated form, you cannot make it better than it is here. The looks are absolutely amazing for a film that is over 80 years old and there is a great deal of wit in here and a memorable lesson in terms of morale. Maybe you could say that the fun/comedy component is not existent here and you would be right, the somewhat funny onions comment at the very end cannot change that. But it's not a problem at all. The darker skeleton references make obvious anyway that this is not a Disney cartoon for the little ones, but teenagers and everybody above the agee can and should check this one out. We should be thankful for the huge treasure of quality films Disney left us and this is just one coin in the chest. Really loved the ending too because when he has almost nothing except a burger and his underwear is the first time he is really happy and not only tells us this film to not be greedy, but also to appreciate the little things in life, not just food-wise, that we often take for granted. This Silly Simphony is as close to a must-see as I was giving it an even higher rating. Maybe on rewatch. But I sure recommend it very much.

This 1935 short was Walt Disney's first time directing in 5 years (he wasn't entirely satisfied with his cartoon directors during this stage) and was his last effort at directing ever. He also hated this cartoon for undisclosed reasons.It features King Midas, the greedy ruler of legend who craved gold and wishes for everything he touches to turn shiny and priceless. An elf called Goldie (gee, that's imaginative) appears and offers to make that wish come true. Midas enjoys it at first but soon comes to realize that the best things are life are those that you can touch and hold close to you. Or at least he would if the cartoon didn't just have him grow frustrated at not being able to eat dinner.There is some nice animation in here, but overall it's forgettable. Respect Walt's wishes and skip it.

There was only one thing really that I didn't like about The Golden Touch was the ending, the whole idea that King Midas lost everything for a hamburger didn't convince me and came across as absurd instead. Then again, that's just me having one of my personal thoughts. Otherwise it is a great cartoon, that sadly gets a lot of hate(even from Walt Disney himself!) for some reason which I'd love to find out, especially when there are far worse Silly Symphonies out there(El Terrible Toreador for instance). Why did I love this cartoon? The animation is absolutely great, colourful and fluid throughout, with the standouts being how things turn to gold and the chilling part where Midas sees the skeleton through the mirror in his own robes, and complete with one of the catchiest beginning songs of any Silly Symphony the music is energetic and really sets the tone of the story well. The jokes are very clever, and while it is a tad predictable once Goldie offers Midas the golden touch the story is crisply paced and charming with a great message about how self-destructive greed is, though I have always wondered what happened to the cat once he's turned to gold. What is remarkable about The Golden Touch, other than the sprightly character of Goldie was the portrayal of Midas, who is so much more than the one-dimensional figure he could've been, instead he is greedy, but also subtle, pretty likable and you do feel sorry for him at the end. All in all, not a masterpiece but a great cartoon. 9/10 Bethany Cox

A nice version of the story of King Midas and his wish-turned-curse. I chuckled when I noticed the 18K that appeared on the cat when it was turned to gold. I also loved his giddy little dance for joy upon using his new talent for the first time. His first realization for the curse of the golden touch occurs with him being squirted in the eye with gold coins by his grapefruit, which continues with a series of problems resulting in his whining about the possibility of the richest king starving to death. The fact that he is deemed wise because he asked for a hamburger (with onions) is one of those details laced with a little bit of absurdity that you don't notice at first but make you crack up later during a little afterthought. The song at the beginning is nice; my favorite verse would have to be: "I've never cared for women / I've never cared for wine / But when I count / A large amount / Of money - Ha Ha / It's Divine!" It has something for everyone and is short enough so that the gags don't go stale. Enjoy.