Mickey's Polo Team (1936)

hyped garbage

Best movie ever!

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

Worth seeing just to witness how winsome it is.

Even if the title "Mickey's Polo Team" could make you think it is. This is a color cartoon from Disney 1936, so it had its 80th anniversary last year. To put it in perspective that it's maybe easier to imagine is that this was the year when Hitler held the Olympic Games in Berlin three years before WWII. Director is prolific Disney animator David Hand and this film he made here is a tribute to some of the biggest stars of the 1930s. Admittedly, it is difficult for me to think of a more boring sport than polo really, but these characters make it somehow worth checking out. Mickey despite being the title character is really insignificant here though, even the Wolf has more material with his blowing scene and this scene also shows right away that several familiar faces are also in the stands. But Donald has a couple baity scenes and the film stars steal the show otherwise. I liked that the animals look exactly like (or symbolize) the characters sitting on them, not just Donald's, but especially when it comes to the silent film stars like Laurel, Hardy or Chaplin of course too. Anyway, I maybe do not really like this film that much because of the action because after all it is really just polo still, but I think it is a nice tribute to its era and also includes a lot of worth by today's standards and helps this generation and future generations in not forgetting who these icons were, like in my case already I had no idea who they guy with the blond curls was. Shame on me, I guess. I highly recommend these slightly under 10 minutes, one of 1936's finest.

This is a crazy cartoon featuring Mickey Mouse, Donald Duck and his friends who face off against a team of celebrities in a polo match. It's nice seeing the celebrities represented in this cartoon - Laurel and Hardy, Harpo Marx and Charlie Chaplin. There are even familiar-looking faces in the audience stands as well including Shirley Temple, Clark Gable, the Three Little Pigs and the Hare from Tortoise and the Hare.Plenty of slapstick stuff, but the appearance of the many characters seem to be the only fun thing about this cartoon short. Other than that, the story just consists of lots of running and around and chaotic game-play. Not much entertainment here.Grade D+

CALLING ON HIS own personal experiences with the gentlemanly game of Polo, Mr. Disney no doubt had the inspiration for the premise for this Mickey picture. Polo, long the province of the wealthy, was an activity in which both the producers and stars participated-if only to prove that they can! THERE IS NO doubt that the subject matter of also hearkened to the older title MICKEY'S GALA PREMIER (1936); which was a well receiver and box office $ucce$$. It also was a veritable "Who's Who" of cartoon caricature; boasting of over 50 lampooning drawings.IN THE CHOICE of the rosters of actors vs. animation, comedy ruled. Therefore, the "Live Action" people was composed of Stan Laurel & Oliver Hardy, Charlie Chaplin and Harpo. Mickey joined forces with the Big Bad Wolf, the Goof (Goofy) and rising star, Donald Duck.IN AN EFFORT to extend the laughs, each player might have a mount, which both resembled its rider; as well as taking on some of the riders' peculiar idiosyncrasies. For example: Donald Duck rode a donkey, Laurel had a long faced & scruffy haired look-alike, Hardy's was a stout & fully-figured draft-horse and Harpo rode an Ostrich, complete with top hat and blonde fright wig.THE MATCH WAS capably refereed by rugged Western-action star, Jack Holt; being a perfect neutral and authority figure.IN SELECTING THE membership of the Gallery who viewed the proceedings, the bleachers were filled with caricatured versions of stars of the day, interspersed with a selection of 'veteran' characters from previous Disney offerings. For example, little Miss Shirley Temple is seated and cheering along with The Three Little Pigs.THE RESULTING GAGS were executed in perfect timing to coincide with the particular brand of humor that was specialty of that character. Once again, Chaplin & horse skipped and had a bit of business with the goal posts, Laurel & Hardy had a protracted routine in helping Ollie to remount his pony, Harpo & Ostrich both silently mimed their reactions to the moving scrum of mounted players' charging and reversing field.FINALLY, BY THIS time in 1936, Disney was doing his MICKEY shorts (and all others) in Technicolor; as he had been doing his SILLY SYMPHONIES for several years. The color work here is as fine as any and aids in amplifying both the action and the Fun.AND ISN'T THAT the bottom line?

I can't help but to think of the making of the short and Walt Disney's obsession with the game of polo. In reviewing an article by Wade Sampson titled Horsing Around with Walt, we are reminded that it was directed by Dave Hand, who had to be preoccupied with is upcoming directorial responsibilities for Snow White. Additionally, I learned that there was supposed to be considerable footage devoted to a caricature of Will Rogers, a polo-playing pal of Walt Disney. The fact that Rogers died in a plane crash while Mickey's Polo Team was in production led to his caricature being removed from the cartoon. The short emerged as a homage to polo in Hollywood in the 1930s and the many entertainers who played or attended the matches. The actor's used to have their polo handicaps published in Variety. The hanks on the field of Mickey's Polo Team were indicative of the feelings about the game in Los Angeles at the time. The fact that I, too, am a polo fan might shade my judgment of the short, but I found it very amusing.