Brave Little Tailor (1938)

Mickey Mouse is a tailor in a fairy tale town that has been ravaged by a giant. One day he kills seven flies, all at once. His bragging is mistaken for a claim to have killed seven giants with one blow. He is charged with the task of killing the aforementioned ogre. He is promised great wealth and the princess (Minnie) if he can do the job. He struggles to avoid the task but is soon out there in no man's land. Of course, the giant appears and it is his job to use his skills to accomplish things. The town is wonderfully colorful and the animation excellent. It never ceases to amaze me how brilliant the animation is in something produced in 1938. Very good job.

"Brave Little Tailor" is Walt Disney's take on the David vs. Goliath story. Mickey plays the main character and manages to kill seven flies at once. Sadly the townsfolk misunderstand and believe he killed seven giants at one. And as there is a giant coming closer to terrorize the place, Mickey is appointed to protect everybody. Oh well.. maybe it would have been better if he hadn't managed to kill a single one of these flies. Anyway, now he is in deep trouble and we see him go against the giant. Back in 1939, 4 of 5 nominees at the Oscars for Best Cartoon were Disney movies. This one was among them, but lost to "Ferdinand the Bull". I would say these two are on par in terms of quality, both good watches, but neither among Disney's best really. Still I recommend them and the thing I found the funniest here was maybe that all the townspeople looked a lot like Goofy. The director and the actor who voiced the giant worked on a couple real Disney classics such as Bambi and Dumbo. The actress who voices Minnie did so in many other cartoons. And then, of course there is Walt Disney's unique Mickey voice. It's a really good team and one of the reasons why this one here succeeded. Recommended.

This is one of the best (and well-known) Mickey cartoons of all time. And it's also another cartoon where Mickey goes against a giant like in the 1933 short "Giantland" and "Mickey and The Beanstalk" for the 1947 film "Fun and Fancy Free". Also this cartoon is a favorite of mine. The short is based on the fairy-tale by The Grimm Brothers with Mickey as the tailor who killed seven flies "with one blow!" Of course, everyone mistook the flies for seven giants and they thought Mickey is a giant-killer. The short was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Short Subject; but the award went to the short "Ferdinand The Bull." I love the main title theme music. Also I love the scene where everyone spreads the story of Mickey killing seven giants. And the rumor then reaches the ears of the king and his daughter Princess Minnie.

This short, nominated for an Oscar for 1938, is the best color Mickey Mouse short, certainly and maybe the best short ever starring this most illustrious of rodents. Because of a misapprehension of a simple declarative sentence, our stalwart sets out on a course to become a somewhat reluctant hero. Well-executed and with Disney's usual attention to detail, this is an excellent cartoon, but it had the great misfortune to come out in the same year as an equally marvelous cartoon (also made by Disney) and so did not bring home the statuette for Walt. Most recommended.