Mickey's Fire Brigade (1935)

This is a rare cartoon that features all three of Disney's biggest stars: Mickey, Donald and Goofy. Here, they are fire fighters trying to save a boarding house and rescue the singing Clarabelle Cow.But of course, as with any Disney cartoon with slapstick comedy, fighting the fires weren't a piece of cake and the flames literally fight back, which I thought was a little too incredible and silly as you want our heroes to win. But, it's still pretty entertaining. I especially liked Donald Duck, in his earlier roles, shouting and swinging at the live flames using his hot-fiery temper! Goofy was as goofy as ever, being the first to spot the oblivious Clarabelle Cow, and Mickey Mouse just tried too hard to control the fire engine! One of the funniest earlier Mickey, Donald, Goofy cartoons.Grade B

A Walt Disney MICKEY MOUSE Cartoon.It's MICKEY'S FIRE BRIGADE (Mickey, Donald & Goofy) to the rescue when Clarabelle Cow's boarding house goes up in flames.It is unthinkable that something as horrific as a house fire could ever be humorous, but the Disney animators have wrung every possible laugh out of a frightful situation. Clarabelle gives conclusive proof at one point that the 'udder problem' which plagued her earlier career is now no longer a consideration. Walt Disney provides the voice for Mickey; Clarence Nash does the honors for Donald.Walt Disney (1901-1966) was always intrigued by pictures & drawings. As a lad in Marceline, Missouri, he sketched farm animals on scraps of paper; later, as an ambulance driver in France during the First World War, he drew comic figures on the sides of his vehicle. Back in Kansas City, along with artist Ub Iwerks, Walt developed a primitive animation studio that provided animated commercials and tiny cartoons for the local movie theaters. Always the innovator, his ALICE IN CARTOONLAND series broke ground in placing a live figure in a cartoon universe. Business reversals sent Disney & Iwerks to Hollywood in 1923, where Walt's older brother Roy became his lifelong business manager & counselor. When a mildly successful series with Oswald The Lucky Rabbit was snatched away by the distributor, the character of Mickey Mouse sprung into Walt's imagination, ensuring Disney's immortality. The happy arrival of sound technology made Mickey's screen debut, STEAMBOAT WILLIE (1928), a tremendous audience success with its use of synchronized music. The SILLY SYMPHONIES soon appeared, and Walt's growing crew of marvelously talented animators were quickly conquering new territory with full color, illusions of depth and radical advancements in personality development, an arena in which Walt's genius was unbeatable. Mickey's feisty, naughty behavior had captured millions of fans, but he was soon to be joined by other animated companions: temperamental Donald Duck, intellectually-challenged Goofy and energetic Pluto. All this was in preparation for Walt's grandest dream - feature length animated films. Against a storm of doomsayers, Walt persevered and over the next decades delighted children of all ages with the adventures of Snow White, Pinocchio, Dumbo, Bambi & Peter Pan. Walt never forgot that his fortunes were all started by a mouse, or that childlike simplicity of message and lots of hard work always pay off.

Surely one of the greatest short cartoons ever made. Second for second, this is the most action packed cartoon i've ever seen. Mickey donald and goofy battle a big house fire and rescue clarabelle cow. The opening sequence is the title of the cartoon burning up and it pulls back to reveal the house on fire. The music in these 1935 mickey mouse cartoons is always spot on, adding to the drama. The flames are anthropomorphic ones, i.e they are animated, they run around like kids, they have legs, they grab windows and shut them etc. It's a visual feast of a cartoon,and it clocks in under 8 minutes. It's the kind of thing they don't do anymore, but it is available on dvd with all the colour 1935-1938 mickey mouse cartoons, and these are worth seeing.

Mickey, Donald and Goofy are fire fighters in this amazing piece of animation. Some of the scenes are just spectacular. Mickey's fight with an out of control water hose is incredible and Donald's battle with an army of flames forshadows The Sorcerer's Apprentice segment of Fantasia. This one is not to be missed.