My Top 30 Classic Disney Shorts

  Good old Mickey Mouse and friends … back when I was a little kid, I loved the classic Disney cartoons more than anything else in the genera. All these years later, I still think the world of these characters. Mickey Mouse, Goofy, Minnie Mouse, Pluto, and especially Donald Duck all have a secure placement among my all-time favorite animated characters, and the countless mini-ventures they’ve had over the millennia will always have a special place in my nostalgic heart. As such, I thought it was finally time to stop, and rank my own personal favorite Disney shorts … five for each of the four main Disney players, along with my top five favorite ensemble shorts.

  Before I get started, I need to set some conditions … firstly, I won’t be including any segments from any theatrical pictures like “Fantasia” or “Fun and Fancy, Free”, as something like “The Sorcerer’s Apprentice” would be too easy, and too obvious to pick. 

Also, sorry to any fans of the “Silly Symphony” shorts, but I feel those could be a topic for their own list … this list is specifically for the main Disney characters. Lastly, for me, my favorite time-span of Micky’s classic Disney shorts was from 1935 through 1955, and as such, I won’t be including any shorts from either before or after that twenty-year span. With all that said, let’s get to it … here are my personal Top Thirty Favorite Classic Disney Shorts.

 

My Top 5 Favorite Pluto Shorts 

Of the Big 4 Disney characters, Pluto is admittedly the one I love the least, mainly because I liked him best as a supporting player in the Mickey Mouse cartoons as opposed to the star of his own segments. Still, every dog has his day, and Pluto has certainly shined in some decent shorts. Before I reveal my top five favorites, here are some quick Honorable Mentions that I just couldn’t fit on my countdown … “Society Dog Show” (1939), “Bone Trouble” (1940), “Canine Caddy” (1941). With those addressed, here are my five favorite Pluto shorts …

 

#5 “Pluto in Dutch” (1946) 

  Over the years, Pluto has had a number of romantic entanglements with other female dogs, and for whatever reason, this is my favorite of Pluto’s love interests. In a rare case, Pluto is not Mickey’s pet, and instead is a delivery dog of sorts, bringing bottles of milk to the people of Holland. One day, he finds himself smitten with a pretty Dutch dog, who likewise returns the affection. The two are so full of cheer, they don’t realize they accidently cause a stir in the town, and are suddenly banished. 

As the two try to comfort each-other, they soon realize water leaking out of the mountain side which supports the town. The two then devise a plan, she stays to secure the water, while Pluto uses his mischief to get the towns peoples attention. Needless to say, Pluto and the little Dutch dog make for a very sweet pair, with some adorable moments, and I like that they work together to save the day, where-as in most other romantic Pluto ventures, the shorts culminate with him rescuing the girl from a burning building or the antagonistic bull-dog Butch. In the end, it’s just a sweet little short, and worth watching just for the animation on the characters … including the silliest Pluto face I’ve ever seen.  

 

#4 “Pluto’s Judgment Day” (1935) 

  Disney had a positive way of conveying timeless morals to kids … all except for episodes like this, in which he scared the kids into taking his message to heart. Well, I don't think anything scared kids more than this short, in which ... Pluto goes to Hell. Mickey's dog Pluto is a real bully toward cats, and his actions of chasing them down lead to a terrifying nightmare. Pluto gets captured by a hellish underground cat cult, who put him on trial, and sentence him to death by way of burning. 

So, in other words, kids need to learn to be good or they’ll suffer by burning at the steak … I guess that’s one way to make sure the message sticks with you. Seeing poor Pluto chained up and tortured in this episode is unpleasant enough, but we also learn that he’s responsible for the death of some cats, which really makes this a darker Disney venture than usual. Actually, some of the animation in this episode can get quiet terrifying, especially this one red robbed cat prosecutor. It may not be the most enjoyable Disney episode to watch, but it’s undeniably one of their most memorable spooky outings.

 

#3 “Pueblo Pluto” (1949) 

  While Mickey and Pluto are out on vacation in the American Southwest, Pluto gets himself a tasty new buffalo Bone, which gets the attention of a mischievous little puppy called Ronnie. Pluto naturally doesn’t want to share his prized bone, which only provokes Ronnie to snatch it, and hide in a cactus patch. It becomes a prickly dilemma for Pluto to both pursue the little thief, and escape through all the cacti. 

In a nice little nod to the spooky forest scene from “Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs”, the animation gets a little creepy, as the ever-imposing patch begin to take on the likeness of scary monsters. Ronnie then decides to help Pluto escape this predicament, a friendship ensues, and Pluto finally decides to share his special bone. This is just a wonderful short, with funny situations, memorable animation, and the puppy Ronnie is absolutely adorable … in fact, he’s one of my favorite guest characters from any Disney short.   

 

#2 “Pluto’s Christmas Tree” (1952) 

   When it comes to the classic Disney Christmas shorts, this particular one has always stood out as something special, and absolutely one of Pluto’s best. The time has come to decorate the house for Christmas, so the ever-positive Mickey Mouse goes out into the woods to cut down a tree. The one he selects just happens to be the home of the mischievous chipmunks Chip N’ Dale. While decorating, Mickeys dog Pluto discovers the two, and tries his best to get them out of their new Christmas tree, before they cause any more trouble. 

For an old 1950’s cartoon, the animation looks really good, and nearly every frame of this short is popping with all the right Christmas visuals and colors. It’s cool to venture through the interiors of a lit-up Christmas tree, and there’s some entertaining holiday hi-jinks along the way. The final scene features cameo appearances from various other Disney cartoon classics like Donald, Goofy and Mini, who all come together to sing Christmas carols, and it’s the perfect holiday icing for this cake.  

 

#1 “Lend a Paw” (1941) 

  Without question, 1941’s “Lend a Paw” is one of my all-time favorite Disney shorts, and for me, is the high-point of Pluto’s animated career. It’s actually a remake of an earlier animated short from 1933 called “Mickey's Pal Pluto”, and proof that sometimes a remake is better. Just how good is this short … well … it’s the only Mickey related Cartoon to win the Academy Award for Best Animated Short! When Pluto rescues a little kitten from drowning, he finds himself stuck with a new friend … much to his dismay. Soon, the kitten becomes the center of attention for Mickey Mouse, which makes Pluto intensely jealous. 

His emotions conjure-up the figurative shoulder devil and angel, and they put Pluto’s morality to the test. As far back as I can remember, this was the first time I ever saw the carton cliché of a shoulder Angel and Devil, and had me thinking at a young age of the ongoing battle of good and evil that wages within each of us. There was also a decent Donald Duck cartoon I grew-up with called “Donald's Decision”, which had a similar premise … but personally, I feel “Lend a Paw” is stronger, with the more emotional resolution … and as a side note, the kitten in this short is so cute, I always wanted it to stay as Mickeys second pet.         

 

My Top 5 Goofy Shorts 

   No-One takes a wallop like Goofy, as he is the most direct when it comes to slap-stick comedy, and has quiet the variety of funny offerings. Sometimes, he’s just the regular family man, who can never keep-up with the world around him. Other times, it’s a world populated with different Goofy’s, which makes for a great variety in animated reactions, and all-out mayhem. Sometimes, just him in a silly situation is funny enough … but either way, he's always a delight. Before I count down my personal top-five favorites, here are some quick honorable mentions that just couldn’t make it … “Two Weeks’ Vacation” (1952), “How to Play Football” (1944), “The Big Wash” (1948). With those addressed, here are my five favorite Goofy shorts …  

 

#5 “Father’s Lion” (1952) 

   It’s summer time, and Goofy is taking his son out camping, teaching him how to hunt, and all while exaggerating in fantasies of his heroic experiences. As the two set-up camp, a hungry lion singles them out for a tasty meal. Unfortunately for the carnivores beast, Goofy is almost too good at keeping his son safe, as his regular activates around camp result in a number of painful mishaps for the lion. This is personally my favorite of the shorts with Goofy as a family-man, as it’s a refreshing turn around on his formula. 

Typically, his antics only have a negative effect on himself, but this time his antics are having a negative effect on an outside danger, without Goofy ever realizing what’s going on, and it only adds to his son’s delusions of his father as a hunter who knows what he’s doing. While the lion is a consistent danger to them both, the amount of slap-stick it endures begins to make me feel bad for it. It’s just a funny outing, and even Goofy’s personality is refreshingly different from what you’d normally expect. By the way, His son in this short is voiced by Bobby Driscoll, who was a regular Disney talent, staring in “Song of the South”, “So Dear to my Heart”, “Treasure Island”, and would eventually be the lead voice of “Peter Pan”.     

 

#4 “Baggage Buster” (1941) 

  Goofy takes on the seemingly simple job of taking out baggage from a train … but what he wasn’t counting on was a magic trunk from a magicians show. Naturally, being Goofy … it takes one slip-up for things to go out of control, and like dominos toppling over … the whole situation with this magic box only escalates into cause. 

Aside from cameo appearances from Pluto and Ferdinand the Bull, Goofy is the only character on screen, and the variety of looney things to happen to him provided much laughter to me when I was a kid. When I think of classic Goofy, stuck in a crazy situation, with non-stop slap-stick, this is one of the first shorts that come to mind. It had me laughing as a kid, and looking back as an adult, I find myself appreciating the creativity and imagination on display.      

 

#3 “Hockey Homicide” (1945) 

   Goofy has had a number of sports themed shorts, in which all the players are Goofy, and I’ll be honest, it wasn’t easy to single out a favorite. In the end, I find his “How to Play Hockey” to be the funniest, as the slap-stick is all on point, and I feel it has the best payoff. Part of the appeal of seeing Goofy as an ensemble is that he’s no-longer bound to a single character persona, and thus, the animators can get away with more insane, aggressive, and even angry Goofy faces. 

We also have a faceless narrator emphasizing good sportsmanship … only to be countered by the violence of the players. The slap-stick violence during the game is fast, funny, and full of detail. However, the cherry on top of this episode is the ending … in which the game gets so intense, that the audience gets caught-up in the action, rush the ice, and a full-on brawl ensues. Everyone gets so wrapped up in the moment that no-one notices both Hockey teams have stopped playing, and have become the audience themselves watching the cause unfold. It’s not only funny, but there’s even decent commentary laced within all this slap-stick, and that’s when I find comedy is at it’s best.

 

#2 “How to be a Detective” (1952) 

   Goofy in general delivers light, kid-friendly comedy, but this is a rare case in which we see Goofy in a “Dark Comedy” … like … this is Goofy crazy dark! For this funny venture, Goofy is a Private Eye, and on the case of a missing person called “Al”, at the request of a mysterious fem-fatale. Through the course of the night, he follows a suspicious weasel, and finds himself budding heads with his boss, who’s none other than famous Disney rouge Pete. 

The short plays out as a loving nod to classic “Film Noir”, with great attention to the look, tone, and feel of the environment. While there’s a number of really funny gags, I mainly love this episode for this distinct atmosphere and mood, which is so different from traditional Goofy. The cartoon violence on display is also kind of shocking, and would probably never be seen in a Disney cartoon today. Everything builds to an exciting car chase climax, which again is equal parts funny, and genuinely thrilling.     

 

#1 “Motor Mania” (1950) 

  We’ve seen Goofy as his traditional clumsy self … but the 1950 short titled “Motor Mania” has always been my personal favorite, simply because we see goofy acting in two polar opposite extremes from how we know him best. The set-up is that Goofy plays Mr. Walker, the kindest and most gentle soul you could possibly cross paths with. However, once he gets behind the wheel of a car, he suddenly goes through a Mr. Hyde-type transformation into a man called Mr. Wheeler, a very loud, mean and reckless individual, who’s impulses always get the worst of him. 

I distinctly remember as a kid being both frightened and excited to see such a familiar and lovable character like Goofy, suddenly take on this frightening beast of an individual and design. Putting the novelty of an outlandish Goofy depiction aside, this cartoon is also poignant for its topic of road rage, and how it’s a reoccurring issue with every new generation of drivers. This episode even received the Buyer Trophy for the best film on traffic safety. It’s darkly humorous, yet thoughtful in subtext, and it’s my personal favorite Goofy Cartoon.      

 

My Top 5 Donald Duck Shorts 

While Mickey can be described as a kid prone to innocent mischief, Donald is a kid prone to anger, and when things don’t go his way, it’s typically his own doing. Back when I was a kid, Donald Duck was my favorite of all the Disney characters, as he was the one I laughed at the most, and more often than not, felt like he deserved what he got. He was also kind of relatable, as he frequently tried to just have a good day, only for everything to just go wrong for him, and his temper never helped. Before I count down my personal top-five favorites, here are some quick honorable mentions that just couldn’t make it … “Donald's Decision” (1941), “Don’s Fountain of Youth” (1953), “Orphan's Picnic” (1936). With those addressed, here are my five favorite Donald Duck shorts … 

 

#5 “Donald Duck and the Gorilla” (1944) 

  Donald sure had a way of getting on the bad-side of other animals, and for me, one of his most exciting encounters was … Donald and the Gorilla. In this spooky venture, Donald and his nephews Huey, Dewy and Louie find themselves at the mercy of a giant gorilla, who just escaped from the zoo, and is terrorizing their home. Thus, it becomes a dark adventure, with characters roaming about the house in an effort to get rid of the invading Gorilla … or at the very least, avoid getting eaten. 

It’s refreshing that not every spooky themed Disney short needed either the common images or elements we associate with Halloween to leave an impression. Sometimes, all you need is a dark and stormy night … with an unwanted house guest making a surprise visit. Again, despite not featuring any of the staples of Halloween, it still invokes an atmosphere of the holiday, especially when your comfortable home becomes the setting for a dangerous game of cat and mouse … or in this case, frightened duck and angry gorilla.

 

#4 “Donald's Dilemma” (1947) 

  Here’s a rare Donald Duck cartoon, in which all the events are seen from the perspective of love interest Daisy Duck. One day when out on a stroll, Donald accidentally gets knocked on the head by a flower-pot, and awakens a different person … one with an apparent talent for singing … but zero feelings for Daisy. Suddenly, Donald’s new voice brings him fame and fortune, all while Daisy is drowning in her sorrows hoping to get her boy-friend back. 

What follows is a hilarious satire of psychological drama, and all the insane lengths Daisy will go through to get Donald back. The frequently psychotic animation on Daisy is some of the funniest I’ve ever seen, and yet, I also find myself sympathizing with Daisy in this situation. I also love my shorts best when they have a dark edge, and seeing Daisy considering to off-herself at one moment is pretty surreal. Mercifully, it concludes with a very touching ending, and probably one of the sweetest Donald and Daisy moments of any short.    

 

#3 “Duck Pimples” (1945) 

  Of all the odd Donald Duck outings, this one might just be the strangest, and for me, one of the most memorable of all. What’s creepier than physical haunts … how about mental haunts. It’s once again a dark and stormy night for Donald Duck, who’s reading scary books, as well as listening to frightening stories on the radio. It doesn’t take long for the chills of the night to take their towel, and as a result … Donald loses his mind! 

Random people begin appearing in his house, the setting changes, and Donald finds himself caught in a capper, in which he’s the suspect to kidnaping and theft. It’s a fun examination of one surrendering to the night, and letting his imagination run wild, to the point where you can no-longer tell dreams apart from reality. The backgrounds are striking, the atmosphere absorbing, the comedic moments on display are bizarre, and the end result is a wild dive into insanity.

 

#2 “Soup’s On” (1948) 

  Donald Duck certainly made a career of not getting along with his nephews Huey, Dewy and Louie, and of all the times they’ve butted heads, the 1948 short “Soup’s On” has always been a favorite that I’ve remembered the most. While on holiday in a cabin, a nice Turkey dinner is ready to go, but the boys are refusing to get cleaned-up for the meal. As such, Donald dismisses the boys from the table, which provokes them to take vengeance on their uncle. This is a case in which I’m 100% on Donald’s side, and view the nephews as the antagonists of the short, without question. 

Their means of enacting vengeance on Donald build to … what in my view … is their cruelest, yet funniest prank they’ve ever pulled on their uncle. After getting knocked unconscious, the boys trick Donald into thinking he died in a rock slide, and in a very funny twist … Donald is blissfully okay with accepting this turn of events. It’s a lengthy scene in which Donald accepts death … and it makes the pay-off all the funnier. Finally, at the end, there’s a funny contrast of Donald transitioning from Angel to Devil, as he chases down his nephews … who for once deserve a good punishment.       

 

#1 “Trick R’ Treat” (1952) 

It may seem like kind of a cheat to have a Halloween episode as my favorite, but honestly, when I think back to my absolute favorite Donald Duck short, this is the one that’s always stuck with me as my childhood favorite. When Donald Duck cruelly mistreats his nephews Huey, Dewy and Louie, a kind old Witch named Hazel comes to their aid, and gives them a healthy dose of ... Trick or Treat. Old Witch Hazel is one of the most memorable guest characters from the Disney cartoon roster, and her hex casting antics lead to some bouncy animation highlights. 

There’s a really catchy theme song to boot in this episode, and the animation, like I said, is just bursting with memorable holiday visuals. It's neither the darkest or spookiest of Disney shorts ... but it's the one that I love watching the most around October. A lot of people say that 1968’s “It’s the Great Pumpkin Charlie Brown” is what really started the notion of classic animated Halloween specials, but look at this short, which came out almost a decade before it, and is just swimming with holiday delights. In my view, this right here is a top-tier Disney Halloween Treat, and my favorite classic Donald Duck cartoon!

 

My Top 5 Mickey Mouse Shorts 

   Ever sense he first appeared in the cartoon “Steamboat Willie”, Mickey Mouse has gone on to become a Disney icon like no other, and is personally my childhood favorite cartoon character. It’s hard to explain what the magic is with this character, as he’s lovable, but not devoid of fault, and that makes him feel all the more real, as opposed to a colorful mascot. Admittedly, his personality didn’t translate to comedy as well as Donald Duck and Goofy did. As such, my favorite Mickey Mouse offerings are when his innocent, yet still mischievous side got him into larger-than-life situations. Before I count down my personal top-five favorites, here are some quick honorable mentions that just couldn’t make it … “The Simple Things” (1953) (Mickey’s last theatrical short of the classic era), “Mickey and the Seal” (1948) [Oscar nominated], “Mr. Mouse Takes a Trip” (1940). With all that said, here are my personal top five favorite stand-alone Mickey Mouse shorts.  

 

#5 “Mickey's Garden” (1935) 

   Mickey and Pluto are working in their garden, but have a little pest-control-problem. Thus, Mickey tries to use a special insecticide to exterminate all the invading insects. Things naturally go from bad to worse in this situation, as Mickey and Pluto get a whiff of the spray, which distorts their reality, and suddenly … the insects appear like giants. The variety of creepy insect designs on display is a lot of fun, and it’s just the kind of creative, large scale mini-venture that I love seeing Mickey dropped in. 

Back when I was a kid, I had a fascination with different insect appearances, so it was fun to see Disney’s take on bugs that were not only giant size, but all with distinct looks and personalities. If your someone easily bothered by bugs, then this might make for a fun, spooky outing. As a side note, this was only Mickey’s second colored short, following after “The Band Concert”, and by extent, this marked Pluto’s first appearance in color. It’s just a fun, and visually creative outing, with some nasty bugs stealing the show.    

 

#4 “Mickey's Surprise Party” (1939) 

   It’s Mickey’s birthday, and for the occasion, Minnie has a special surprise for him … homemade cookies, just like his mother made. Unfortunately, due to the mishaps of her pet dog Fifi, and a knocked over bag of popcorn, her desert is overcooked, and begins exploding all over the kitchen. 

Soon enough, Minnie’s house is turned into a war zone, with Mickey using a water gun to fight-off all these fire cracker cookies, and Pluto helps, only to accidently eat one. Minnie feels distort over the whole situation, but Mickey cheers her up by getting his own deserts … which was a big plug for Nabisco products. Actually, this was the first Disney short to utilize product placement. More significant is that this episode marked Mickey and Minnie’s very first appearances in their modern re-designs by Fred Moore, as both no-longer had dot-eyes or pale white faces. Beyond that, I find this a delightful episode, with our two lovers being there for each other, and a funny action set-piece in the center. 

 

#3 “The Little Whirlwind” (1941) 

  Count on Mickey to find himself in the craziest, yet most exciting of situations, as even a peaceful morning doing yard work can culminate into a battle with a tornado. When Mickey gets a strong whiff from a cake being backed by Minnie Mouse, he offers to clean her yard in exchange for a slice. 

All’s well until a mischievous little whirlwind arrives on the scene, and decides to pick a fight with our favorite young Mouse. While this may sound like a better set-up for Donald Duck, there really isn’t as much comedy in this short, and is far more exciting, with lots of destruction, and detailed animation on display. It’s also fun just seeing how things gradually escalate, to the point where Mickey is running for his life from a giant Twister. It’s a fast paced mini-venture for our hero, with just enough funny moments to spare.    

 

#2 “Thru the Mirror” (1936) 

  While reading “Alice Through the Looking Glass”, Mickey falls asleep, imagining himself going on a similar adventure through the other side of his bedroom mirror, and finding a lopsided world on the other side, in which all the objects are alive. This is the kind of set-up I loved seeing Mickey Mouse in most, and this short also features all the good stuff. 

There’s other worldly atmosphere, characters changing size, dancing to memorable music, a sword-fight with the wicked King of Hearts, and a climactic chase, with Mickey waging war against an army of playing cards. The music in this short, for whatever reason, has always stuck with me as a memorable Disney track in its own right. One fascinating peace of foreshadowing is the Alice depiction on the cover of Mickeys Book, which looks just like the Alice we’d see fifteen years later in the animated Disney movie.    

 

#1 “The Brave Little Tailor” (1938) 

  Whenever I think back on Mickey’s stand-alone ventures, none other felt as cinematic, or as memorable as “The Brave Little Tailor”. Set in the Middle Ages, an aging King of the land seeks a warrior to best a mighty Giant, who’s threatening the land. Mickey is local tailor, who’s mistaken for one such champion who can take on the mighty giant. If victorious, he’ll be wed to Princess Minnie … which by the way, should make her an honorary Disney Princess along with the others. 

In the end, Mickey has an epic David and Goliath like showdown with the giant, which is beautifully animated, and packed with all kinds of funny highlights. It’s the Micky venture that just seemed to have everything … laughs, romance, action, and a memorable foe. This short has been adapted into comics, as well as nominated at the Oscars for Best Animated Short Film, and has even been listed among the greatest cartoon shorts of all time. It has been preserved over the years as a small, yet still classic Disney staple, and it’s personally my favorite stand-alone Mickey Mouse cartoon short.    

 

My Top 5 Ensemble Shorts 

  As far as my feelings are concerned, the universe of Disney shorts had my favorite ensemble of iconic characters, each with different appeals and personalities. As such, my favorite Disney shorts of all are the ones that feature all these iconic characters rounded together. For me, it’s an instant joy to see Mickey, Donald and Goofy stuck in a situation that’s beyond their control, how each reacts to the unfolding events, and how their personalities bounce off each other. Before I count down my personal top-five favorites, here are some quick honorable mentions that just couldn’t make it … “Moving Day” (1936), “The Band Concert” (1935), “Crazy with the Heat” (1947). With all that addressed, here are my personal, top five favorite Disney Ensemble shorts.  

 

#5 “Hawaiian Holiday” (1937) 

It’s vacation time for Mickey and his pals, thus they spend some quality summer time together on a lone beach in Hawaii. Mickey, Minnie and Donald try to play music and dance on the shore, Goofy tries to catch some waves, and Pluto sniffs out whatever seashell or starfish he comes across … only for them to be less friendly than he’d like. This episode couldn’t be simpler, as it’s just our big five together having some good Summer fun, with occasional funny mishaps along the way. For me, this is my favorite case of all five of our classic Disney stars, Mickey, Donald, Goofy, Minnie and Pluto all together for a delightful little outing … one that matches hummer with the simple joy of close friends hanging out.   

 

#4 “Clock Cleaners” (1937) 

  Mickey, Donald and Goofy are handymen, putting their all into getting a giant clock-tower cleaned, and naturally … it doesn’t take long for everything to go wrong. Donald gets caught in a loose spring, and Mickey spends all his energy trying to keep Goofy from accidently falling to his demise. This outing is widely regarded as one of the best Disney shorts, with all kinds of critical praise, and was even voted as the 27th greatest cartoon of all-time in the book “The 50 Greatest Cartoons”. 

It was also the last Mickey short to predate Snow White, which came out two months later. It’s just another one of those cases in which a simple set-up has a perfect pay-off, and features a number of fun moments. Donald’s fight with the loose spring is an especially memorable highlight, and even lead to some controversy, as his unintelligible duck voice made it sound like he was swearing. Regardless, this short remains a classic, and well worth any fans “time”.    

 

#3 “Lonesome Ghosts” (1937) 

   In this animated classic, Mickey, Donald and Goofy are out hunting a silly gang of Ghosts in a creepy old house. As always, it’s a treat to have all three of the classic Disney characters together in one episode, and this time with a memorable group of characters to bounce off their distinct personalities. Each encounter with the ghosts leads to some great slapstick, and funny set-pieces. 

For an old cartoon from 1937, there’s some great animation on display, and I love all the details of the house ... from the banging window shutters ... to the tilted stairways. This also pre-dated "Ghostbusters", and can be called the real genesis tub for goofy mishaps with Ghost-Exterminators. The four titular Lonesome Ghosts featured in this episode have become staples of the holiday season for me, and just as marketable from Disney’s side of the Halloween season.

 

#2 “Mickey’s Fire Brigade” (1935) 

  In this early colored Disney offering (it was only the third Disney short to be in color), Mickey, Donald and Goofy are firemen, responding to a burning building. The job goes … exactly as you’d expect … with a lot of goof-ups, set-backs, and a raging fire that oddly displays more intelligence than our trio of heroes. Back when I was a little kid, I remember this being one of the funniest Disney shorts, and even looking back as an adult, it still packs all kids of amusing moments, with fast energy, and creativity. 

One of my favorite gags is the team’s desperation to get some furniture thrown out of the burning building, and all while unaware that outside, there just throwing everything into a ferniest. Fun little details like that are spread all throughout the short, and it makes for a fun watch. Also, while this wasn’t the first short to feature Mickey, Donald and Goofy together, I feel this was the short that confirmed … these were Disney’s big three … and it was only the beginning of what they’d have to offer.       

 

#1 “Mickey’s Trailer” (1938) 

  Mickey, Donald and Goofy awake to a beautiful day, and decide to hit the road in Mickey’s impressive new travel trailer. Things start off pleasant enough, but gradually, problems begin to escalate, to the point where it becomes an out of control, down-hill disaster. Whenever I think back on my absolute favorite classic Disney short, this out-of-control road trip with our favorite Disney trio is what always comes to mind first. This also happened to be the 100th Mickey Mouse cartoon ever made, and it couldn’t have been a more perfect offering for the occasion. This short is packed with iconography, especially with trio’s breakfast scene being the first image that comes to my mind when I think of Mickey, Donald and Goofy together on screen. 

More than anything, I just love the tone, pacing and presentation of this short. Back when I was a kid, I was jealous I didn’t have a trailer as awesome as this one, and I like how this short gave us time to just relax and enjoy ourselves before things get insane. Once we get to the climactic, runaway trailer sequence, it packs some of the funniest pieces of animation, as well as excitement I ever experienced in a Disney short. Even looking back as an adult, this short brings me so much joy, still provides some laughs, and to say it’s my favorite ensemble short would be under-selling it … because this is personally, hands down, my favorite classic Disney short.  

Thanks for reading my countdown … and continue to enjoy either the cartoons or shorts you Love!