For all intents and purposes, the brilliant Mickey Mouse cartoons of the 20's and 30's are a tough act to follow. The filmmakers of the 40's and 50's couldn't do it, and even though "Mickey's Christmas Carol" and the "Prince and the Pauper" met with some success, they didn't entirely recapture the magic of those earliest shorts. So, in 1995, they decided to try again.
Did they succeed? Not entirely. Times have changed, and they don't make cartoons quite like they used to. Perhaps the creators realized this and decided to go the darker route that most kids cartoons were taking at the time. The result was a rather twisted spin on the Mickey Mouse mythos in which their beloved star ended up as a monster. Not one of their wiser moves (Disney all but neglected the short afterward), but certainly one of their most entertaining--at least in this humble viewer's opinion.
It stands to say that the pace does seem to go alarmingly fast upon first viewing the short, a factor that can be exceptionally jarring and is easily "Runaway Brain"'s biggest flaw. A repeat viewing is essential to getting acquainted with the pace. But after that hurdle is bypassed, a delightful romp through horror movie conventions follows as poor protagonist Mickey Mouse almost loses his girl, gets his brain switched with a monster, then has to fight the real one once the switch is reversed. The Mouse is in fine form here, spouting plenty of humorous lines, showing quite a range of hilarious facial expressions, and, ultimately, using both his care for Minnie and his cunning to win out in the end. The coloring perfectly sets a dark atmosphere and the animation was flawless as far as I could see. With the exception of the death of Dr. Frankenollie and the design of Mickey Mouse possessed by Julius, the cartoon was far more comedic than morbid, and can be enjoyed by almost all save for really small children. The short ends perfectly happily, which should satisfy more discerning critics (not to say it does, though).
All in all, a fantastic short ruined by comparisons to older shorts (that are too different to be compared anyway), jumpy pacing, and those who are so narrow-minded as to believe that Mickey should never be portrayed as anything other than sweetness and light.
Did they succeed? Not entirely. Times have changed, and they don't make cartoons quite like they used to. Perhaps the creators realized this and decided to go the darker route that most kids cartoons were taking at the time. The result was a rather twisted spin on the Mickey Mouse mythos in which their beloved star ended up as a monster. Not one of their wiser moves (Disney all but neglected the short afterward), but certainly one of their most entertaining--at least in this humble viewer's opinion.
It stands to say that the pace does seem to go alarmingly fast upon first viewing the short, a factor that can be exceptionally jarring and is easily "Runaway Brain"'s biggest flaw. A repeat viewing is essential to getting acquainted with the pace. But after that hurdle is bypassed, a delightful romp through horror movie conventions follows as poor protagonist Mickey Mouse almost loses his girl, gets his brain switched with a monster, then has to fight the real one once the switch is reversed. The Mouse is in fine form here, spouting plenty of humorous lines, showing quite a range of hilarious facial expressions, and, ultimately, using both his care for Minnie and his cunning to win out in the end. The coloring perfectly sets a dark atmosphere and the animation was flawless as far as I could see. With the exception of the death of Dr. Frankenollie and the design of Mickey Mouse possessed by Julius, the cartoon was far more comedic than morbid, and can be enjoyed by almost all save for really small children. The short ends perfectly happily, which should satisfy more discerning critics (not to say it does, though).
All in all, a fantastic short ruined by comparisons to older shorts (that are too different to be compared anyway), jumpy pacing, and those who are so narrow-minded as to believe that Mickey should never be portrayed as anything other than sweetness and light.