Day 4: Baked in a Pie…

October 4, 2022

Dear Disney,

When both of our children were younger, they loved Mickey Mouse, specifically Mickey Mouse Clubhouse.  So, when Darling and I watched the 2017 “The Scariest Story Ever: A Mickey Mouse Halloween Spooktacular”, we were unprepared.

“The Scariest Story Ever” is a Halloween special of the most recent Mickey Mouse series.  The most recent rendition of Mickey Mouse is both nostalgic and modern.  The art style is modern, akin to more mature-themed cartoons like Ren and Stimpy, and that is not a bad thing. The opening title card was reminiscent of the older Disney shorts.  We loved each of those small touches.

The story is that after trick-or-treating, Mickey, Donald, and Goofy bring Donald’s Nephews, Huey, Duey, and Luey, and Mickey’s nephew’s, Mordy and Ferdy, back to Mickey’s house so that Mickey can tell the “scariest story ever”. Mickey attempts to tell two stories and fails to tell the scariest story.  Finally, after seeing how candy-filled and spoiled the kids are, Mickey, fueled with anger, tells a story in which 5 children get trapped by a witch and get baked into pies. This story scares, not only the kids, but Goofy and Donald as well. Everyone, but Mickey, hid under blankets.  Then, Mickey hears his doorbell, opens the door, only to be greeted by a witch with a pie.  This scares Mickey and he hides with everyone else. The show cuts back to the witch on the doorstep who happens to be Minnie and Daisy. 

As I stated earlier, we had never seen this special before.  We had never seen any of the new Mickey Mouse shorts before.  I was both astonished and amazed at how risqué the cartoon was.  There were moments of body horror that made Darling and I shudder with disgust and horror. This short did exactly what it needed to do for a Halloween special.

Some of the things I noticed were also charming and allowed the part of my brain that likes to say “I know where that is from” to come right out in the open.  Since we watched “Trick or Treat” yesterday, it was great to see Huey, Duey, and Luey’s costumes being the same in this Halloween special as they were in 1952.  In one of the scenes where we were able to see Mickey’s living room there was a bust that can also be found in Disneyland’s Haunted Mansion ride.

We really liked this special.  It is enjoyable to watch Disney shorts and features that we have not watched in a long time or have never watched.  This experience, these 31 days of Halloween, makes me feel good and excited for the future.

Sincerely,

Jim Dear and Darling

Day 3: Toe tappin’

October 3, 2022

Dear Disney,

In 1952, the Walt Disney company produced and released a theatrical short that, I believe, inspired generations of Americans, and others around the world that enjoy Americana, what it means to Trick and Treat. Disney’s “Trick or Treat” is a theatrical short that brings joy to my heart whenever I watch it.

Trick or Treat. Copyright Disney 1952

Growing up, I never watched this short.  I believe I had heard the song, “Trick or Treat for Halloween”, but was unaware of its origins.

When Disney+ came out, Darling and I, set our kids down to watch Disney Halloween movies and shorts, to get into the spirit of Halloween.  Darling and I enjoyed the short, but our children were not really amused.

This year, Darling and I rewatched “Trick or Treat” with an eye to see if the short was everything we thought it should be.

I had only watched the short once before, but I was amused with myself because I did not recognize how violent the short was.  The short starts with Witch Hazel, voiced by June Foray, riding her broom Beelzebub and scaring bats out of a bell tower.  Then she flies off and gets scared by a traveling jack-o-lantern that turns out to be balancing on the head of one of Donald’s nephews.  Then Huey, Luey, and Duey, Donald’s nephew, ring their uncle’s doorbell for treats on Halloween.  He laughs and opens the door, placing explosives in his nephews treat bags, and, finally, dousing them with water.  Witch Hazel watches all of this, and after confronting Donald herself, decides to place a spell on Donald.  She flies around enchanting a number of inanimate objects while the song, “Trick or Treat for Halloween” is being sung. Donald continues to be difficult.  Witch Hazel bespells his feet and causes Donald an immense amount of pain that leaves him unconscious.  Huey, Duey, and Luey thank Witch Hazel for her assistance, and she flies away over the small village.

It is obvious to me that the Walt Disney company used the slapstick comedy to reach as many people as possible, but in the lens of a modern audience, the humor is a little unfunny.  It’s cute, and the feeling of nostalgia is strong, but I do not think this short is really the best Disney has done.

That being said, the song “Trick or Treat for Halloween”, written by Mack, David, Al Hoffman, and Jerry Livingston and performed by the Mellowmen is perfect.  It is cute, and funny, and lyrical, and has me clapping along with the rhythm. The animation and colorwork, animated by Volus Jones, Bill Justice, George Kreisl, and Don Lusk, is perfect mid-century Disney.

I will watch this short again, if only for the music and beautiful color works.

Sincerely,

Jim Dear and Darling 

Day 2: Who Ya Gonna Call?

October 2, 2022

Dear Disney,

In college, Darling and I took a Disney and Film class and some of the early Mickey Mouse shorts were featured to show how Mickey has changed throughout the years. That was the first time I had watched this short, the 1937 Mickey Mouse feature, “The Lonesome Ghosts.”

Darling remembers watching this short when she was young during the Halloween season or when the Disney Channel had its free trial weeks throughout the year.  I may have watched it then as well, but I do not recall.

“The Lonesome Ghosts” starts with four ghosts lamenting the fact that there is no one left to scare.  When reading the paper, one of the ghosts sees the Ajax Ghost Exterminators ad and convinces the other ghosts that they should call and get the exterminators to come to their haunted house.  The scene cuts to the Ajax Ghost Exterminators office where Donald, Goofy, and Mickey are sleeping around a phone.  The phone rings and the three characters wrestle for the phone. The phone is answered, and Mickey says they will be right over.  Mickey, Donald, and Goofy split up to surround the ghosts.  The three characters get tricked by the ghosts: Mickey by being almost drowned; Donald by the ghosts causing Donald to hurt himself by trying to capture the ghosts, and Goofy by the ghosts pretending to be Goofy’s reflection in a mirror.  Finally, Donald, Goofy, and Mickey fall into molasses and flour making them look like ghosts. The four lonesome ghosts thinking that Mickey, Donald, and Goofy were ghosts, get scared and run away.

I think that the animation and colorwork are wonderful for 1937.  The characters are recognizable as Goofy, Donald, and Mickey to a modern audience.  The voice acting is great. I told Darling that I was happy that Disney+ had subtitles as Donald’s words were unrecognizable to me, but they were fun to hear. Finally, hearing Walt as Mickey always brings a smile to my face.  

The humor is slapstick, like an animated 3 Stooges feature.  I am not overly fond of that style of humor, but I do understand its place.  

The sound design is amazing.  The music is fun, and the sound effects portrayed exactly what I wanted them to portray. 

Disney+ stated that this was a “Halloween” title and part of their Halloween collection, but I felt that this was more a Christmas tale than Halloween. At the turn of the century, and earlier, it was common to tell ghost stories at Christmas.  Modern American society has stopped this practice, but I imagine in 1937 it was still relatively common.

Nevertheless, I am glad Darling and I watched this short for Halloween and we will watch it again next year.

Sincerely,

Jim Dear

Day 1: Them Bones

October 1, 2022

Dear Disney,

When I was four, my mother would take me to the local Carnegie Library to pick out a book that she would read to me and to participate in the children’s programs.  The library would set up a projector and play three cartoon shorts for anyone, but specifically children, to watch.  

The first time I watched “The Skeleton Dance” was in one of those children’s programs. It was early October, the live oak trees that flanked the path towards the library had already dropped most of their leaves.  An early fall rainstorm had come the night before and I remember my mom telling me not to get wet as I jumped into the puddles on the way into the library.  

Through the eyes of my four-year-old self, I remember the steps being grand and many.  I walked up those steps and into the library.  My mom walked me the rest of the way into the library's small auditorium, guided me to my seat, and told me that she would be back soon.  I remember that I watched three shorts that day, just like I watched every week, but the only short that I remember was “The Skeleton Dance.”

I remember that the songs and visuals both captivated me and frightened me.  Four-year-old me was not very brave.  I remember when the skeleton came forward as if to lunge or bite the audience, I shrieked.

It had been years since I watched “The Skeleton Dance.” I pulled up the Disney+ app to watch it for our reviews of Halloween movies and was frustrated that it was not on the app.  Thankfully, the Walt Disney Animated Studies YouTube page had the short in its entirety for everyone to enjoy.  I watched it as an adult, trying to see it through the lens of a four-year-old and as an adult.   

The 1929 short film “The Skeleton Dance” was Silly Symphonies first of 75 shorts.  The films originally focused on whimsical animations combined with pieces of classical music.  “The Skeleton Dance” brought the music of Edvard Grieg’s “March of the Trolls” together in a delightfully macabre piece of art.  

Ub Iwerks was a genius.  The animations are smooth and spooky.  The “March of the Trolls” is perfect as well. The timing is wonderful between the animations and the music. 

When the short was originally released the populace found it too macabre for general audiences. For four-year-old Jim, the short awakened something in my imagination that has never been fully realized. For modern audiences, the piece is quaint and delightful and, still, a bit spooky.  The short brings me back to memories of the Halloween season.  “The Skeleton Dance” is a great start to any harvest and Halloween festivities.

Sincerely yours,

Jim Dear