Review of Brave Little Tailor

This is yet another of my favourite animated shorts of the early Disney canon, as everything in it is just so great! I love how it has one of those really memorable theme tunes that takes the viewer right back to how they felt when they first watched it years ago as a kid, least it always does for me. I can't believe this lost out to "Ferdinand the Bull", which although is a good animation in its own right, just generally comes nowhere near the kind of legendary status that this short has achieved. This should have won every possible award that it deserved, as it actually feels like it would've made for a pretty good movie of its own. There are a couple of really noticeable precursors to that evergreen masterpiece "Pinocchio" which would be landing two years later, such as the hilariously weird moment when the baby with the croaky voice exclaims "Jiminy Cricket!", the inside of the giant's mouth is similar to that of Monstro the Whale's, when Mickey gets briefly sent down his gullet it looks similar to when Jiminy gets shot down the pool table, and when Mickey gets shoved out of the castle to face his herculean task was very similar to the scene in the classic where the giant gates of nightmarish Pleasure Island are sealed shut. The rich details of the medieval-looking backgrounds were all beautifully done. The thrilling action of the sequences brilliantly matches the quality of the artwork, the two taking centre stage and both coming out winners. The immense animation involved with the thunderous footsteps of the giant as he approaches is epic and very suspenseful - I actually fear the brave little Mickey may get squashed like a bug as he gets swept away! The unnamed giant that's featured may be even dumber than Willie from "Mickey and the Beanstalk", not even seeming to be able to speak in complete sentences! Although he doesn't have half the charm or charisma of Willie, this guy on the plus side is a *real* giant, and the thing that I love the most about this fantastic feat of a short is really the smaller things, the fascinating little details and situations that arise from the size and scale of the giant:the way he tears the well out of the ground for a swig, the way he rolls a cigar out of the bale of hay and then uses the cottage's oven like a lighter! I also loved the miniature pumpkins, so cute! And Mickey in comparison is about what a real mouse would be to an average-sized human. The way he conquers his mountainous foe is very fun and imaginative. The ending is too cute, me and my brothers always used to get a big laugh out of the flamboyant way the king yells out "whoopee!" while riding the carousel with his ice cream! At least they made a productive use out of the giant.. Now surely sooner or later he's gonna have to wake up! This is the last appearance of Mickey with the black button eyes and white face. After this he would be given the, for me less appealing pink facial skin and eyes with pupils. The end of a little era... Love it, one of the all-time Mickey classics - that's for darn sure!!!