cartoon | Amusing the Zillion

Posts Tagged ‘cartoon’

Video of the Day: Mickey Mouse in The Karnival Kid

Posted in Events, film, video, tagged animated short, birthday, cartoon, Disney Channel, Mickey Mouse, Steamboat Willie, The Karnival Kid, Walt Disney on November 18, 2013| 2 Comments »

1928-29 Mickey Mouse movie poster. Photo via TheHistoryBlog.com

Happy 85th birthday, Mickey Mouse! On November 18, 1928, the world’s most famous mouse made his debut in Walt Disney’s Steamboat Willie at New York City’s Colony Theatre. Tonight, Film Forum is celebrating the occasion with a special “Disney Mouse Party” at 7pm. The program of rare 35mm prints from the Disney archive includes early b&w comedy classics (1928-1933) such as Puppy Love, Blue Rhythm, The Gorilla Mystery, and Building a Building, plus a bonus sing-a-long; Technicolor breakthroughs from 1936-1941 like Thru the Mirror, Mickey’s Trailer, Mickey’s Rival, and Nifty Nineties; plus what’s being billed (in all caps) as “AN ASTOUNDING SNEAK PREVIEW.” Could it be Potatoland, which is set to premiere today?

The Disney Channel will debut the new seven-minute cartoon titled Potatoland as part of a day of programming honoring Mickey Mouse’s birthday. The comedic film takes Mickey, Donald and Goofy on a road trip to Idaho to fulfill Goofy’s dream of visiting Potatoland theme park.

Being a carny kid, our favorite Mickey Mouse cartoon is The Karnival Kid from 1929 in which Mickey is a hot dog vendor at a carnival and Minnie is a shimmy dancer. It’s famous for being the first film in which Mickey talks but his voice is actually that of Walt Disney. Mickey yells “Hot Dogs! Hot Dogs!” Watch what happens when Minnie bites into a very animated frank…

Saturday Matinee: Bluto & Popeye, Kings of Coney’s Mardi Gras

Posted in video, tagged amusement park, Bluto, cartoon, Coney Island, James Taylor, Mardi Gras, Popeye, roller coaster, Shocked & Amazed!, sideshow on March 3, 2012| Leave a Comment »

Coney Island had a Mardi Gras celebration every September until 1954, but ATZ had no idea that Popeye the Sailor Man and his rival Bluto were once part of it! Many thanks to sideshow historian James Taylor, publisher of Shocked & Amazed! On and Off the Midway, for sharing this fun find.

In this 1935 cartoon, Popeye and Bluto perform duelling sideshow acts against the backdrop of Coney’s rides and amusements. “Oh, I’m King of the Mardi Gras, in fact I’m the whole bloomin’ show,” sings Bluto as he struts onstage in front of his awesome banner line.

I run the whole works here at Coney, What power supreme I enjoy!
Hey, speaking of kings,
I’m one of those things.
In fact I’m the real McCoy!

A few steps away, Popeye blusters on a makeshift stage and steals Bluto’s audience by resorting to dirty tricks.

“So the message is that, if you screw with a guy’s act, you’re the hero of this thing? Jeez,” writes Taylor on the Shocked & Amazed! Facebook page. “Still, how often you get to see Popeye AND sideshow together?” The sideshow acts and roller coaster climax are well worth the price of a ticket.