Brave Little Tailor

Last updated
Brave Little Tailor
1938-brave-little-tailor-title.jpg
Title card
Directed byBill Roberts
Burt Gillett
Story by Joe Grant
Produced by Walt Disney
Starring
  • Walt Disney
  • Eddie Holden
  • Billy Sheets [1]
Music by Albert Hay Malotte
Animation by Les Clark
Ollie Johnston
Fred Moore
Don Patterson
Milt Schaffer
Frank Thomas
Riley Thompson
Bill Tytla
Don Williams
Jack Campbell (effects)
Andy Engman (effects)
Tony Garth (effects)
John Noel Tucker (effects)
Color process Technicolor
Production
company
Distributed by RKO Radio Pictures
Release date
  • September 23, 1938 (1938-09-23) [2]
Running time
9 minutes
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish

Brave Little Tailor is a 1938 American animated short film produced by Walt Disney Productions and released by RKO Radio Pictures, being shown in theaters with Fugitives for a Night . It is an adaptation of the fairy tale The Valiant Little Tailor with Mickey Mouse in the title role. It was directed by Bill Roberts and Burt Gillett and features original music by Albert Hay Malotte. [3] The voice cast includes Walt Disney as Mickey, and Eddie Holden as the Giant. It was the 103rd short in the Mickey Mouse film series to be released, and the fifth for that year. [4]

Contents

The film was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Animated Short Film at the 11th Academy Awards in 1939 but lost to Ferdinand the Bull , another short by Disney. In 1994, it was listed as the 26th greatest cartoon of all time by members of the animation field in a list compiled for the book The 50 Greatest Cartoons . [5]

Plot

During the Middle Ages in Europe, a king is seeking a brave warrior to kill a giant who has been terrorizing his small kingdom. There is much discussion in the village, but no one is willing to take on the task. While this is happening, a young peasant tailor (Mickey Mouse) kills seven flies at once while at his work. He unknowingly interrupts a conversation among several other peasants about the problems with the giant to brag loudly about his accomplishment:

Peasant (to his friends): "Say, did you ever kill a giant?"
Mickey (sticking his head out his window): "I killed seven with one blow!"

Gossip that Mickey has killed seven giants with one blow quickly spreads around the kingdom. The king summons him and asks if he really "killed seven at one blow". He goes into an elaborate retelling of how he killed the seven (flies, not giants as the king believes), which impresses the king enough to appoint him "Royal High Killer of the Giant". On discovering the misunderstanding, all of Mickey's confidence disappears, and he attempts to stammer his way out of the assignment. The king thinks he is holding out for a bigger payday and offers him increasingly vast riches and then (at her suggestion) the hand of his only daughter, Princess Minnie, in marriage if he can kill, or at least subdue, the giant. Smitten with Minnie, Mickey proclaims he'll "cut [the giant] down to my size" and sets off. When the gates of the town close behind him, however, his confidence fails him and he wants to turn back, but he sees Minnie and the townspeople cheering him on from the walls and decides to soldier on.

"Gosh", Mickey sighs to himself later, sitting in a field of a deserted countryside wondering what to do. Just then, the giant appears, forcing Mickey to scramble for a place to hide as the giant's feet crush rocks, trees and buildings, and causes nearby local animals to flee as he walks, until he stops to sit on a barn. He picks up a cart of pumpkins and eats them, as if they were grapes, with increasing handfuls until he dumps the rest into his mouth. Mickey, who was hiding in the cart with the pumpkins, keeps himself from being swallowed with them by clinging to the giant's uvula, which gives the giant a case of the hiccups. To remedy this, the giant pulls a water well from the ground and drinks from it as though it were a thermos, and Mickey is saved from drowning in the giant's stomach by getting caught by the well's bucket. The reprieve is short-lived, however, as the giant almost immediately grabs the haystack in which Mickey seeks refuge and rolls it into a cigarette, and then to light it, lifts off the roof of a nearby house to get its stove so he can use it like a lighter. He then leans on a silo to relax. The smoke makes Mickey sneeze, which finally brings him to the attention of the giant.

The giant, after getting poked in the nose with a pair of scissors, attempts to squash Mickey, but misses. Mickey lures the giant into reaching under his sleeves and quickly produces a needle and thread and binds the giant's arms. He then lassos the giant's nose, pulls it up and ties it to his hair, preventing him from opening his eyes, before swinging around him and then tripping him. The giant falls down, crushing the ground where he lands and sending a chunk of earth into the air, that falls on his head and knocks him out. After a sigh of relief, Mickey dusts his hands triumphantly.

Following the giant's defeat, an amusement park is built on the site of the battle. The carnival rides are powered, via a series of belts and gears connected to a windmill, by wind from the snoring giant, who is chained to the ground. The film ends with the king and a newly married Mickey and Minnie enjoying a ride on the carousel.

Adaptations

From August 28 to November 27, 1938, the Mickey Mouse comic strip published 14 Sunday newspaper comics retelling the story under the title The Brave Little Tailor. This version was bookended by segments showing the "real" Mickey Mouse as an actor who is cast by Walt Disney to appear in the film. The comic has Mac MacCorker as the fictional director of the short. Goofy also appears in these scenes and, after the wrap he is wearing the same clothes he wore in the short film The Whalers, which was released the month before Tailor. [6] The story was written by Merrill De Maris and drawn by Manuel Gonzales and Floyd Gottfredson, with inking by Ted Thwaites. [7]

In 1985, Bantam Books published a children's book called Mickey Meets the Giant which featured Mickey encountering the same giant as the one in this short. This version was somewhat more faithful to the original fairy tale, maintaining that the tailor fools the giant by apparently beating him in feats of strength.

Home media

The short was released on December 4, 2001 as part of Walt Disney Treasures: Mickey Mouse in Living Color . [8] It was also featured, along with A Knight for a Day , on DVD releases of The Sword in the Stone and was included in the 2018 Celebrating Mickey Blu-ray/DVD/Digital combo compilation and in the 2023 Mickey & Minnie: 10 Classic Shorts - Volume 1 Blu-ray/DVD/Digital combo compilation. The short is also available to stream on Disney+.

See also

Related Research Articles

<i>Plane Crazy</i> 1928 film directed by Walt Disney and Ub Iwerks

Plane Crazy is a 1928 American animated short film directed by Walt Disney and Ub Iwerks. The cartoon, released by the Walt Disney Studios, was the first appearance of Mickey Mouse and his girlfriend Minnie Mouse, and was originally a silent film. It was given a test screening to a theater audience on May 15, 1928, and an executive from Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer saw the film, but failed to pick up a distributor. Later that year, Disney released Mickey's first sound cartoon, Steamboat Willie, which was an enormous success; Plane Crazy was officially released as a sound cartoon on March 17, 1929. It was the fourth Mickey film to be given a wide release after Steamboat Willie, The Gallopin' Gaucho and The Barn Dance (1929).

<i>Runaway Brain</i> 1995 Mickey Mouse cartoon

Runaway Brain is a 1995 American animated comedy horror short film produced by Walt Disney Feature Animation. Featuring Mickey Mouse and Minnie Mouse, the short centers on Mickey attempting to earn money to pay for an anniversary gift for Minnie. He responds to an advertisement to work for Doctor Frankenollie, only to find out that he is looking for a donor to switch brains with the monster he created. Featuring animation by animator Andreas Deja, it was first released in 1995 attached to North American theatrical showings of A Kid in King Arthur's Court and in 1996 attached to international theatrical showings of A Goofy Movie. It would be the final original Mickey Mouse theatrical animated short until Get a Horse! in 2013.

<i>Fun and Fancy Free</i> 1947 film produced by Walt Disney and Ben Sharpsteen

Fun and Fancy Free is a 1947 American animated musical fantasy anthology film produced by Walt Disney and Ben Sharpsteen and released on September 27, 1947 by RKO Radio Pictures. The film is a compilation of two stories: Bongo, narrated by Dinah Shore and loosely based on the short story "Little Bear Bongo" by Sinclair Lewis; and Mickey and the Beanstalk, narrated by Edgar Bergen and based on the "Jack and the Beanstalk" fairy tale. Though the film is primarily animated, it also uses live-action segments starring Edgar Bergen to join its two stories.

<i>The Little Whirlwind</i> 1941 Mickey Mouse cartoon

The Little Whirlwind is an animated short subject, part of the Mickey Mouse series, produced by Walt Disney for Walt Disney Productions. The short was released by RKO Radio Pictures on February 14, 1941. The film was directed by Riley Thomson, and animated by Ward Kimball, Fred Moore, Ken Muse, Jim Armstrong, Les Clark, John Elliotte, Fred Jones, Walt Kelly, and Frank Follmer with effects animation by Art Fitzpatrick. It was the 110th short in the Mickey Mouse film series to be released, and the first for that year.

<i>Thru the Mirror</i> 1936 Mickey Mouse cartoon

Thru the Mirror is a 1936 American animated short film directed by David Hand from a story by William Cottrell and Joe Grant. In this cartoon short, Mickey Mouse has a Through the Looking-Glass-parody-like dream that he travels through his mirror and enters a topsy-turvy world where everything is alive. While there, he engages in a Fred Astaire dance number with a pair of gloves and a pack of cards, until the cards chase him out of the bizarre world. Produced by Walt Disney Productions and released by United Artists, it was the 83rd Mickey Mouse short film to be released, the fourth of that year.

<i>Wild Waves</i> 1929 Mickey Mouse cartoon

Wild Waves is a Mickey Mouse short animated film first released on December 18, 1929, as part of the Mickey Mouse film series. It was the fifteenth Mickey Mouse short to be produced, the twelfth of that year, as well as the last to be released by Celebrity Productions before Columbia Pictures took over distribution.

<i>The Barn Dance</i> 1929 Mickey Mouse cartoon

The Barn Dance is a Mickey Mouse short animated film first released on March 15, 1929, as part of the Mickey Mouse film series; it was the first of twelve shorts released during that year. It was directed by Walt Disney with Ub Iwerks as the head animator. The title is written as Barn Dance on the poster, while the full title is used on the title screen.

On Ice is a 1935 theatrical cartoon short in the Mickey Mouse film series, produced by Walt Disney Animation Studios. It was the 79th Mickey Mouse short film to be released, and the eighth of that year.

<i>Mickeys Delayed Date</i> 1947 Mickey Mouse cartoon

Mickey's Delayed Date is a 1947 American animated short film produced by Walt Disney Productions, distributed by RKO Radio Pictures and released on October 3, 1947. The film was directed by Charles Nichols and was animated by Jerry Hathcock, George Kreisl, George Nicholas, Harry Holt, Bob Youngquist, Marvin Woodward, and Max Cox with effects animation by Jack Boyd and Andy Engman. It was the 120th short in the Mickey Mouse film series to be released and the only one produced that year.

<i>Giantland</i> 1933 Mickey Mouse cartoon

Giantland is a 1933 animated short film produced by Walt Disney Productions and distributed by United Artists. The film is an adaptation of the fairy tale "Jack and the Beanstalk" with Mickey Mouse in the title role. Mickey is voiced by Walt Disney and Mickey's nephews are voiced by Marcellite Garner, who at the time usually voiced Minnie Mouse. It was the 62nd Mickey Mouse short film, and the twelfth of that year.

<i>Building a Building</i> 1933 Mickey Mouse cartoon

Building a Building is a 1933 American animated short film produced by Walt Disney Production and released by United Artists. A remake of the 1928 Oswald the Lucky Rabbit film Sky Scrappers, the cartoon depicts Mickey Mouse working at a construction site under the supervision of Peg-Leg Pete while Minnie Mouse is selling box lunches to the workers. It was directed by David Hand, his first directorial assignment at Disney, and features the voices of Walt Disney as Mickey, Marcellite Garner as Minnie, and Pinto Colvig as Pete. It was the 51st Mickey Mouse short film, and the first of that year.

<i>Mickeys Choo-Choo</i> 1929 Mickey Mouse cartoon

Mickey's Choo-Choo is a 1929 Mickey Mouse short animated film released by Celebrity Pictures, as part of the Mickey Mouse film series. Ub Iwerks was the animator. It was the eleventh Mickey Mouse short to be produced, the eighth of that year, and was one of the series of early Disney cartoons that led Mickey Mouse to become a national fad by the end of 1929. Originally produced in black and white, this cartoon was one of 45 Mickey Mouse cartoons colorized by American Film Technologies in 1991.

<i>Hawaiian Holiday</i> 1937 Mickey Mouse cartoon

Hawaiian Holiday is a 1937 American animated short film produced by Walt Disney Productions and released by RKO Radio Pictures. The cartoon stars an ensemble cast of Mickey Mouse, Minnie Mouse, Pluto, Donald Duck, and Goofy while vacationing in Hawaii. The film was directed by Ben Sharpsteen, produced by John Sutherland and features the voices of Walt Disney as Mickey, Marcellite Garner as Minnie, Clarence Nash as Donald, and Pinto Colvig as Goofy and Pluto. It was Disney's first film to be released by RKO, ending a five-year distributing partnership with United Artists.

<i>Plutos Christmas Tree</i> 1952 Mickey Mouse cartoon

Pluto's Christmas Tree is a 1952 Mickey Mouse cartoon in which Pluto and Mickey cut down a Christmas tree that Chip n' Dale live in. It was the 125th short in the Mickey Mouse film series to be released, and the second for that year. While the chipmunks are usually antagonists of Donald Duck, they have pestered Pluto before, in Private Pluto (1943), Squatter's Rights (1946) and Food for Feudin' (1950).

<i>Mickey Mouse</i> (TV series) American animated television series

Mickey Mouse is an American animated television series produced by Disney Television Animation. Featuring Disney cartoon characters Mickey Mouse, Minnie Mouse, Donald Duck, Daisy Duck, Goofy and Pluto in contemporary settings such as Paris, Venice, Tokyo and New York, the series has the slapstick feel of the earliest Mickey Mouse shorts while providing a modern update, and "presents Mickey in a broad range of humorous situations that showcase his pluck and rascality, along with his long-beloved charm and good heartedness". The animation is provided by Mercury Filmworks.

<i>Mickeys Garden</i> 1935 Mickey Mouse cartoon

Mickey's Garden is a 1935 American animated short film produced by Walt Disney Productions and released by United Artists. The film was the second Mickey Mouse cartoon shot in Technicolor and is also the first color appearance of Pluto. The cartoon is also the first color cartoon where Mickey speaks. The film's plot centers on Mickey Mouse trying to rid his garden of insects, but they keep coming back. When he accidentally gets hit with his own bug spray, he begins seeing a warped reality. It was the 76th Mickey Mouse short film to be released, and the fifth of that year. The last dialogue of the show is Mickey telling Pluto to stop licking him in the last 20 seconds.

<i>Ye Olden Days</i> 1933 Mickey Mouse cartoon

Ye Olden Days is a 1933 animated short film, released as part of the Mickey Mouse film series. It was directed by Burt Gillett and produced by Walt Disney. It was the 55th Mickey Mouse short film, and the fifth of that year.

<i>The Picnic</i> (1930 film) 1930 Mickey Mouse cartoon

The Picnic is a 1930 American animated short film directed by Burt Gillett and produced by Walt Disney. It was first released on October 9, 1930, as part of the Mickey Mouse film series. It was the twenty-third Mickey Mouse short to be produced, the eighth of that year.

<i>The Birthday Party</i> (1931 film) 1931 Mickey Mouse cartoon

The Birthday Party is a Mickey Mouse short animated film first released on January 2, 1931, as part of the Mickey Mouse film series. It was the twenty-fifth Mickey Mouse short to be produced, the first of that year.

References

  1. ↑ Scott, Keith (3 October 2022). Cartoon Voices of the Golden Age, Vol. 2. BearManor Media.
  2. ↑ Kaufman, J.B.; Gerstein, David (2018). Walt Disney's Mickey Mouse: The Ultimate History. Cologne: Taschen. ISBN   978-3-8365-5284-4.
  3. ↑ "Brave Little Tailor". www.bcdb.com, April 12, 2012
  4. ↑ Lenburg, Jeff (1999). The Encyclopedia of Animated Cartoons. Checkmark Books. pp. 107–109. ISBN   0-8160-3831-7 . Retrieved 6 June 2020.
  5. ↑ Beck, Jerry (1994). The 50 Greatest Cartoons: As Selected by 1,000 Animation Professionals. Turner Publishing. ISBN   978-1878685490.
  6. ↑ The Brave Little Tailor Archived July 20, 2011, at the Wayback Machine at Béru's Disney Comics Fan Page
  7. ↑ The Brave Little Tailor at COA I.N.D.U.C.K.S.
  8. ↑ "Mickey Mouse in Living Color DVD Review". DVD Dizzy. Retrieved 20 February 2021.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.