| The Barnyard Concert | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Directed by | Walt Disney |
| Produced by | Walt Disney |
Production company | |
| Distributed by | Columbia Pictures |
Release date |
|
Running time | 5:58 |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
The Barnyard Concert is a Mickey Mouse short animated film first released on April 5, 1930, as part of the Mickey Mouse film series. [2] It was the seventeenth Mickey Mouse short to be produced, the second of that year. [3]
Mickey Mouse conducts an orchestral performance on the farm, with an orchestra of cats, dogs, horses, cows, pigs and goats. They play the overture from Franz von Suppé's Poet and Peasant at Mickey's direction. Some of the animals find themselves in conflict—a dog's tuba playing disturbs a pig's toupee, and a goat spanks another pig with his violin bow. Mickey creates music by pulling the tails of baby pigs, and a horse plays drums on the rear end of a cow. At the end of the short, Mickey—tired of being hassled by a cow's tail—ties the tail to a bucket of water, and the cow upends the bucket on Mickey's head. Mickey shivers and whimpers as the concert comes to an end.
This is the first cartoon to include a horse and a cow that will soon evolve into Horace Horsecollar and Clarabelle Cow, two members of Mickey's early supporting cast. Neither animal has lines, or the costumes that they will later adopt, but the resemblance is clear. [2] The film has no dialogue.
Some of the animation in this short will be reused in the 1931 short The Castaway . [4]
Mickey will return to the music of Franz von Suppé in 1942's Symphony Hour , when he conducts the Light Cavalry Overture . [2]
According to Gijs Gorb in Mickey's Movies: The Theatrical Films of Mickey Mouse: "Unfortunately, at this stage, the animators still had problems with Mickey's eyes: in one close-up in particular they are placed awkwardly in his face. In a few other scenes, Mickey still is very bland. His best moments are when he's confronted by a pig repeatedly playing a wrong note on the trumpet and when he gets dragged around by a cow's tail." [2]
It has been noted that this cartoon is an early example of the cinematic cliche of a conductor tapping his baton on the music stand to indicate to the orchestra that the song is about to begin, an action which never happens in actual concert performing. Mickey performs the action again when he plays a conductor in 1935's The Band Concert . [5]
The use of "earthy" barnyard humor has also been noted, with this cartoon serving as an example of the Mickey Mouse series' evolving sense of propriety. In Screen, J.P. Telotte observed: "The cows -- as well as the barnyard world and humor they connote -- do not quite disappear. Rather, they slowly become conventionalized, as in the gradually developing persona of Clarabelle the Cow, for example. They eventually become discreetly clothed, their udders carefully hidden beneath skirts, dresses and uniforms, even their narrative roles altered, as can easily be gauged by comparing the similar subjects of The Barnyard Concert from 1930 and The Band Concert from 1935. In the former, a cow flautist has her udders dangling into the foreground, forming an obstacle as Mickey tries to lead his rustic orchestra, while another cow's rear becomes an instrument for the drummer. In the latter, all the animal players are elaborately uniformed and seemingly disciplined musicians, and rather than leading into a scene or getting in the way, they are increasingly relegated to the background or peripheral spaces of the films." [6]
Motion Picture News (July 5, 1930) said: "Mickey Mouse conducts an orchestra composed of various barnyard animals, the "Poet and Peasant" overture being played from start to finish. There are enough good gags in it to keep the chuckles going at a steady pace." [7]
The short was released on December 7, 2004 on Walt Disney Treasures: Mickey Mouse in Black and White, Volume Two: 1929-1935 . [8]
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).
Clarabelle Cow is a cartoon character created by The Walt Disney Company. As an anthropomorphic cow, Clarabelle is one of Minnie Mouse's best friends. She was once depicted as the girlfriend of Horace Horsecollar, although now she is often paired with Goofy.
Horace Horsecollar is a cartoon character created in 1929 at Walt Disney Animation Studios. Horace is a tall anthropomorphic black horse and is one of Mickey Mouse's best friends. Characterized as a boastful show-off, Horace served as Mickey’s sidekick in Disney's early black-and-white shorts.
Mickey's Revue is a 1932 Walt Disney cartoon, directed by Wilfred Jackson, which features Mickey Mouse, Minnie Mouse, Horace Horsecollar and Clarabelle Cow performing a song and dance show. The film was delivered to Columbia Pictures on May 12 and released on May 27, 1932. It was the 41st Mickey Mouse film, and the fifth of that year.
The Band Concert is a 1935 American animated short film produced in 3-strip Technicolor by Walt Disney Productions and released by United Artists. The 73rd short film in the Mickey Mouse series, it was the second release of the year, and notable as the first in the series to be produced in color.
Mickey's Polo Team is a 1936 American animated short film produced by Walt Disney Productions and released by United Artists. The cartoon features a game of polo played between four Disney characters, led by Mickey Mouse, and four cartoon versions of real-life movie stars. It was directed by David Hand and was first released on January 4, 1936. The film was inspired by Walt Disney's personal love of polo. It was the 80th Mickey Mouse short film to be released, and the first of that year.
Symphony Hour is a 1942 American animated short film produced by Walt Disney Productions and released by RKO Radio Pictures. The cartoon depicts Mickey Mouse conducting a symphony orchestra sponsored by Pete. The film was directed by Riley Thomson and features music adapted from the "Light Cavalry Overture" by Franz von Suppé. The voice cast includes Walt Disney as Mickey, Billy Bletcher as Pete, and John McLeish as a radio announcer. It was the 117th short in the Mickey Mouse film series to be released, and the second for that year.
The Plowboy is a Mickey Mouse short animated film first released on June 28, 1929, as part of the Mickey Mouse film series. It was the eighth Mickey Mouse short to be produced, the fifth of that year.
The Booze Hangs High, released in December 1930, is the fourth title in the Looney Tunes series. The short features Bosko, Warner Bros.' first cartoon character.
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.
Fiddlin’ Around is a 1930 animated short film produced by Walt Disney Productions and released by Columbia Pictures as part of the Mickey Mouse film series. It was the sixteenth Mickey Mouse short to be produced, the first of that year.
Mickey's Follies is a Mickey Mouse animated short film first released on August 28, 1929, as part of the Mickey Mouse film series. It was directed by Ub Iwerks and Wilfred Jackson, with music by Carl Stalling. It was produced in black and white by The Walt Disney Studio and released to theaters by Celebrity Productions. It was the tenth Mickey Mouse short to be produced, the seventh of that year.
Get a Horse! is a 2013 American animated comedy short film produced by Walt Disney Animation Studios and directed by Lauren MacMullan. Combining black-and-white hand-drawn animation and color computer animation, the short features the characters of the late 1920s Mickey Mouse cartoons.
Jungle Rhythm is a Mickey Mouse short animated film first released on November 15, 1929, as part of the Mickey Mouse film series. It was the thirteenth Mickey Mouse short to be produced, the tenth of that year.
The Jazz Fool is a Mickey Mouse short animated film first released on December 21, 1929, as part of the Mickey Mouse film series. It was the twelfth Mickey Mouse short to be produced, the ninth of that year.
The Beach Party is a 1931 Mickey Mouse animated short film directed by Burt Gillett, produced by Walt Disney Productions and distributed by Columbia Pictures. It was the thirty-fourth short in the Mickey Mouse film series, and the tenth produced that year.
The Barnyard Broadcast is a 1931 Mickey Mouse animated short film directed by Burt Gillett, produced by Walt Disney Productions and distributed by Columbia Pictures. It was the thirty-third short in the Mickey Mouse film series, and the ninth produced that year.
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.
The Shindig is a Mickey Mouse short animated film first released on July 11, 1930, as part of the Mickey Mouse film series. It was the twentieth Mickey Mouse short to be produced, the fifth of that year.
Pioneer Days is a Mickey Mouse short animated film first released on November 20, 1930, as part of the Mickey Mouse film series. It was the twenty-fourth Mickey Mouse short to be produced, the ninth of that year.
