Topolino pescatore di frodo

A Walt Disney MICKEY MOUSE Cartoon.

Mickey & Pluto find plenty of trouble while FISHIN' AROUND on the lake.

This is a fun little black & white cartoon, with plenty of humor. The fish our pals encounter are certainly a strange breed - they all have navels. Walt Disney supplies Mickey's voice.

Walt Disney (1901-1966) was always intrigued by drawings. As a lad in Marceline, Missouri, he sketched farm animals on scraps of paper; later, as an ambulance driver in France during the First World War, he drew figures on the sides of his vehicle. Back in Kansas City, along with artist Ub Iwerks, Walt developed a primitive animation studio that provided animated commercials and tiny cartoons for the local movie theaters. Always the innovator, his ALICE IN CARTOONLAND series broke ground in placing a live figure in a cartoon universe. Business reversals sent Disney & Iwerks to Hollywood in 1923, where Walt's older brother Roy became his lifelong business manager & counselor. When a mildly successful series with Oswald The Lucky Rabbit was snatched away by the distributor, the character of Mickey Mouse sprung into Walt's imagination, ensuring Disney's immortality. The happy arrival of sound technology made Mickey's screen debut, STEAMBOAT WILLIE (1928), a tremendous audience success with its use of synchronized music. The SILLY SYMPHONIES soon appeared, and Walt's growing crew of marvelously talented animators were quickly conquering new territory with full color, illusions of depth and radical advancements in personality development, an arena in which Walt's genius was unbeatable. Mickey's feisty, naughty behavior had captured millions of fans, but he was soon to be joined by other animated companions: temperamental Donald Duck, intellectually-challenged Goofy and energetic Pluto. All this was in preparation for Walt's grandest dream - feature length animated films. Against a blizzard of doomsayers, Walt persevered and over the next decades delighted children of all ages with the adventures of Snow White, Pinocchio, Bambi, Peter Pan and Mr. Toad. Walt never forgot that his fortunes were all started by a mouse, or that simplicity of message and lots of hard work always pay off.

This is a really boring cartoon starring Mickey and Pluto. There's no plot or story, just them two doing a lot of fishing, or at lease attempting to. No laughs nor adventures, just a lot of barking from Pluto and fishing-rod holding from Mickey. Toward the second half of the cartoon, there's still sheriff who seemed to be after Mickey and Pluto, which really was out of place for a fishing cartoon.

Mickey and Pluto are definitely amusing, but this cartoon didn't take the cake.

Grade D---

I don't know that Mickey and Pluto ever had a chance. First of all, they show disrespect for the rules and sink the "No Fishing" sign. Soon they are dropping their hooks but the fish are in awe of their stupidity. They play trick after trick on the two. Pluto does some underwater exploring and just gets into more trouble. The whole thing is pretty predictable and one dimensional. Pluto has certainly become a major character and a challenge to his owner.

I would watch anything with Mickey and Pluto in it, and while Fishin' Around is not one of their best efforts it is still worth watching. The story is rather routine and some of the first half is a little slow and only mildly amusing than funny. However, the animation is quite good, it isn't amazing with some moments that could have done with more fluidity, but Mickey's facial expressions really do come alive and the opening scenes with Mickey and Pluto rowing with the reflections and the oars and fish interrupting them have some interesting work too. The music is lively and helps to enhance the action. There are some good gags also especially Mickey catching the No Fishing sign he'd sunk earlier in front of the sheriff. Pluto barking underwater and being chased by the giant fish was also a good touch. Mickey even with a bit of the rebellious personality is very likable and Pluto is also a vital and energetic asset to Fishin' Around. There are a couple of times where he could have amped up the comedy just a tad, like chasing the fish more but this is typical cute and energetic Pluto and I love that. The sheriff is a great character as well, a big part of the reason why the second half for me came to life more effectively. All in all, fun but nothing extraordinary. 7/10 Bethany Cox

Mickey and Pluto go fishin', even though it's not permitted. They get stopped by a policeman but escape him through Pluto's 50 horsepower tale apparently...

Walt Disney (30 at the time) himself did the voice of Mickey (as he did a lot of times, I didn't know that before I looked up this movie), but the movie on the whole was a bit disappointing. The animation is a bit crappy (though this one is older than I first expected) and the story is only so and so, in particular the first half. Once the policeman arrives at the scene the real fun begins but it's too little too late I'm afraid.

5/10 for this early Disney.