tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4364805792882783170.post3778738368987640636..comments2023-11-03T09:20:52.837-04:00Comments on Disney Film Project: The Karnival KidRyanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05126059549015204825noreply@blogger.comBlogger8125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4364805792882783170.post-18767854142105903752009-06-07T06:38:14.889-04:002009-06-07T06:38:14.889-04:00Despite some recycled Oswald gags, the Disney cart...Despite some recycled Oswald gags, the Disney cartoons are a-changin'. This one has a new kind of energy with a very loud and lively opening and animation that really gets into the music (especially in the early section of this short). Mickey and Minnie's funny squawky noises were gone in the Plow Boy, but here the characters actually speak (and not just a string of la-la-la singing). Also Mickey's character design has changed again, he's rounder and somehow more solid. If the budgets were getting stingy with "When the Cat's Away" (with sequences being removed before being animated), then things are getting a lot more elaborate and impressive here.<br /><br />The cats in the second half of this short are really funny. I love how cat and human behaviour are combined, along with imaginative, cartoony action. I did read (can't remember where) that the night time section of this short was originally 'tinted' blue (probably achieved by printing the orginal prints on blue stock). This would make this cartoon stand out even more amongst early Disney cartoons so I wish the effect had been recreated on the DVD.<br /><br />I do wonder how similar this cartoon is to earlier, lost carnival cartoons "Alice at the Carnival" and Oswald's "Hot Dog". The animation of the carousel with the mechanical horses reminds me of the Oswald cartoons (and I love how in the background of that scene people are nearly falling out the roller coaster).Machttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17701967442508380462noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4364805792882783170.post-30805766667343000402009-06-05T19:19:50.322-04:002009-06-05T19:19:50.322-04:00The Stalling explanation does seem more plausible ...The Stalling explanation does seem more plausible - the tinkering explanation was a complete guess, based on the fact that I wasn't aware that anyone had voiced Mickey before Walt did.B.D.noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4364805792882783170.post-80041298713528231122009-06-05T18:04:21.066-04:002009-06-05T18:04:21.066-04:00You're quite welcome, sir. I think after watc...You're quite welcome, sir. I think after watching Mickey's Follies it does seem like there's a different person. It could be like B.D. said, that Walt is tinkering with the voice, but I don't think so. "Minnie's Yoo Hoo" doesn't sound like Walt at all.Ryanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05126059549015204825noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4364805792882783170.post-78883319225400897362009-06-05T14:35:34.143-04:002009-06-05T14:35:34.143-04:00By the way, thanks for the compliment!By the way, thanks for the compliment!ramapithhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01751343744514656549noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4364805792882783170.post-39548636573029734062009-06-05T14:35:19.308-04:002009-06-05T14:35:19.308-04:00Re: Walt speaking for Mickey from the get-go—I sus...Re: Walt speaking for Mickey from the get-go—I suspect that comes from the squeaks and other noises Mickey makes in the first few sound shorts, which to my ear certainly sound like Walt's falsetto.<br /><br />So while I'm not stating it as gospel truth, maybe Walt did "speak" for Mickey from the start, but when it first came time to have him speak and sing actual words, others' voices were briefly tested before Walt decided to resume the job himself.ramapithhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01751343744514656549noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4364805792882783170.post-71829208189985081472009-06-04T22:17:32.074-04:002009-06-04T22:17:32.074-04:00David, as always, you bring the new knowledge that...David, as always, you bring the new knowledge that makes this worth doing. I guess I've always bought into the idea that Walt "spoke" for Mickey from the get go, but this does not sound the same as other times I have heard.<br /><br />Interesting also about the cat. There is some kind of cat fixation among the animators it seems. One of my next ideas after I finish this project is to track down some of the Disney comic strips and comic books to read those. When/if I do, I look forward to checking out Kat Nipp.Ryanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05126059549015204825noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4364805792882783170.post-6385386617565005992009-06-04T15:49:20.882-04:002009-06-04T15:49:20.882-04:00We're not certain, today, that the voice in KA...We're not certain, today, that the voice in KARNIVAL KID and MICKEY'S FOLLIES is Walt. In fact, Carl Stalling claimed to have spoken for Mickey briefly, and the conventional wisdom is that one of these two is the one where he does. Still, while I'll agree that the voice doesn't sound like Walt in either short, I'd love to know a little more.<br /><br />As for Mickey's cat antagonist in KARNIVAL KID: it's less Pete than the cat from THE OPRY HOUSE (snake-charmer's snake impersonator) and WHEN THE CAT'S AWAY. In 1931, Mickey newspaper strip writer/artist Floyd Gottfredson called this cat Kat Nipp, making him a separate character from Pete: a kind of delinquent rival of Mickey's, known for tying Mickey's tail and nose in knots. The latter is directly anticipated by the similar gags in KARNIVAL KID.<br /><br />Kat Nipp has appeared a few times in other comics since 1931, though never very often.<br /><br />"It's a bum hootch dance—keep your money in your pants!"ramapithhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01751343744514656549noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4364805792882783170.post-60017481779878856692009-06-03T18:26:00.334-04:002009-06-03T18:26:00.334-04:00Mickey's finally spoken, but it seems he has y...Mickey's finally spoken, but it seems he has yet to find his voice - I've always found that in Mickey's earliest appearances, his voice, while still squeaky, is much harsher and raspier than the friendly tone we're all used to. This becomes especially evident in <i>Mickey's Follies</i> later on, in which he sings what will eventually become his theme song, and, to paraphrase one poster on The Encyclopedia of Disney Animated shorts, sounds like he has a bad cold at best. I can see why this would be the case - Walt couldn't possibly hit on the perfect voice on his first attempt.B.D.noreply@blogger.com