Kittens and Mice Don't Mix

So, let me get this straight. Two mice, one of whom owns a pet dog, are bigger than little kittens. That’s the unusual scenario in Mickey’s Orphans, the first of three consecutive annual Christmas cartoons produced by Walt Disney.



Here it is 1931 and already Mickey Mouse has been emasculated into being a well-meaning sap. He decides (with the assistance of a corsetted, moose-headed Pluto, to play Santa to the little kitties. Mickey gets his home wrecked for his trouble by the ungrateful little wretches. I’d accuse the cartoon of being anti-cat, but cats really are jerks sometimes. Looking all fuzzy and cute in cat videos on the internet is just a ruse.



Uncle Walt loved butt jokes.



The cartoon was nominated for an Oscar. No doubt that’s one reason Disney decided to make Christmas cartoons for the next two years, though he and his story people decided to go for aw-shucks charm instead of kittens shooting and breaking chinaware. More tomorrow.