Greetings, Boils & Ghouls...
...and welcome to 'Day Twenty' of "Abnor Mal's Guide To Creepy Cartoon Classics on Roku" where I aim to bring you another creepy cartoon classic from the plethora of spooky animated short films that have been released throughout the course of animation history - any of which can be streamed on TV via the magic of Roku players - so let's dim down those lights, for some more fun & frights! :-O ;-) :-)
If you read my special hallowe'en blogathon preview - FOUND HERE - that I published twenty days ago, you will know I plan to post a Hallowe'en / Horror related article every day, throughout the month of October, featuring one vintage cartoon classic with spooky overtones each and every time. With recommendations for thirty-one of the most spook-tacular shorts I can find, by the end of the month, this means you'll have plenty of great choices for your creepy cartoon viewing as we count down the days to Hallowe'en... as well as ensuring lots of laughs & screams come October 31st! :-D
Likewise... if you read my previous post on 'Day Nineteen' of this month-long blogathon, you might recall that it featured a doctor whose laboratory experiments resulted in a concoction that was capable of revealing the darker side of meek & mild 'Dr. Jekyll', in the shape of his alter-ego 'Mr. Hyde'. Well, by way of coincidence, today's creepy cartoon classic features another doctor... of the truly mad kind, whose next "great experiment" that he plans to tackle will involve grafting a chicken's gizzards on the wishbone of a pup, purely to discover whether the net result will bark, or crow, or cackle !! :-O ;-) :-D
Released on 20th January 1933, and directed by David Hand, this Walt Disney produced spooky short - which forms part of the 'Mickey Mouse' series of animated films - features voice characterisations by Walt Disney (Mickey Mouse), and Pinto Colvig (Pluto), plus music composed by Bert Lewis. The animation duties were handled by Art Babbitt with Johnny Cannon and Les Clark, plus others such as: Hardie Gramatky, Jack King, Tom Palmer & Ben Sharpsteen... all of whom were uncredited.
The story begins on a dark and stormy night, with 'Mickey' being awoken from his slumber by the sound of 'Pluto' barking outside and, when he climbs out of the window to investigate, 'Mickey' soon discovers 'Pluto' is gone and that his kennel has been left upturned. 'Mickey' then sees some footprints (and paw prints) leading away from the house and into the woods... so he follows the trail in the hope of catching-up with his beloved pup. Meanwhile we (the viewers) learn that 'Pluto' has been taken by a mysterious cloaked figure to a remote castle, perched on top of a skull-like rock mass. There's only a rickety wooden bridge, which they must cross, to reach the entrance... whereupon a name-plate on the wall reveals the identity of the (still) hooded figure as 'Dr. XXX', who flips a lever which opens a gate and then drags 'Pluto' into his evil lair. As 'Mickey' follows, the footbridge collapses behind him and he barely makes it to the door but, when he does, he's forced to grab ahold of the door knocker to stop himself from falling. The very action of pulling on the door knocker then leads to 'Mickey' being dragged through the door and dumped, rather unceremoniously, on the stone floor of the castle! :-O
As 'Mickey' continues to tumble across the floor, he hits his head on a stone pillar... and the impact is so great that it causes a large knife and a meat cleaver - which were fixed to the stone column - to fall down, narrowly missing his head. At this point, 'Mickey' decides to let go of the door knocker handle which then recoils back into the door... setting-off a chain reaction (if you'll pardon the pun) that sees the door lock and bolt itself shut, fastening a padlock & chain to secure it - just for good measure! ;-)
Now, seemingly trapped inside the castle, 'Mickey' looks around to familiarise himself with these new surroundings and, as he does so, is attacked by a colony of bats. While this is going on, 'Dr. XXX' is busy getting 'Pluto' into his laboratory, while the pup continues to resist being dragged along by him.
Desperate to find 'Pluto' and take him back home, 'Mickey' continues to explore the passageways in the castle and soon finds himself in the midst of an 'Indiana Jones' style scenario, where every turn leads to a new potential pitfall. After tumbling down some stairs, he finds himself in a big cavernous room but, as he starts to look around, he catches sight of two ferocious-looking beasts out to get him!
However, rather than reveal any more of the plot at this stage, I thought I'd leave it for each of you to discover what happens next... by pressing the "Play" button on the embedded video below, so you can all enjoy today's creepy cartoon classic (in full) in all it's vintage horror movie styled glory! ;-) :-D
Of course, in addition to watching this embedded version of the cartoon right here on my blog, you can also choose to stream it on your big screen television by using the "cast" function built-in to the 'YouTube' app(s) for mobile devices on both the iOS (Apple) plus Android platforms. For those who may have missed my special hallowe'en blogathon preview posted twenty days ago... to "cast" the video to your Roku player and/or NowTV device(s), you will first need to have the Roku channel (app) for 'YouTube' installed to act as a receiver for the stream you are casting. If you're not sure how to go about casting from your mobile device to your Roku there's a help article from 'Roku Support', which can be found on the official Roku website, that walks you through the process step-by-step! ;-)
YOUTUBE..........................................................................COST: FREE [Roku Guide Review]
***FILED UNDER: "WEB VIDEO" in Roku UK Channel Store WHEN FIRST RELEASED***
On whichever platform you decide to stream this video, watch out for the scene in which 'Dr. XXX' - the titular "Mad Doctor" in this spooky short - reveals his plans for 'Pluto', along with a chicken that he is also holding captive... which, essentially, means he plans to attach the head of 'Pluto' to the body of the chicken - but he puts it all across in a neat little rhyme delivered as he relishes the thought:-
Dr. XXX: I'm a raring, tearing wizard when it comes to cutting up...
[cue evil laugh]
Dr. XXX: I can graft a chicken's gizzard on the wishbone of a pup. And here's the great experiment I'm just about to tackle: to find out if the net result will bark or crow or cackle. Muahahahahahaha!
Then, as 'Dr. XXX' looms menacingly towards the terrified 'Pluto', we the viewers see the poor dog's heart in his throat and watch it fall through the bones of his ribcage, as he sits in front of an X-Ray machine... crying for help as 'Dr. XXX' torments 'Pluto' by cutting his shadow in half before his eyes!
It really does come across like something from an old 'Universal' horror movie, and there's even a really great colour poster to go along with this creepy cartoon classic, as shown in the image below:-
In addition to that, I also came across this great piece of contemporary fan art, produced by an artist who goes by the name of 'Quetzalcoatl2k' on the 'Deviant Art' website, which was published earlier this month for 'Day 3' of Spooktober 2018 and captures "The Mad Doctor" for the digital age! ;-) :-D
If you read my special hallowe'en blogathon preview - FOUND HERE - that I published twenty days ago, you will know I plan to post a Hallowe'en / Horror related article every day, throughout the month of October, featuring one vintage cartoon classic with spooky overtones each and every time. With recommendations for thirty-one of the most spook-tacular shorts I can find, by the end of the month, this means you'll have plenty of great choices for your creepy cartoon viewing as we count down the days to Hallowe'en... as well as ensuring lots of laughs & screams come October 31st! :-D
Likewise... if you read my previous post on 'Day Nineteen' of this month-long blogathon, you might recall that it featured a doctor whose laboratory experiments resulted in a concoction that was capable of revealing the darker side of meek & mild 'Dr. Jekyll', in the shape of his alter-ego 'Mr. Hyde'. Well, by way of coincidence, today's creepy cartoon classic features another doctor... of the truly mad kind, whose next "great experiment" that he plans to tackle will involve grafting a chicken's gizzards on the wishbone of a pup, purely to discover whether the net result will bark, or crow, or cackle !! :-O ;-) :-D
Released on 20th January 1933, and directed by David Hand, this Walt Disney produced spooky short - which forms part of the 'Mickey Mouse' series of animated films - features voice characterisations by Walt Disney (Mickey Mouse), and Pinto Colvig (Pluto), plus music composed by Bert Lewis. The animation duties were handled by Art Babbitt with Johnny Cannon and Les Clark, plus others such as: Hardie Gramatky, Jack King, Tom Palmer & Ben Sharpsteen... all of whom were uncredited.
The story begins on a dark and stormy night, with 'Mickey' being awoken from his slumber by the sound of 'Pluto' barking outside and, when he climbs out of the window to investigate, 'Mickey' soon discovers 'Pluto' is gone and that his kennel has been left upturned. 'Mickey' then sees some footprints (and paw prints) leading away from the house and into the woods... so he follows the trail in the hope of catching-up with his beloved pup. Meanwhile we (the viewers) learn that 'Pluto' has been taken by a mysterious cloaked figure to a remote castle, perched on top of a skull-like rock mass. There's only a rickety wooden bridge, which they must cross, to reach the entrance... whereupon a name-plate on the wall reveals the identity of the (still) hooded figure as 'Dr. XXX', who flips a lever which opens a gate and then drags 'Pluto' into his evil lair. As 'Mickey' follows, the footbridge collapses behind him and he barely makes it to the door but, when he does, he's forced to grab ahold of the door knocker to stop himself from falling. The very action of pulling on the door knocker then leads to 'Mickey' being dragged through the door and dumped, rather unceremoniously, on the stone floor of the castle! :-O
'Mickey' Follows The Footprints Into The Forest, Trying To Find 'Pluto'...
The Footprints Lead To A Remote Castle, Perched On A Skull-Like Rock Mass!
The Castle Belongs To 'Dr. XXX' Who Has Taken 'Pluto' There Against His Will...
'Mickey' Follows, But The Footbridge Collapses Behind Him...
'Mickey' Grabs Hold Of The Door Knocker, To Stop Himself From Falling...
But, As He Does So, He Gets Dragged Through The Door... And Into The Castle!
Where He Is Dumped, Rather Unceremoniously, On The Cold Stone Floor!
As 'Mickey' continues to tumble across the floor, he hits his head on a stone pillar... and the impact is so great that it causes a large knife and a meat cleaver - which were fixed to the stone column - to fall down, narrowly missing his head. At this point, 'Mickey' decides to let go of the door knocker handle which then recoils back into the door... setting-off a chain reaction (if you'll pardon the pun) that sees the door lock and bolt itself shut, fastening a padlock & chain to secure it - just for good measure! ;-)
As He Continues To Tumble, 'Mickey' Bashes His Head On A Stone Pillar...
The Impact Causes A Knife And A Meat Cleaver To Fall Down, Narrowly Missing Him...
When 'Mickey' Lets Go Of The Knocker, It Recoils Into The Door... Which Then Locks Itself!
Now, seemingly trapped inside the castle, 'Mickey' looks around to familiarise himself with these new surroundings and, as he does so, is attacked by a colony of bats. While this is going on, 'Dr. XXX' is busy getting 'Pluto' into his laboratory, while the pup continues to resist being dragged along by him.
Now Trapped Inside The Castle, 'Mickey' Continues To Look For 'Pluto'...
And, As He Does So, Is Suddenly Attacked By A Colony Of Bats!
'Dr. XXX' Drags 'Pluto' Into His Laboratory, While The Pup Does His Best To Resist!
Desperate to find 'Pluto' and take him back home, 'Mickey' continues to explore the passageways in the castle and soon finds himself in the midst of an 'Indiana Jones' style scenario, where every turn leads to a new potential pitfall. After tumbling down some stairs, he finds himself in a big cavernous room but, as he starts to look around, he catches sight of two ferocious-looking beasts out to get him!
'Mickey' Does His Best 'Indiana Jones' To Avoid The Hidden Traps In The Castle...
But Winds-Up Falling Down Some Stone Steps, Which Lead Deep Underground!
He Comes To Rest In A Cavernous Cellar, With A Large Fire Burning Nearby...
Then Catches Sight Of Two Ferocious-Looking Beasts That Are Out To Get Him!
However, rather than reveal any more of the plot at this stage, I thought I'd leave it for each of you to discover what happens next... by pressing the "Play" button on the embedded video below, so you can all enjoy today's creepy cartoon classic (in full) in all it's vintage horror movie styled glory! ;-) :-D
Of course, in addition to watching this embedded version of the cartoon right here on my blog, you can also choose to stream it on your big screen television by using the "cast" function built-in to the 'YouTube' app(s) for mobile devices on both the iOS (Apple) plus Android platforms. For those who may have missed my special hallowe'en blogathon preview posted twenty days ago... to "cast" the video to your Roku player and/or NowTV device(s), you will first need to have the Roku channel (app) for 'YouTube' installed to act as a receiver for the stream you are casting. If you're not sure how to go about casting from your mobile device to your Roku there's a help article from 'Roku Support', which can be found on the official Roku website, that walks you through the process step-by-step! ;-)
YOUTUBE..........................................................................COST: FREE [Roku Guide Review]
***FILED UNDER: "WEB VIDEO" in Roku UK Channel Store WHEN FIRST RELEASED***
On whichever platform you decide to stream this video, watch out for the scene in which 'Dr. XXX' - the titular "Mad Doctor" in this spooky short - reveals his plans for 'Pluto', along with a chicken that he is also holding captive... which, essentially, means he plans to attach the head of 'Pluto' to the body of the chicken - but he puts it all across in a neat little rhyme delivered as he relishes the thought:-
Dr. XXX: I'm a raring, tearing wizard when it comes to cutting up...
[cue evil laugh]
Dr. XXX: I can graft a chicken's gizzard on the wishbone of a pup. And here's the great experiment I'm just about to tackle: to find out if the net result will bark or crow or cackle. Muahahahahahaha!
Then, as 'Dr. XXX' looms menacingly towards the terrified 'Pluto', we the viewers see the poor dog's heart in his throat and watch it fall through the bones of his ribcage, as he sits in front of an X-Ray machine... crying for help as 'Dr. XXX' torments 'Pluto' by cutting his shadow in half before his eyes!
'Dr. XXX' Reveals His Evil Plan To The Helpless 'Pluto' And The Captive Chicken...
Then Laughs Maniacally, At The Potential Outcome Of His "Great Experiment"!
While We See 'Pluto', With His Heart In His Throat, Petrified At The Prospect Of It All!
Before "The Mad Doctor" Turns The Terror Up A Notch, By Cutting Pluto's Shadow In Half!
It really does come across like something from an old 'Universal' horror movie, and there's even a really great colour poster to go along with this creepy cartoon classic, as shown in the image below:-
In addition to that, I also came across this great piece of contemporary fan art, produced by an artist who goes by the name of 'Quetzalcoatl2k' on the 'Deviant Art' website, which was published earlier this month for 'Day 3' of Spooktober 2018 and captures "The Mad Doctor" for the digital age! ;-) :-D
I'd also like to remind readers of this blog that there are now just eleven days to go until Halloween !!
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Anyhow, that's all I've got time for today... but do remember to come back again tomorrow, for my next creepy cartoon recommendation from the archives of animated film history, when I will suggest another spooky short for 'Day 21' of "Abnor Mal's Guide To Creepy Cartoon Classics on Roku" that you can stream right here on this blog - as well as through the equivalent channel on your Roku player(s). Meanwhile... please be sure to visit the "Countdown To Hallowe'en" website and show your support for this annual online Hallowe'en extravaganza PLUS don't forget to use the links you find there and check out all the other 'Cryptkeepers' taking part this year. I know they'll appreciate it, if you visit their blogs and share your thoughts on the contribution(s) they've made.
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ONE LAST THING, BEFORE I GO: Don't forget that, aside from the Hallowe'en / Horror-themed ghastliness going on around these parts for the next month, you can also keep up with the UK Roku action (as it happens) by checking-out my regular 'Weekly RoundUp' posts each weekend where you will find up-to-the-minute info on all things Roku-related is posted on a weekly basis (well, almost).
Until the next time, then...
That's all folks !!
