This is one of those collections of acts. The barnyard has become a showplace and Mickey is in charge. There are several acts involving the animals. None of them is spectacular. However, Mickey does a command performance in the second half. He sings, dances, and generally displays his talents. He also sings his theme song which we will hear off and on throughout history.

Mickey's Follies (1929) ** 1/2 (out of 4)Once sound came into play all sorts of studios were releasing "follies" so that they could show off various acts in hopes of finding someone that would eventually become big. This take-off on that has Mickey Mouse hosting a show in his backyard where various farm animals put on acts. This all leads up to Mickey's big singing debut. There's no doubt that the animation here is extremely good and there's actually more plot than your typical Mickey short but at the same time this thing contains very few laughs. I think the biggest reason that there aren't any laughs is that the farm acts simply weren't very well-written and this here pretty much sunk the film. Mickey's sounding like what Betty Boop would eventually sound like so you might want to keep ear plugs handy.

This is an early Disney Mickey Mouse short. There will be spoilers ahead:Mickey is putting on a musical revue (hence the short's title) and it features various acts in addition to our hero, most notably a female pig who "sings" opera and has trouble keeping her clothes on.The animation is by Ub Iwerks and is, as usual, excellent. The gags are typical for a short from the late 1920s. The required outhouse is here, various underwear jokes and so on.Mickey serenades the audience with a song for Minnie, who is watching from a box (literally). The voice isn't Walt's voice and it isn't the voice we typically associate with Mickey, but it's a reasonably good early effort. The studio still hasn't quite found "the sweet spot", but the Flieschers are really the only studio ahead of them at this point.This short is on the Mickey Mouse In Black and White Disney Treasures DVD set and is well worth seeking out.

Mickey's Follies is not among the best or worst cartoon shorts I've seen. The plot is rather thin on the ground and a couple of scenes are on the routine side especially the ducks. This said, Mickey's Follies is definitely worth seeing. The quality of the animation is truly excellent, beautifully synchronised with the music particularly in the chicken fight sequence. The barnyard setting is not the most interesting setting of all, but serves its purpose. The character designs are nicely rounded and the backgrounds are smooth. The music is not only a pleasant listen, but also brings so much energy to every gag and scene. Minnie's Yoo-Hoo is one of the best Disney theme songs, it is so darn catchy. The gags are a lot of fun also, the best being with Patricia the operatic pig, not just with her bloomers falling down but also because of how bad her singing is and how everyone reacts to it. Mickey is very likable, Minnie likewise in her brief appearance and the supporting characters also shine. Overall, not wholly remarkable but fun cartoon. 8/10 Bethany Cox