Mickey and Pluto decide to go fishing by the ocean. They have little success because Pluto has an encounter with a clam and Mickey with a seagull. What could have been the enjoyment of the simple things becomes an incredibly unpleasant day. The clam seems a bit over the top. I've never liked seagulls. Basically it's about two pleasant characters having their days ruined through no fault of their own.

I didn't know until looking at the reviews on Letterboxd and IMDb trivia that this was the last Mickey Mouse cartoon that Walt Disney worked on, in other words the final one that was a short in this format (I have to think Mickey Mouse showed up *somewhere* in the 13 ensuing years until Disney died, maybe someone can bring this info up). It certainly was a good one to leave off on, and mostly because it goes back to the spirit of the early Mickey Mouse shorts: Mickey having lots of gags involving other animals that are screwing around with him.Of course it's not quite the same since we also have Pluto, but the raison d'etre of Mickey Mouse can be seen here just as well as in those late 20's and early 30's shots (it's not quite that quality, but then what is). It's a lot of fun to see the hijinks ensue with the clams and then the seagulls, and the light but constantly mounting touch that Disney brought, where a gag builds on top of another and it's about the affronting personalities and clashing of conflicts more than anything, makes it memorable.I think that it helps to watch it as a kid initially, as I got to do (thanks Disney Classics VHS series in the 80's, which introduced me and other kids to Steamboat Willie by the way), so that the history of it and that significance can come later. If you take it on its own, it's not any masterwork but it's fun and engaging and cute and that's what counts.

Sometimes simple is best as in this final Mickey Mouse animated cartoon from 1953. Mickey and Pluto's picnic lunch comes under attack by a disruptive clam before an enterprising seagull arrives to steal Mickey's fish bait at every opportunity. The short has a mere seven minute run time which was probably plenty even way back in the Fifties for those with a short attention span. Seeing this one along with a couple others on Turner Classics the other day reminds me of being a kid and having my parents take me to a local movie house where these cartoons were a welcome accompaniment to the main feature. They say you can't go back again, true enough, but with these shorts it's a neat way to revisit one's childhood.

Known for being Mickey Mouse's final cartoon, The Simple Things is a good if not entirely exceptional cartoon. The story is entertaining and crisply paced if routine, and the seagull gives a new meaning to the word obnoxious. On the other hand, the animation is clean and beautiful, colourful and vibrant in the colours and fluid in the backgrounds, and the music brims with energy. The cartoon is also funny if never hilarious. Mickey is as likable as ever, and Pluto still has his cuteness and energy, neither of which either character has really lost.All in all, a well done, technically great and likable cartoon if not one of Mickey/Pluto's best. 8/10 Bethany Cox