Review: Ye Olden Days (1933)

Directed by: Burt Gillett | 8 minutes | animation, short film, comedy, family, fantasy, musical, romance | Original Voice Cast: Pinto Colvig, Walt Disney, Marcellite Garner

Mickey, Minnie, Goofy and Boris Boef play different roles than we are used to in this short, black and white animated film from Disney. Fortunately, we are already alerted to this at the start of the movie: it is the only time in Disney history that the world-famous characters are mentioned next to the roles they play in the movie.

The story of “Ye Olden Days” is set in the Middle Ages. Mickey is a poor minstrel who falls in love with her after one look at Minnie, a princess and daughter of King Boris Boef. However, the king has other plans: the princess must give her yes to Goofy, then called Dippy Dawg, a prince. Minnie, however, does not just get married, and refuses. For the eyes of the people, the viewer and Mickey, dear father sends her together with her lady-in-waiting Clarabella Cow to the tower, where her solitary confinement awaits. But then he did not count Mickey…! Mickey’s rescue attempt, however, does not go as it should and the duo is captured. Just before Mickey is cut down (we just saw the guillotine in action when the thing is used for culinary purposes), Minnie manages to convince her father that there must be a duel. The winner of the game receives Minnie’s hand.

In “Ye Olden Days” Goofy plays the villain, he is Mickey’s enemy. That takes some getting used to. Fortunately, his role is still pretty close to how we know the lanky hero: he’s more stupid than malicious. The scene in which the bridal meal is served is very funny and the duel is also nice. “Ye Olden Days” is a nice Disney short, which can be found as an extra on the blu-ray release of “Robin Hood”.