The Karnival Kid (1929)

Very very predictable, including the post credit scene !!!

Good movie but grossly overrated

Best movie ever!

I like movies that are aware of what they are selling... without [any] greater aspirations than to make people laugh and that's it.

A little odd cartoon featuring Mickey Mouse, in the first outing where he speaks, trying to impress Minnie the Shimmy Dancer with a serenade at a carnival. Some catchy music here and there, but not much funny stuff to see here. Just a lot of wacky singing and dancing. Grade C

Another of the classic Iwerks/Disney collaborations from Walt Disney productions is this short that, unlike some of the other cartoons that the duo put out in 28/29, actually takes places in two time periods. Sure, it may just be day and night, but that's a small leap forward in the storytelling for Disney, who would usually just make things set in "real" time, far as the continuity went. This is set at a carnival where Mickey Mouse is selling hot dogs - we hear his voice, not sounding really like the Mouse we'd know later, perhaps Disney wasn't sure yet how to do it, like the early Homer Simpson voice work - and Minnie Mouse wants one.The hot dogs, of course, have legs, and little arms, and can bite and be spanked when they're bad (!) so that's really the highlight here. The second half has Mickey trying to win Minnie over by having two cats "serenade" (really badly, of course) while he strums his guitar. The cat stuff goes on a bit too long - I might've liked actually full story with just the hot dogs, do they rebel, how can they eat the little cartoon hot dogs, oh, no wait, they're cartoons too, guess it makes sense - but it's still magical comedic stuff, genuine and just dumb-silly stuff.

The Karnival Kid (1929)*** 1/2 (out of 4) Here's another Mickey Mouse short that really doesn't contain too much of a plot but that really doesn't matter and especially when you consider that this here was the first film where we actually got to hear his voice. Mickey is working at the carnival selling hot dogs when he gets into a fight with a barker. After all that that it's his time to try and butter up Minnie. THE KARNIVAL KID is certainly a historic short but one really shouldn't expect the "voice" that America came to love. No, there's no doubt that Mickey sounds a bit strange here but if you watch the films in the order that they were released, as I was doing, it's interesting to note the various changes that would happen to the character. This here is certainly one of the most entertaining of these early shorts because of the fun times with the hot dogs and their personalities.

Up until "The Karnival Kat", the world had never heard Mickey Mouse speak. Well, when I heard him, I was in for a shock! Instead of the usual falsetto voice originally made by Walt Disney himself, Mickey has a gruff and unattractive voice--one that sounded very strange coming out of the world's most famous mouse! Well, apart from that, the sound itself was a big problem in this film--with a VERY scratchy and tinny soundtrack. Considering it came out in 1929, however, I will cut it some slack--but not when it comes to Mickey's lousy voice! Apparently, Walt and the rest must have agreed that this voice was all wrong, as it soon would become what we've all come to love.As for the cartoon, although Mickey is in it selling hot dogs (much like he did in "All Wet") and you also see Minnie, they are only in the first portion of the cartoon. Much of it consists of showing carnival life as well as a large portion near the end devoted to a couple caterwauling cats. It's all rather cute but not up to the usual standards of a Mickey cartoon. Because of this, devoted fans will enjoy it but others might want to think about seeing some other cartoon instead.poor sound odd voice for Mickey