Welcome back to another addition of Classic Shorts Showcase. Join me as I take a look at Morris The Midget Moose.
The Plot
The plot of this short is rather reminiscent of two things that I have reviewed in the past. This short reminded me of both Dumbo and Goliath II. This short reminded of these two because just like Dumbo and Goliath, Morris had a difference that made him an outcast but he was able to find a way to make it work to his advantage with a little help from another moose who also had another difference. Well that was actually the main plot because you see the story that leads into this deals with two Bootle Beetles who are having trouble getting food off of a tree. These Bootle Beetles actually appeared in many Donald Duck shorts.
Narration
Characters
Morris - Not Voiced
I like the character of Morris. He may have just been a little guy with big antlers and he did get sad about that but after some time he realized that he shouldn't let that get him down when he decided to take on Thunderclap. Now unlike Dumbo, Morris didn't have anyone to rely on. There was Timothy the Mouse in his life to make things better for him in the beginning. He was a very sad moose that was unhappy with the way he looked but after seeing his reflections in the water, he stopped crying and decided to fight. Alas he was laughed off by Thunderclap. As I said Morris reminded me of Dumbo in that he had a difference that separated him from the herd just as Dumbo had big ears, Morris had big antlers. The other Moose shunned him because of that and he just felt alone. I felt bad for Morris and wanted him to succeed in taking down Thunderclap. Luckily, Morris was able to make a friend that too had a difference. I have to say that for just being 4 years old, Morris sure had a lot on his plate and also it does seem interesting that unlike Dumbo or Goliath II, we never saw the parents o f Morris. My guess is that they don't exist and Morris just lives on his own. That is probably why I wanted to protect him so much because until Balsam came into his life, Morris had no one to look after him and I found that to be really sad.
Balsam also voiced by Dick Trout
After Morris' first encounter with Thunderclap, he meets Balsam. A big moose with little antlers. Balsam and Morris soon become fast friends because of their differences. In way they become brothers, they look out for each other and hope to protect one another and they decide by putting Morris on top of Balsam, they can make themselves look like a regular moose and take on Thunderclap. Though I have to say that after Balsam's introduction and during the final battle with Thunderclap, his importance dwindled a tad. Don't get me wrong he helped Morris in taking down Thunderclap but Morris started to overshadow him. Now I know Morris is the star of this short but I think that I would have like a better balance of Balsam and Morris in this final battle.
Villain
Thunderclap - Not Voiced
Sadly, I couldn't find a picture of Thunderclap. If I had to choose two words to describe this character, they would mean and ruthless. He is just so big and brooding, always looks evil with a twisted evil laugh that has a nice moose sound to it. Even though he never talked, I got the feeling that he was full of himself and didn't think that anyone could take him down. He was surely entertaining and take down was pretty funny. I don't want to give that away. He was a fun character as was most of the other characters.
My Final Thoughts
In the end, this was a decent short. Was it the best short that I have watched? No but it was good, the characters were likable and the story was engaging. Sure I didn't care for the narration but if that is the only flaw I can find in this short, there really isn't anything to complain about. This short has me convinced that either I really when Disney focuses on stories about characters with differences or they are just really good at it. It's probably a mixture of both because majority of the time when they do a story like this, it works and I'm not too surprised that I like a story like this with Dumbo being my all time favorite movie and all. I would say watch this short if you get the chance. Join me next time, when I take a look at...
The Golden Touch
The Plot
The plot of this short is rather reminiscent of two things that I have reviewed in the past. This short reminded me of both Dumbo and Goliath II. This short reminded of these two because just like Dumbo and Goliath, Morris had a difference that made him an outcast but he was able to find a way to make it work to his advantage with a little help from another moose who also had another difference. Well that was actually the main plot because you see the story that leads into this deals with two Bootle Beetles who are having trouble getting food off of a tree. These Bootle Beetles actually appeared in many Donald Duck shorts.
Narration
Old Bootle Beetle voiced by Dick Trout
The narration in this short was simple. It served it's purpose and worked well for the most part. It was nice to have in character narration. How I know not every narration will be the beauty that is the voice of Sterling Holloway but here, this narration just felt empty. It wasn't bad and the wise old man part was done well but there was nothing that made the narrator's voice distinct or unique.
Morris - Not Voiced
I like the character of Morris. He may have just been a little guy with big antlers and he did get sad about that but after some time he realized that he shouldn't let that get him down when he decided to take on Thunderclap. Now unlike Dumbo, Morris didn't have anyone to rely on. There was Timothy the Mouse in his life to make things better for him in the beginning. He was a very sad moose that was unhappy with the way he looked but after seeing his reflections in the water, he stopped crying and decided to fight. Alas he was laughed off by Thunderclap. As I said Morris reminded me of Dumbo in that he had a difference that separated him from the herd just as Dumbo had big ears, Morris had big antlers. The other Moose shunned him because of that and he just felt alone. I felt bad for Morris and wanted him to succeed in taking down Thunderclap. Luckily, Morris was able to make a friend that too had a difference. I have to say that for just being 4 years old, Morris sure had a lot on his plate and also it does seem interesting that unlike Dumbo or Goliath II, we never saw the parents o f Morris. My guess is that they don't exist and Morris just lives on his own. That is probably why I wanted to protect him so much because until Balsam came into his life, Morris had no one to look after him and I found that to be really sad.
Balsam also voiced by Dick Trout
After Morris' first encounter with Thunderclap, he meets Balsam. A big moose with little antlers. Balsam and Morris soon become fast friends because of their differences. In way they become brothers, they look out for each other and hope to protect one another and they decide by putting Morris on top of Balsam, they can make themselves look like a regular moose and take on Thunderclap. Though I have to say that after Balsam's introduction and during the final battle with Thunderclap, his importance dwindled a tad. Don't get me wrong he helped Morris in taking down Thunderclap but Morris started to overshadow him. Now I know Morris is the star of this short but I think that I would have like a better balance of Balsam and Morris in this final battle.
Villain
Thunderclap - Not Voiced
Sadly, I couldn't find a picture of Thunderclap. If I had to choose two words to describe this character, they would mean and ruthless. He is just so big and brooding, always looks evil with a twisted evil laugh that has a nice moose sound to it. Even though he never talked, I got the feeling that he was full of himself and didn't think that anyone could take him down. He was surely entertaining and take down was pretty funny. I don't want to give that away. He was a fun character as was most of the other characters.
My Final Thoughts
In the end, this was a decent short. Was it the best short that I have watched? No but it was good, the characters were likable and the story was engaging. Sure I didn't care for the narration but if that is the only flaw I can find in this short, there really isn't anything to complain about. This short has me convinced that either I really when Disney focuses on stories about characters with differences or they are just really good at it. It's probably a mixture of both because majority of the time when they do a story like this, it works and I'm not too surprised that I like a story like this with Dumbo being my all time favorite movie and all. I would say watch this short if you get the chance. Join me next time, when I take a look at...
The Golden Touch
Excellent post. Keep posting such kind of info on your page.
ReplyDeleteIm really impressed by your site.
Hi there, You've done an incredible job. I'll definitely digg it and in my view suggest to my friends.
I am sure they will be benefited from this site.
My page; bancuri cele mai haioase