View source for The Mad Doctor (1933 film)

{{short description|1933 Mickey Mouse cartoon}}
{{Infobox film
| name           = The Mad Doctor
| image          = The Mad Doctor (1933) Poster.jpg
| alt            = 
| caption        = 
| director       = [[David Hand (animator)|David Hand]]<ref name=director>{{cite book |last1=Borowiec |first1=Piotr |title=Animated Short Films - A Critical Index to Theatrical Cartoons |date=1998 |publisher=Scarecrow Press |pages=195 |isbn=978-0-8108-3503-0}}</ref>
| producer       = [[Walt Disney]]
| story          = 
| narrator       = 
| starring       = Walt Disney<br>Allan Watson<br>[[Pinto Colvig]]
| music          = Bert Lewis<ref name=music>{{cite book |last1=Bohn |first1=James |title=Music in Disney's Animated Features - Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs to The Jungle Book |date=2017 |publisher=University Press of Mississippi |isbn=978-1-4968-1215-5}}</ref>
| animator       = [[Art Babbitt]]<br>[[Les Clark]]<br>[[Ben Sharpsteen]]
| layout_artist  = 
| background_artist = 
| studio         = [[Walt Disney Animation Studios|Walt Disney Productions]]
| distributor    = [[United Artists|United Artists Pictures]]
| released       = {{Film date|1933|01|20|ref1=<ref name=ultimate>{{cite book |last1=Kaufman |first1=J.B. |last2=Gerstein |first2=David |title=Walt Disney's Mickey Mouse: The Ultimate History |date=2018 |publisher=[[Taschen]] |location=Cologne |isbn=978-3-8365-5284-4}}</ref>}}
| color_process  = Black and white
| runtime        = 7 minutes
| country        = United States
| language       = English
}}

'''''The Mad Doctor''''' is a [[Mickey Mouse]] cartoon released in 1933. It is known as the first appearance of the title character "[[Mickey Mouse universe#The Mad Doctor|The Mad Doctor]]", or "Dr. XXX". It was the 52nd Mickey Mouse short film, and the second of that year.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Lenburg |first1=Jeff |title=The Encyclopedia of Animated Cartoons |date=1999 |publisher=Checkmark Books |isbn=0-8160-3831-7 |access-date=6 June 2020 |url=https://archive.org/details/isbn_9780816038312/page/108/mode/2up |pages=108–109}}</ref>

This short is in the [[public domain]], because Disney did not renew the copyright as was required at the time. However, elements of the short, including Pluto and aspects of Mickey's design, remain under copyright until 2027 at the latest.

== Plot ==
[[File:Mad Doctor, The (1933 Character).png|left|thumb|The titular Mad Doctor]]
The plot centers on the title character, a [[mad scientist]] who has kidnapped Mickey's dog, [[Pluto (Disney)|Pluto]]. Mickey tries to rescue him before the doctor can perform his experiment: putting Pluto's head onto the body of a chicken in order to see if a puppy will hatch from an egg. Mickey battles his way through booby traps and animated skeletons before eventually getting caught and strapped onto a table to get cut open by a buzz-saw, forcing Mickey to suck in his belly, trembling. The scene then fades to Mickey asleep in bed and suddenly woken up by a fly, whose buzzing resembles the whirring of the saw. Not yet realizing the events were only a nightmare, Mickey shouts for Pluto, who eagerly jumps onto Mickey's bed with his doghouse and chain still attached to his collar.

== Voice cast ==
* Mickey Mouse: [[Walt Disney]]
* Pluto: [[Pinto Colvig]]
* Hen: [[Florence Gill]]
* The Mad Doctor: Allan Watson<ref name="CartoonVoices">{{cite book |last1=Scott |first1=Keith |title=Cartoon Voices of the Golden Age, Vol. 2 |date=3 October 2022 |publisher=BearManor Media |page=508 |language=en}}</ref>

==Reception==
The short's [[Horror film|horror genre]] overtones made it unusual for a Mickey Mouse cartoon. Some theaters refused to show it, believing it to be too scary for kids. At one time, for this reason, it was banned entirely in the United Kingdom,<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.themeparktourist.com/features/20150226/29988/5-experiences-which-disney-darker-universal|title=3 Classic Walt Disney World Rides Darker Than Anything at Universal Orlando Resort|date=28 February 2015}}</ref> as well as [[Nazi Germany]].<ref>{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=RUz-XWCbKKYC&q=The+Mad+Doctor+Disney+1933+banned&pg=PA114|title=Hollywood Flatlands: Animation, Critical Theory and the Avant-garde|first=Esther|last=Leslie|date=11 July 2018|publisher=Verso|isbn=9781844675043|via=Google Books}}</ref> Due to the perceived scariness, the short was never reissued.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Stathes |first=Tommy |date=October 29, 2014 |title=Halloween Horror: "The Mad Doctor" (1933) {{!}} |url=https://cartoonresearch.com/index.php/halloween-horror-the-mad-doctor-1933/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230308213018/https://cartoonresearch.com/index.php/halloween-horror-the-mad-doctor-1933/ |archive-date=March 8, 2023 |access-date=2023-03-08 |website=cartoonresearch.com}}</ref>

In February 1933, ''[[The Film Daily]]'' said: "One of the liveliest animated cartoons to come along, and plenty comical."<ref>{{cite news |title=Short Subjects |url=https://archive.org/details/filmdailyvolume66162newy/page/226/mode/2up/search/short+subjects |access-date=16 February 2020 |publisher=[[The Film Daily]] |date=Feb 10, 1933}}</ref>

=== Later analysis ===
Further study of the short suggests that it serves as a spoof of [[Universal Classic Monsters|Universal's Horror]] films of the time, in particular ''[[Frankenstein (1931 film)|Frankenstein]]'' and the horror genre more broadly.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Wells |first=Paul |title=The Horror Genre - From Beelzebub to Blair Witch |publisher=Wallflower |year=2000 |isbn=9781903364000 |pages=102 |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book |last1=Goodrum |first1=Michael |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=KEATEAAAQBAJ |title=Printing Terror: American Horror Comics as Cold War Commentary and Critique |last2=Smith |first2=Philip |publisher=Manchester University Press |year=2021 |isbn=9781526135940 |language=en |access-date=March 5, 2023}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book |last=Sinyard |first=Neil |title=The Best of Disney |publisher=Portland House |year=1988 |isbn=9780517653463 |pages=15 |language=en}}</ref> Other analysis purports that the short is an examination of "the machine age and its discontents" as Mickey encounters the "horror of science technology" when facing The Mad Doctor.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Watts |first=Steven |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=I6q6PinOBcQC |title=The Magic Kingdom - Walt Disney and the American Way of Life |publisher=University of Missouri Press |year=2013 |isbn=9780826273000 |pages=75 |language=en |access-date=March 5, 2023}}</ref> The short is also indicative of the evolution of Mickey's character from a more mischievous one to an "innocuous hero, devoid of obvious desire and aggression" as the character selflessly attempts rescuing Pluto.<ref name=":0">{{Cite book |last=Harrington |first=Seán |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=G-UoCAAAQBAJ |title=The Disney Fetish |publisher=John Libbey Publishing |year=2015 |isbn=9780861969081 |pages=48 |access-date=March 5, 2023}}</ref> To this end, Mickey is only allowed to engage in the "surreal and absurd situations" that the short portrays by having the ending reveal that it was all a dream.<ref name=":0" /> The short also features the horror elements similar to the 1896 novel ''[[The Island of Doctor Moreau]]'' with The Mad Doctor's plan of turning Pluto into a dog/chicken hybrid in a similar way to how the hybrid beings were created in the novel.

==Copyright status==
This cartoon is one of a few Disney shorts that is in the [[public domain]] as of 2024. It did not have a proper copyright renewal. However, aspects of the short such as Pluto remain under copyright until 2026.

The Mad Doctor character is in the public domain in accordance with his appearance in this short under American copyright law.

==Legacy==
A photo of the Mad Doctor can be seen on a hospital wall during the [[Roger Rabbit]] short ''Tummy Trouble''.<ref>{{Cite news |title=Every Hidden Reference in Roger Rabbit's "Tummy Trouble" |language=en-US |work=Laser Time |url=http://www.lasertimepodcast.com/2018/06/22/every-hidden-reference-in-roger-rabbits-tummy-trouble/ |access-date=2023-03-05}}</ref> In 1988, a [[cel]] from the short featuring Mickey looking down "a staircase of skeletons and included the background scenery" sold at an auction for $63,800.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Kishi |first=Russell |date=October 19, 1988 |title=Passion for cels puzzles artists |pages=12 |work=The Bryan Times |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=n3lPAAAAIBAJ&dq=the+mad+doctor+disney+1933&pg=PA7&article_id=4892,1571345 |access-date=March 5, 2023}}</ref> In 1992, more artwork from the short was sold at auction for $18,700.<ref>{{Cite news |first= |date=April 30, 1992 |title=Animated art sold at auction in London |pages=48 |work=Kentucky New Era |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=hNorAAAAIBAJ&dq=the+mad+doctor+disney&pg=PA7&article_id=1248,5590025 |access-date=March 5, 2023}}</ref>

=== Video games ===
''The Mad Doctor'' short also served as the basis for, and title of, the second level in the video game, ''[[Mickey Mania: The Timeless Adventures of Mickey Mouse]]''.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Scullion |first=Chris |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=YJwQEAAAQBAJ |title=The SNES Encyclopedia: Every Game Released for the Super Nintendo Entertainment System |publisher=Pen & Sword Books |year=2020 |isbn=9781526737847 |language=en |access-date=March 5, 2023}}</ref> A depiction of the Mad Doctor is also used as the cover art for the game, and the Mad Doctor is a boss that Mickey must defeat.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Tested- CIB- SNES Mickey Mania: The Timeless Adventures of Mickey Mouse 735009214508 |url=https://www.ebay.com/itm/394495746380 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230305205802/https://www.ebay.com/itm/394495746380?epid=4650&hash=item5bd9c7614c:g:pZMAAOSwNJRkA25u&amdata=enc%3AAQAHAAAAwP5p7ymdx%2F15q41LLM2osBGN9vPEQUtArnGqpSTAfRVXfadlbBlHn%2B3MdKIIagZHaKRPFQr7g3wgFVpSk5a%2BdeNV7PxPSYzKuVGguG4sxc3Ll%2F8dLKS2f3sBTxx%2FB8ju9n75hDe2JQfEbpLrvAspXaGYF71A5WO4ODpi42zWzW0PMQ80nHixdKB0wWsEsobGYUrFs2pr1%2FD9WbSyIGf77tJfcWT1S1YNCihB%2FZ1YGgfAhwzzMj6NrBtbHaO4QdTZiA%3D%3D%7Ctkp%3ABk9SR9rahLnWYQ |archive-date=March 5, 2023 |access-date=2023-03-05 |website=eBay |language=en-US}}</ref> He also appears as a major character in ''[[Epic Mickey]]'' and [[Epic Mickey 2: The Power of Two|its sequel]]; the cartoon appears as a bonus in the first game.<ref>{{Cite web |title=THE MAD DOCTOR |url=https://www.behindthevoiceactors.com/characters/Disney/The-Mad-Doctor/ |access-date=March 5, 2023 |website=Behind the Voice Actors}}</ref> The video game ''[[Kingdom Hearts III]]'' features a [[Game & Watch]] style mini-game based on the short.<ref>{{Cite web |last=zetasoldier |date=2019-02-08 |title=The Mad Doctor Mini-Game Guide (Classic Kingdom) |url=https://samurai-gamers.com/kingdom-hearts-3/the-mad-doctor-classic-kingdom/ |access-date=2023-03-05 |website=SAMURAI GAMERS |language=en-US}}</ref>

==Home media==
The short was released on December 2, 2002 on ''[[Walt Disney Treasures: Wave Two#Mickey Mouse in Black and White|Walt Disney Treasures: Mickey Mouse in Black and White]]''.<ref>{{cite web |title=Mickey Mouse in Black and White DVD Review|url=https://www.dvdizzy.com/mmblackwhite.html |website=DVD Dizzy |access-date=19 February 2021}}</ref>

==See also==
* [[Mickey Mouse (film series)]]

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
{{commons category}}
* {{IMDb title|0024285}}

{{Mickey Mouse cartoons}}
{{Pluto (Disney) in animation}}
{{Epic Mickey series}}
{{David Hand}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Mad Doctor (1933 film), The}}
[[Category:1933 films]]
[[Category:1933 animated short films]]
[[Category:1930s science fiction horror films]]
[[Category:1933 horror films]]
[[Category:Censorship in Germany]]
[[Category:1930s Disney animated short films]]
[[Category:Disney controversies]]
[[Category:Films directed by David Hand (animator)]]
[[Category:Films produced by Walt Disney]]
[[Category:Mad scientist films]]
[[Category:Mickey Mouse short films]]
[[Category:Films about nightmares]]
[[Category:Film censorship in the United Kingdom]]
[[Category:Animated film controversies]]
[[Category:American science fiction horror films]]
[[Category:1930s American films]]
[[Category:Pluto (Disney) short films]]
[[Category:American animated black-and-white films]]