Mickey’s Orphans (1931)

Mickey's Orphans poster

Walt Disney Productions
Starring:
 Walt Disney, Marcellite Garner
Directed by: Burt Gillett

Cat Out of the Bag Alert!  This review contains some spoilers for this film!

Synopsis: Mickey Mouse, Minnie and Pluto are surprised at Christmas when a basket of mischievous kittens is left on their doorstep.

Cartoon Cats: The trio are having a quiet Christmas evening at home when a mysterious figure leaves a basket on their doorstep. Pluto brings in the basket and a tiny kitten crawls out.

Mickey's Orphans - Pluto and Mickey Mouse with black kitten from basket

Mickey presents the tiny kitten to Minnie, who is smitten.

Mickey's Orphans - Mickey Mouse gives Minnie Mouse black kitten

Meanwhile, Pluto sees another kitten in the basket. But this quickly escalates when countless kittens come pouring out!

Mickey's Orphans - Pluto sees second black kitten emerge from basket

Mickey's Orphans - Pluto sees numerous black kittens emerge from basket

Mickey's Orphans - Mickey and Minnie Mouse with numerous black kittens running by them

The kittens proceed to run amok throughout the house, destroying pretty much everything.

Mickey's Orphans - black kittens hanging from Pluto's ears

Mickey's Orphans - black kittens playing all around house

Mickey's Orphans - black kittens playing all around house animated gif

In one scene Minnie is helping a kitten blow its nose while another kitten anxiously stands behind her, holding his legs together. The second kitten whispers something to her and it appears that she is going to take him to the bathroom. But instead she gets him a candy cane from a tree and he walks away like Charlie Chaplin!

Mickey's Orphans - Minnie Mouse blowing kitten's nose with second kitten behind her holding legs together

Mickey's Orphans - black kitten with candy cane acting like Charlie Chaplin

For some reason the kittens wrecking everything is taken in stride and Mickey even dresses as Santa Claus with Pluto as his reindeer to bring the kittens a bag of gifts. Considering the kittens’ tendency to destroy everything it probably wasn’t a good idea to include hammers and saws in the bag!

Mickey's Orphans - Mickey Mouse dressed as Santa watching kittens taking hammers, saws and toys from bag

Mickey's Orphans - kittens destroying house with tools

Mickey's Orphans - kittens destroying house with tools animated gif

Mickey's Orphans - kittens destroying piano with tools

One kitten even uses a toy steamshovel to drop a hot coal down Mickey’s pants! Fortunately a toy fire engine is at hand and other kittens put out the burning britches.

Mickey's Orphans - kittens on fire truck putting out fire in Mickey Mouse's pants

In the end a tree covered with presents and candy is revealed and the kittens annihilate it within seconds. Well, honestly, what Christmas tree is safe from kittens?

Mickey's Orphans - numerous kittens converging on Christmas tree

Final Mewsings: What is it that makes cats so destructive at Christmas?


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