The Brave Engineer (1950) User Reviews

The Misadventures of Casey Jones.

[OllieSuave-007 · 6/10 · 3 September 2018]

Didn't know Casey Jones had so much misadventures as described in this action-packed cartoon, from rescuing a damsel in distress to fending off thieves. All with backup singers joining in the fun.

Colorful animation and plenty of slapstick stuff, but lacking humor and fun overall.

Grade C

"His train is slow asleep."

[utgard14 · 7/10 · 14 September 2014]

Fun cartoon from Disney that's loosely based on real-life train engineer Casey Jones. The story finds Casey determined to get his cargo to its destination on time, despite all the obstacles that stand in his way. It's very cute and fun with wonderful voice work from Jerry Colonna. I'm a sucker for train stories so it has that added value for me. I read that this cartoon has been censored now by Disney, specifically the scene with the robbers being edited out because they have guns. A textbook example of the stupidity of political correctness and 21st century Disney's cowardice. Thankfully I did not watch that version.

Pretty good despite the music and ear-piercing narration.

[planktonrules · 7/10 · 13 August 2012]

This is the story of the engineer Casey Jones and his insane efforts to make sure he delivers the mail on time. The train sequences are very goofy--a major plus.

This cartoon short from Disney is well worth seeing but I must warn you about two major distractions--the singing and, more importantly, the narration by Jerry Colonna. As for the singing, my feeling is many will like it and just as many won't. But the narration--that is something many, many will struggle with, as Colonna's shtick was to deliver his lines in an ear-piercing manner. It's a shame, as other than that it's a cute little cartoon...with VERY annoying narration.

By the way, look carefully at the scene where the conductor jumps off the train. Despite this, in the next scene you can STILL see him standing on top of the train!!

Some of my Dad's Last Animator Credits

[Drewster58 · 31 December 2003]

The Brave Engineer: My wife and I rented this video as part of a compilation of Disney "Americana" cartoons, including "Johnny Appleseed" and others. We were pleasantly surprised to find my Dad receive animator credits at the end. So many of the old Disney cartoons they show on T.V. now just list "brought to you my the talents of many...etc" or something like that. My Dad is 92 now (12/31/03), but still very much alive and kickin'. He worked at Disney Studios in Burbank from the animating of "Snow White" to about the finish of the animated "Jungle book, about 1971 I think. He went into production in some kind of middle-management position and didn't do enough footage to get animator credits sometime after this cartoon.

Ultimate portrayal of endurance

[Horst_In_Translation · 6/10 · 12 May 2016]

"The Brave Engineer" is a 7.5-minute cartoon from over 65 years ago. It was produced by Disney and has both color and sound. This is the story of Casey Jones, a train driver who always makes sure his train gets to its destination on time. And even the worst obstacles like gangsters and helpless women on the rails cannot keep him from succeeding with his schedule. Good job, Casey. This little movie belongs to a collection of cartoons about American legends such as Paul Bunyan also for example. But back to this one here: I personally thought it was a satisfying watch. The music needs a bit to get used to, but the protagonist, the antagonists, the animation and the story are all good enough for such a short movie. I recommend the watch.

They say that that guy called "The Duke" or "The Duck" . . .

[pixrox1 · 7/10 · 30 October 2021]

. . . in Italy during the mid-1900's "made the trains run on time." Casey, "THE BRAVE ENGINEER," died on April 20, 1900, which happened to be the Duck's future boss Adolf's 11th birthday. Like Ben and Dolph, Casey was obsessed with making trains run on time, this cartoon documents. According to a station master halfway through THE BRAVE ENGINEER, Casey also invented "G-Mail" by tossing a girl he'd just rescued off the railroad tracks from his moving train into the arms of the startled transportation official. Therefore, this animated short contains more True Facts than your typical Texas Public Schools state-sanctioned textbook.

A really fun short

[TheLittleSongbird · 9/10 · 6 September 2012]

Some of the pacing did feel a tad rushed in places, however The Brave Engineer is still really fun. The animation is lusciously coloured and beautifully drawn, and the music is catchy, especially the song, helped by the lively singing. The Brave Engineer has some hilarious commentary, some terrifically paced and never dull action, while the story is always engaging. The characters are zany and likable, and I personally thought Jerry Colonna's voice work was one of The Brave Engineer's best assets(though I can understand as his delivery and his style of humour can be seen as an acquired taste). True, it is not always subtle, but you can tell that a lot of enthusiasm went into it and it is immensely enjoyable as a result.

Overall, a really fun short with everything I love about Disney evident. 9/10 Bethany Cox

Casey Jones is immortalized in song and film

[SimonJack · 7/10 · 31 May 2021]

"The Brave Engineer" is a Walt Disney animated short about the legendary Casey Jones. This is one of several cartoon shorts made by the Disney studios over the years that celebrate American legends. Some such legends are myths but others are based on real people. Casey Jones was one of them. He was a railroad engineer who became famous after his fatal train crash of April 30, 1900. He was immortalized by a 1909 song, "The Ballad of Casey Jones."

This cartoon short focuses on Jones's reputation for being on-time with train schedules. In many instances, he made up considerable time when incoming trains had fallen way behind schedule. In one scene in this short, Jones rescues a damsel in distress. That is a parody of a real-life incident in which Jones stood on the outside front of his engine and pulled a little girl off the tracks, keeping her from being run over by the train.

Jones worked for the Illinois Central Railroad and operated trains in the South, from Tennessee to Louisiana. The Casey Jones Home and Railroad Museum is located in Jackson, Tenn. Water Valley, Miss. Has a Casey Jones Railroad Museum, and the Casey Jones State Park is located in Vaughan, Miss.

On Track With Mr. Jones

[Ron Oliver · 10/10 · 7 May 2003]

A Walt Disney Cartoon.

THE BRAVE ENGINEER Casey Jones won't let anything stop him from getting his mail train to Frisco on time.

The American Tall Tale hero comes to comic life in this funny, fast moving little film. Boisterous radio comedian Jerry Colonna is the perfect singing narrator, his special brand of silliness completely in tune with the tone of the cartoon. Look fast early on for the name of Ward Kimball on the engine yard schedule sheet - this zany Disney animator was a tremendous train enthusiast.

Walt Disney (1901-1966) was always intrigued by pictures & drawings. As a lad in Marceline, Missouri, he sketched farm animals on scraps of paper; later, as an ambulance driver in France during the First World War, he drew comic figures on the sides of his vehicle. Back in Kansas City, along with artist Ub Iwerks, Walt developed a primitive animation studio that provided animated commercials and tiny cartoons for the local movie theaters. Always the innovator, his ALICE IN CARTOONLAND series broke ground in placing a live figure in a cartoon universe. Business reversals sent Disney & Iwerks to Hollywood in 1923, where Walt's older brother Roy became his lifelong business manager & counselor. When a mildly successful series with Oswald The Lucky Rabbit was snatched away by the distributor, the character of Mickey Mouse sprung into Walt's imagination, ensuring Disney's immortality. The happy arrival of sound technology made Mickey's screen debut, STEAMBOAT WILLIE (1928), a tremendous audience success with its use of synchronized music. The SILLY SYMPHONIES soon appeared, and Walt's growing crew of marvelously talented animators were quickly conquering new territory with full color, illusions of depth and radical advancements in personality development, an arena in which Walt's genius was unbeatable. Mickey's feisty, naughty behavior had captured millions of fans, but he was soon to be joined by other animated companions: temperamental Donald Duck, intellectually-challenged Goofy and energetic Pluto. All this was in preparation for Walt's grandest dream - feature length animated films. Against a blizzard of doomsayers, Walt persevered and over the next decades delighted children of all ages with the adventures of Snow White, Pinocchio, Dumbo, Bambi & Peter Pan. Walt never forgot that his fortunes were all started by a mouse, or that childlike simplicity of message and lots of hard work always pay off.