Shortly after Mickey and Minnie Mouse burst onto the scene and made a big splash, tiny Van Buren Studio essentially ripped off the films by introducing Milton and Rita...two mice who were awfully similar. In fact, they were so similar that Disney sued...and the faux mice soon vanished. Because of this, I have found these Van Buren films fascinating...though not especially well made. You won't mistake this for a Disney production, as the animation isn't as high in quality, there is a lot of repetitive use of cels (in order to make the film MUCH cheaper) and the cartoons lack the Disney cleverness and edge. Instead, in "Circus Capers" the pair have less to do and the film just seems heavily padded and adequate.
As far as plot goes, there isn't much. The circus comes to town (complete with LOTS of repetitive cels), a few acts occur under the big top and, finally, the baddie tries to kill Milton....though I have no idea why. There also is a sing that Milton sings ("Laugh Clown, Laugh")...but none of it was compelling.
Overall, this cartoon is about as edgy as a bowling ball. While not terrible by 1930 standards, even then this would have been seen as a second or third-rate product. Cartoons by the Fleischer Brothers, Educational (Felix the Cat) and, especially, Disney were far, far ahead of them quality wise. In fact, even Paul Terry's cartoons looked better than this Van Buren production. Dull and dated....and a rip-off which no one could ever mistake for Mickey and Minnie.