Brave Little Tailor

Mickey Mouse is a tailor in a fairy tale town that has been ravaged by a giant. One day he kills seven flies, all at once. His bragging is mistaken for a claim to have killed seven giants with one blow. He is charged with the task of killing the aforementioned ogre. He is promised great wealth and the princess (Minnie) if he can do the job. He struggles to avoid the task but is soon out there in no man's land. Of course, the giant appears and it is his job to use his skills to accomplish things. The town is wonderfully colorful and the animation excellent. It never ceases to amaze me how brilliant the animation is in something produced in 1938. Very good job.

One of my favorite Disney cartoons when I was growing up, as I would always rent this cartoon at the local video store when it was part of a video compilation of cartoon shorts.

This short stars Mickey Mouse as the Brave Little Taylor who single handedly takes on a giant when he was invading his peaceful village. It is fun to see Mickey worm himself in and around the giant as he attempts to bring him down.

The giant himself is pretty comical looking, but you could tell he is a force to be reckon with as the entire earth trembles as he stomps by. It is also nice to see Mickey in an underdog role without any magic tricks to save the day, instead, relying on his physical self.

This cartoon short serves a good message that heroes can come in small packages, and quick wit and thinking can defeat even the strongest or biggest foes.

Grade A

This is one of the best (and well-known) Mickey cartoons of all time. And it's also another cartoon where Mickey goes against a giant, like in the 1933 short "Giantland" and "Mickey and the Beanstalk" for the 1947 film "Fun and Fancy Free." Also, this cartoon is one of my favourites. The short is inspired by the Grimm Brothers' story, with Mickey as the tailor who boasts of killing seven flies "with one blow!" Of course, everyone mistook the flies for seven giants, and they thought Mickey was a giant killer. The short film was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Short Subject, but "Ferdinand the Bull" ultimately won the award.

I love the main title theme music. Also, I love the scene where everyone spreads the story of Mickey killing seven giants. The rumours eventually reach the monarch and his daughter, Princess Minnie.

The next short in the Disney Plus 'Shorts' section was "The Brave Tailor", a Mickey Mouse effort from 1938, that is a loose retelling of the Brothers Grimm Fairy tale.

A Kingdom has been terrorised by a giant (Eddie Holden) and requires a brave knight to eliminate him. Mickey Mouse (Walt Disney) kills seven flies in one go in his workshop and opens his window to brag about it, the villagers he speaks to are already talking about killing the giant and when Mickey says he "killed seven with one blow" a misunderstanding sees him hired as a giant killer. Though naturally reluctant, he's offered the hand of Princess Minnie (Marcellite Garner) as a reward and decides to give it a go.

This is one of the absolute undisputed classics and it brought back vivid memories from my childhood seeing it again. The animation style is already iconic, even this early on with the character designs spot on. The audio mix is less successful, with some decisions, such as the realistic rather than stylised performances from the crowd sounding jarringly odd. If you wanted to be hyper critical about the story, it doesn't actually add up to very much once the quest has started.

Those are quibbles really, in a cartoon that is an undisputed classic and well worth the nostalgic occasion.

Watching this in the early 80's as a child I loved this short. And now in 2018 watching it again, I assumed it was at least made in the late 50's. Because of the quality and craftsmanship. Shocked and even more impressed now that I now it was created in the late 30's. Still holds up and should be on the shelf of any Disney or animation fan.