The Barnyard Battle

The Barnyard Battle (1929) is a Mickey Mouse short subject first released on April 25, 1929. As the title implies, it featured a battle between an invading army of cats and an army of mice trying to defend their homes and farms.

Plot

Peg-Leg Pete was depicted as a leading soldier of the former army and Mickey as a conscript of the latter one. Before joining the army, Mickey has to pass a physical examination. This scene depicts Mickey becoming the subject of physical and emotional abuse. After passing the examination, he is given a machine gun and is sent to battle. Mickey's combat efforts are comical in depiction but prove effective enough in forcing the enemy to retreat. Mickey is hailed as a hero by his fellow soldiers and then the short ends.

About the cartoon

This short is notable as the first to depict Mickey as a soldier and the first to place him in combat. The physical examination scene has since often been edited out, as being somewhat disturbing. However, modern viewers have often pointed to this scene as being the most memorable of the short.

The short did not clearly identify the war it depicted, but it has been noted that the cats are depicted as wearing military helmets similar to those used by the German Empire during World War I. On the other hand, the mice are marching in battle to the tune of "Dixie", a song written in 1859. The song was popular among the forces of the Confederate States of America during the American Civil War. The victory of the mice is celebrated in the tune of "Battle Cry of Freedom", known to have been popular among the forces of the United States during the same conflict. In any case, both wars were still within living memory of the audiences at the time of release and so it is possible that the details mentioned were intended as recognizable references to both of them.

Because the cats wear helmets that resemble German pickelhaube, the cartoon was banned in Germany in 1930 on the grounds of being "offensive to national dignity".^[1]

References

External links

• The Barnyard Battle at the Internet Movie Database
• The Barnyard Battle at Mickey Mouse Follies: Black and White
• The Barnyard Battle on YouTube