Top 10 Unhinged Mickey Mouse Moments
#10: Breaking & Entering
“When the Cat's Away” (1929)
It’s one thing to host a wild party at your own house, or even your parents’ house, but to break into a random person’s home to throw a bash is a whole new level of unhinged. In “While the Cat’s Away,” a cat named Tom Cat leaves his home and posts a sign on his door that reads ‘gone for the day.’ Apparently this was a bad idea, as Mickey, Minnie, and their pals immediately take the opportunity to force their way inside and play music. Strangely, there is never any comeuppance for the criminal couple, and the short ends with them sharing a kiss in a home that isn’t theirs.
#9: Saved by the Power of Disco
“The Wonderful World of Mickey Mouse” (2020-23) v
Over the years, Mickey Mouse has encountered a number of villains in shorts, series, and films, and almost always comes out triumphant. In “Keep on Rollin’” he continues this decades long winning streak with what could be considered an atypical approach. Initially, all seems lost when Mickey and the gang’s favorite roller skating rink is taken over by Pete, the Beagle Boys, and Ursula. Fortunately, the mouse is able to reinvigorate his friends’ passion for disco, and the Sensational Six return to take back the rink with funky dance moves and a little bit of magic. Is it super unusual? Yes, it is. But we’re not mad at it.
#8: Mickey’s Scariest Story
“Mickey Mouse” (2013-19)
There’s no better time for Mickey and the gang to go completely off the rails than Halloween. In this spooky special, Mickey does just that by telling what he considers the scariest story ever told. Although his first attempts fall flat, he ends the night with a horrifying tale of cannibalism. It’s so freaky it spooks not only his and Donald’s nephews, but Donald and Goofy too. In the story, a witch is said to make children into pies, which the audience sees animated in striking detail. We know it’s not real, but it all feels inordinately dark and disturbing for a Disney cartoon.
#7: A Dangerous Game
“The Wonderful World of Mickey Mouse” (2020-23)
Routine can become repetitive. That doesn’t mean you should try to make that routine more interesting by putting your friends' lives in danger. When Mickey and his pals decide that they’re bored of their typical game night game, he attempts to liven things up by taking the words interactive and real to a whole new level. Although it seems fun at first, it quickly becomes unsafe for everyone involved. Eventually, Donald has a completely unhinged moment of his own, as he lets the prospect of winning get to his head and imagines a world in which Disney was all started by a duck. Things work out in the end, but at what cost?!
#6: Animal Instruments
“Steamboat Willie” (1928)
The historical significance of “Steamboat Willie” has made it one of the mouse’s most recognizable outings, but few people remember just how deranged Mickey acts in the short. In one of its more baffling segments, he decides to play music with the bodies of animals – and they don’t necessarily seem to be willing participants! From a goat to a cat to a bird and more, it seems nobody is safe from the horrors. Even Minnie participates in the sadistic fun. It’s safe to say that the pair would never enact this kind of violence for their own amusement today, so it’s pretty surreal to see them do it here.
#5: Insect Hallucinations
“Mickey's Garden” (1935)
“Mickey’s Garden” is notable for marking the first time Mickey’s dog, Pluto, was featured in color. It’s also notable for being totally bizarre.After a gardening mishap results in Mickey getting bug spray on himself, the mouse and his pet pooch find themselves surrounded by terrifying hallucinations. The pair become bug-sized, and encounter intoxicated insects, an enraged bumble bee, and a firefly that swallows Pluto up – among other things. In one particularly malicious moment, a caterpillar even attempts to eat Mickey, but ends up eating himself instead. Thankfully for our mouse, the ordeal turns out to be a horrid dream, but it doesn’t make the short itself any less strange.
#4: Licking Bashful
“Mickey Mouse” (2013-19)
The premise for “Wish Upon a Coin” is pretty tame, all things considered. Minnie and Mickey use Snow White’s wishing well to, well, make a wish – pretty standard stuff. However, they’re worried it won’t come true when Pete steals all of the well’s coins. This is when things get …weird. Minnie trips over Sleepy, and to make up for it Mickey decides to sit on Doc and lick Bashful. Yes, you heard correctly. Mickey Mouse licks Bashful from “Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs.” And Bashful actually seems kind of happy about it? We’re not quite sure what to make of this whole thing.
#3: Mickey Plays God
“The Worm Turns” (1937)
In “The Worm Turns” Mickey gets into scientific experimentation… and wreaks havoc on nature’s delicate balance. After creating a powerful potion, the mouse tests his new serum on a fly and watches as the once-captured insect is able to fight back against the spider who would’ve eaten him. Pleased with the results, Mickey hurries to pour the potion on other unsuspecting victims, from a mouse to a cat to Pluto. Continuing to play God, the mouse uses his concoction one more time, now on a fire hydrant, which inexplicably fires back at Pluto despite not being alive. It’s crazy to see just how reckless Mickey can be when he doesn’t face consequences.
#2: A Frightening “Freaky Friday” Experience
“Runaway Brain” (1995)
The ‘90s were a weird time. We wore brightly colored windbreakers, waited ages for dial-up internet, and you could hear Pauly Shore in “A Goofy Movie”. It was during this time that Disney decided to revamp Mickey’s image into something “wacky” that would presumably appeal to a new generation. Enter “Runaway Brain.” In this short, Mickey signs up to be a guinea pig in Dr. Frankenollie’s new brain swapping experiment. A monster’s brain ends up in his body, and vice-versa, resulting in some of the mouse’s most demented moments to date as his scruffier monster-brained self goes after Minnie. It is as strange as it sounds.
Before we unveil our top pick, here are a few honorable mentions.
Mickey’s Mirror World, “Thru the Mirror” (1936)
The Mouse Channels His Inner Alice
The Cheesy Cowboy, “The Wonderful World of Mickey Mouse” (2020-23)
Mickey Tames Cheese Instead of Cattle in This Truly Wild Version of the Wild West
Mickey’s Mix-Up, “Mickey Mouse” (2013-19)
Mickey’s Friends Fail to Notice That He’s Been Replaced by a Monkey
Fulfilling Goofy’s Potatoland Dream, “Mickey Mouse” (2013-19)
Mickey & Donald Construct a Potato-Themed Parody of “the Happiest Place on Earth”
#1: Winning the Dog Show
“Mickey Mouse” (2013-19)
Everyone knows that Goofy and Pluto are both dogs, and “Dog Show” tackles the conundrum head on. In the episode, Pluto gets hurt right before a big show and, due to his role in the injury, Goofy is enlisted by Mickey to take the pup’s place. If you’re thinking that sounds like a chaotic move on Mickey’s part, you’d be right. It’s unsettling to see a typically anthropomorphic character take on the role of a regular animal, even if Goofy performs the tasks like a person. What exactly was Mickey thinking? Speaking of the unhinged mouse, he ultimately gets fed up with his friend and performs the tasks himself, proving to be the best dog of all. You have to see it to believe it.
What’s your favorite unhinged Mickey moment? Let us know in the comments!
