13 Nights of Happy Haunts: The Mad Doctor

Night 3: The Mad Doctor (1933)
Starring: Mickey Mouse
Co-starring: Pluto and The Mad Doctor
Setting: The Mad Doctor’s Castle
Plot: Mickey springs into action when the Mad Doctor dognaps Pluto with plans of putting his head on a chicken’s body.

Tricks and/or Treats:
It’s 3 am when Pluto is dognapped.

The Mad Doctor’s Castle sits atop a Never Land-esque Skull Rock.

The Mad Doctor’s signage on his castle reads “Dr. XXX” which roughly translates to “The Porno Dr.”

What does the Mad Doctor want?  He wants to cut off Pluto’s head and attach it to a chicken’s body to see if his creation would produce eggs containing a chick with dog’s head.

Is there a more graphic and disturbing scene than when the Dr. cuts Pluto’s shadow in half all while the poor pup howl’s in fear?

Mickey finally wakes up at 9 am which made it a three-hour nightmare.
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The Mad Doctor would go on to appear in the Roger Rabbit short Tummy Trouble (1989) and as the main antagonist in the Epic Mickey video game series.
 
RIP:
This one is as dark and twisted as it gets – especially since none of it actually happens and is all in Mickey’s head.  Perhaps, Mickey’s happy-go-lucky exterior is just that and something more troubled lurks beneath.  Also, for being in black-and-white, this short boasts some of the more impressive animation I’ve seen in reviewing the classics.  The scene where Mickey falls down the stairs and then the way the shadows play across the screen in the room with the demonic-looking fireplace were particularly noteworthy.