Mickey Mouse Short: New York Weenie

Season 1, Episode 4: “New York Weenie” 7/5/13
Starring: Mickey Mouse
Co-Starring: Minnie Mouse
Guest Appearance by: Goofy
Setting: New York, NY

Plot:
While on a date, taking a leisurely stroll through Central Park, Minnie’s tumbly gets a little rumbly so Mickey goes to buy her a hot dog from a food cart.  But when Minnie’s weenie pops out of her bun and bounces away, it sets Mickey off on a mad dash to retrieve her lunch. 

After contending with a runaway baby carriage, a slew of angry mothers, Goofy in drag and a lion, Mickey finally retrieves her dog but it’s worse for wear and definitely no longer edible. 

But, unbeknownst to Mickey, the weenie nabbed an old lady’s purse during the ordeal and is also wanted by the police. The officer goes on to cuff and apprehend the dog, deeming Mickey a hero!  The walrus working the food cart is so taken with what he saw, he declares “free hot dogs all around,” Minnie gets her wiener and Mickey gets yet ANOTHER kiss.

Short Stuff:
That opening ditty played alongside the title card and the overhead shot of New York City sounds Billy Joel inspired. In fact, the whole short has the soundtrack of a breezy, 80s style, NYC-set romantic comedy

Much like the last episode in Paris, we get a flurry of real-life landmarks including but not limited to the Statue of Liberty, the Empire State Building, the Chrysler Building and the Central Park Zoo.

We get our first Goofy appearance since Episode 1 and, while he’s at least more Goofy-like, he still doesn’t appear to have any prior relationship with Mickey or vice-versa.   

Yup, that old elephant lady who got her purse snatched is voiced by none other than Betty White!

That’s an all-in kind of weenie!  After crashing the hobo’s card game, he wagers the old lady’s entire purse.

Mickey’s rabid appearance while at the zoo appears to be a callback to the 1995 short “Runaway Brain.”

I don’t get why the lion’s animation style changes… I’m sure it’s a reference to something but I can’t figure what.

Gross out gag: that hot dog – BLECH!

It doesn’t get much better when the walrus dumps over his food cart and Minnie chows down on a rolled-over-concrete weenie.

Final Grade: C+
We are becoming formulaic… that’s three episodes in a row now where Mickey ostensibly saves Minnie and receives a big, wet kiss at the end.  Maybe if these three were spread out more over time it wouldn’t seem so bad but we are in desperate need of some variety in character and plot.  The only thing saving this short was the real-life setting of NYC along with that soundtrack that I can’t place - other than sounding “Billy Joel-ish.”  Plus, the whole runaway, purse snatching weenie thing didn’t work for me… something is just off with this one.