Wild Waves

1929 Mickey Mouse cartoon

This article is about the Mickey Mouse cartoon. For the Washington theme park, see Wild Waves Theme Park.

Wild Waves

Directed by| Burt Gillett
Produced by| Walt Disney
Starring| Walt Disney
Carl Stalling
Marjorie Ralston
Music by| Carl Stalling
Animation by| Ub Iwerks

Production
company

Walt Disney Studios

Distributed by| Celebrity Productions

Release date

* December 18, 1929 (1929-12-18)[1]

Running time

| 7:07
Country| United States
Language| English

Wild Waves is a Mickey Mouse short animated film first released on December 18, 1929, as part of the Mickey Mouse film series.[2] It was the fifteenth Mickey Mouse short to be produced, the twelfth of that year, as well as the last to be released by Celebrity Productions before Columbia Pictures took over distribution.[3]

## Plot

[edit]

The short

Mickey Mouse is a lifeguard, sitting on his beach chair and playing the banjo to amuse an appreciative audience of ducks, pelicans, penguins, and sea lions. To his annoyance, the chair dances along. Singing "My Bonnie Lies over the Ocean", Minnie Mouse changes into a bathing costume and walks to the edge of the beach. A huge wave crashes onto the beach, dragging her out to sea.

Minnie cries for help, and Mickey rushes to her rescue, swimming through the waves (and midair) to locate her. He brings her back to the beach and the audience/animals cheers. When Minnie regains consciousness, she sadly starts to cry, disoriented and frightened by the experience. Mickey tries to comfort her and lets her blow her nose on his handkerchief. With her calmed down a bit, Mickey tells Minnie to look at him and soon begins singing and dancing to "The Sailor's Hornpipe", and the animals join in, leading to a lengthy sequence of penguins and sea lions dancing while Mickey plays an impromptu harp to "Rocked in the Cradle of the Deep", uses sticks to bang on items. A deep-voiced walrus joins in with a solo. Mickey performs the final with do-dos while tapping moving his arms and everyone, including Minnie, cheer for him. At the end of the performance, Minnie, now cheered up and happy, coos to Mickey, "My hero!" and he responds, "Oh that's nothing!" while sweeping his foot to the sand. Minnie kisses him gratefully and repeatedly on the cheek that Mickey stops her and kisses her in the lips twice, and the mice hug each other.

## Production

[edit]

Wild Waves is the first Mickey Mouse short directed by Burt Gillett, who would direct more than 30 Mickey shorts over the next several years.

Wild Waves was the last Mickey Mouse cartoon to be animated by Ub Iwerks.[4] It was also composer Carl Stalling's last film with the Walt Disney Studio; after this film, Stalling joined Iwerks at his new studio.[2] This was the last short to use the original title card until Get a Horse! (2013), with Mickey in striped shorts looking at Minnie.[2] Newer releases of this short use the new title card with Mickey's face, followed by the title of the short.

In a 1971 interview with Funnyworld magazine, Stalling said that he voiced Mickey's speaking lines in this short, as well as the singing walrus.[5][6] Mickey's singing voice is much different and probably performed by Walt Disney or an anonymous studio employee.[1] Minnie's voice was performed by a woman who worked in Ink and Paint, Marjorie Norton (later Marjorie Ralston).

The original animation from All Wet

The repurposed animation from Wild Waves

Some of the lifeguard gags in the film were recycled from an earlier Oswald the Lucky Rabbit short, All Wet (1927).[1] The short also reused animation of Mickey saving Minnie from All Wet. The singing walrus footage was later recycled in the 1930 Silly Symphonies short Arctic Antics, and the dancing sea lions were reused in the 1931 Mickey Mouse short The Castaway.[2]

## Reception

[edit]

The Film Daily (January 5, 1930): "Mickey Mouse is at his best as a life saver in this Walt Disney cartoon, which is made additionally funny by the antics of singing seals, dancing penguins, baritone sea lions and other amazing creations of the moving cartoon kingdom. Actually great."[7]

Motion Picture News (January 11, 1930): "Funny and Entertaining. Mickey Mouse plays the role of lifeguard in this clever Walt Disney sound cartoon. There are plenty of laughs when he sets out to save the fair maiden, being tossed about plenty by the wild waves. Then, to take her mind off the narrow escape he struts his musical stuff to great advantage."[8]

Variety (January 22, 1930): "Fast-moving comedy cartoon, which isn't on long enough to bore many, no matter if it isn't always laugh provoking. Doesn't rank with the best of the recent crop, but will fit any program. It's one of the Mickey Mouse series, unwinding the usual antics of the cartoonist's imagination. Most of the action attempts to keep the rhythm of the synchronized score, but the resultant gag maneuvers not being overly strong. Some of the cartoons are mimicking the voices of the figures in certain spots, a mistake, as it rudely interrupts any illusion the drawings may have previously invoked. That's overdoing the sound thing. The cartoon one-reelers are riding in front at present, with a wealth of material to pick from to make it tough to offset their strength. Carelessness and an attempt to turn 'em out too fast can undermine as fast as the novelty of sound and a couple of great ideas sent them out as pace makers. Their main asset is that they're built for laughs, and people primarily go to the theatre for that purpose."[9]

In A Mouse Divided: How Ub Iwerks Became Forgotten, and Walt Disney Became Uncle Walt, Jeff Ryan calls the short the best Mickey Mouse cartoon made during the Iwerks era, stating "even when their relationship was as rocky as the onscreen jetty, Walt and Ub were a team to be reckoned with". He praises it as a "near-perfect piece of animation" and for "erasing all the mistakes of the previous year. Gone are the stolen gags, mimeographed animation, and absent characterization. Mickey and Minnie are vibrant, their entire faces alive and expressive."[4]

## Home media

[edit]

The short was released on December 7, 2004 on Walt Disney Treasures: Mickey Mouse in Black and White, Volume Two: 1929-1935.[10]

## Television

[edit]

Wild Waves aired on The Mickey Mouse Club (season 1, episode 73) and Mickey's Mouse Tracks (season 1, episode 56).[11]

## See also

[edit]

* Mickey Mouse (film series)

## References

[edit]

1. ^ a b c Kaufman, J.B.; Gerstein, David (2018). Walt Disney's Mickey Mouse: The Ultimate History. Cologne: Taschen. p. 46\. ISBN 978-3-8365-5284-4.
2. ^ a b c d Grob, Gijs (2018). "Wild Waves". Mickey's Movies: The Theatrical Films of Mickey Mouse. Theme Park Press. ISBN 978-1683901235.
3. ^ Lenburg, Jeff (1999). The Encyclopedia of Animated Cartoons. Checkmark Books. pp. 108–109\. ISBN 0-8160-3831-7. Retrieved June 6, 2020.
4. ^ a b Ryan, Jeff (2018). A Mouse Divided: How Ub Iwerks Became Forgotten, and Walt Disney Became Uncle Walt. Post Hill Press. pp. 181–183\. ISBN 978-1-68261-628-4.
5. ^ Barrier, Michael. "Funnyworld Revisited: Carl Stalling". MichaelBarrier.com. Retrieved September 29, 2019.
6. ^ "Hit the Beach (Part 1)". cartoonresearch.com. Retrieved July 1, 2021.
7. ^ "Short Subjects". The Film Daily: 13. January 5, 1930. Retrieved February 23, 2020.
8. ^ "Looks Like Fair-to-Middling Week for Shorts; Cartoons Assume Lead". Motion Picture News: 82. January 11, 1930. Retrieved February 23, 2020.
9. ^ "Talking Shorts". Variety: 17. January 22, 1930. Retrieved February 23, 2020.
10. ^ "Mickey Mouse in Black & White Volume 2 DVD Review". DVD Dizzy. Retrieved February 19, 2021.
11. ^ "Wild Waves". Internet Animation Database. Retrieved September 29, 2019.

## External links

[edit]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Wild Waves.

* Wild Waves at IMDb
* Wild Waves on YouTube

* v
* t
* e

Mickey Mouse in Disney animation

List of appearances in media

Mickey Mouse
short films|

| 1920s|

* Steamboat Willie (1928)
* The Gallopin' Gaucho (1928)
* The Barn Dance (1929)
* Plane Crazy (1929)
* The Opry House (1929)
* When the Cat's Away (1929)
* The Barnyard Battle (1929)
* The Plowboy (1929)
* The Karnival Kid (1929)
* Mickey's Follies (1929)
* Mickey's Choo-Choo (1929)
* The Jazz Fool (1929)
* Jungle Rhythm (1929)
* The Haunted House (1929)
* Wild Waves (1929)

|

1930s|

| 1930|

* Fiddlin' Around
* The Barnyard Concert
* The Cactus Kid
* The Fire Fighters
* The Shindig
* The Chain Gang
* The Gorilla Mystery
* The Picnic
* Pioneer Days

|

1931|

* The Birthday Party
* Traffic Troubles
* The Castaway
* The Moose Hunt
* The Delivery Boy
* Mickey Steps Out
* Blue Rhythm
* Fishin' Around
* The Barnyard Broadcast
* The Beach Party
* Mickey Cuts Up
* Mickey's Orphans

1932|

* The Duck Hunt
* The Grocery Boy
* The Mad Dog
* Barnyard Olympics
* Mickey's Revue
* Musical Farmer
* Mickey in Arabia
* Mickey's Nightmare
* Trader Mickey
* The Whoopee Party
* Touchdown Mickey
* The Wayward Canary
* The Klondike Kid
* Mickey's Good Deed

1933|

* Building a Building
* The Mad Doctor
* Mickey's Pal Pluto
* Mickey's Mellerdrammer
* Ye Olden Days
* The Mail Pilot
* Mickey's Mechanical Man
* Mickey's Gala Premier
* Puppy Love
* The Steeplechase
* The Pet Store
* Giantland

1934|

* Shanghaied
* Camping Out
* Playful Pluto
* Gulliver Mickey
* Mickey's Steam Roller
* Orphan's Benefit
* Mickey Plays Papa
* The Dognapper
* Two-Gun Mickey

1935|

* Mickey's Man Friday
* The Band Concert
* Mickey's Service Station
* Mickey's Kangaroo
* Mickey's Garden
* Mickey's Fire Brigade
* Pluto's Judgement Day
* On Ice

1936|

* Mickey's Polo Team
* Orphans' Picnic
* Mickey's Grand Opera
* Thru the Mirror
* Mickey's Rival
* Moving Day
* Alpine Climbers
* Mickey's Circus
* Mickey's Elephant

1937|

* The Worm Turns
* Magician Mickey
* Moose Hunters
* Mickey's Amateurs
* Hawaiian Holiday
* Clock Cleaners
* Lonesome Ghosts

1938|

* Boat Builders
* Mickey's Trailer
* The Whalers
* Mickey's Parrot
* Brave Little Tailor

1939|

* Society Dog Show
* Mickey's Surprise Party
* The Pointer

1940s|

* Tugboat Mickey (1940)
* Pluto's Dream House (1940)
* Mr. Mouse Takes a Trip (1940)
* The Little Whirlwind (1941)
* A Gentleman's Gentleman (1941)
* Canine Caddy (1941)
* The Nifty Nineties (1941)
* Lend a Paw (1941)
* Orphan's Benefit (1941; remake)
* Mickey's Birthday Party (1942)
* Symphony Hour (1942)
* Pluto and the Armadillo (1943)
* Squatter's Rights (1946)
* Mickey's Delayed Date (1947)
* Mickey Down Under (1948)
* Mickey and the Seal (1948)

1950s|

* R'coon Dawg (1951)
* Pluto's Party (1952)
* Pluto's Christmas Tree (1952)
* The Simple Things (1953)

1980s|

* Mickey's Christmas Carol (1983)

1990s|

* The Prince and the Pauper (1990)
* Runaway Brain (1995)

2010s|

* Get a Horse! (2013)

Pluto short films|

* Pluto's Purchase (1948)
* Pueblo Pluto (1949)
* Plutopia (1951)

Other short films|

* Parade of the Award Nominees (1932; cameo)
* The Night Before Christmas (1933; cameo)
* The Fox Hunt (1938; cameo)
* All Together (1942; cameo)
* Crazy Over Daisy (1950; cameo)
* Mickey in a Minute (2022)
* Once Upon a Studio (2023)

Feature films|

| Theatrical|

* Fantasia (1940)
* Fun and Fancy Free (1947)
* Fantasia 2000 (1999)

|

Direct-to-video|

* Mickey's Once Upon a Christmas (1999)
* Mickey's Magical Christmas: Snowed in at the House of Mouse (2001)
* Mickey's House of Villains (2002)
* Mickey, Donald, Goofy: The Three Musketeers (2004)
* Mickey's Twice Upon a Christmas (2004)

Documentary|

* Mickey: The Story of a Mouse (2022)

TV specials|

* Totally Minnie (1988)
* Mickey's Tale of Two Witches (2021)
* Mickey and Minnie Wish Upon a Christmas (2021)
* Mickey Saves Christmas (2022)
* Mickey and Friends Trick or Treats (2023)

TV series|

* The Mickey Mouse Club (1955–1994)
* The Mouse Factory (1972–1973)
* Good Morning, Mickey! (1983–1992)
* Mickey's Mouse Tracks (1992–1995)
* Mickey Mouse Works (1999–2000)
* House of Mouse (2001–2003)
* Mickey Mouse Clubhouse (2006–2016)
* Minnie's Bow-Toons (2011–present)
* Mickey Mouse (2013–2019)
* Mickey Mouse Mixed-Up Adventures (2017–2021)
* The Wonderful World of Mickey Mouse (2020–2023)
* Mickey Mouse Funhouse (2021–2025)
* Mickey Mouse Clubhouse+ (2025)

Film cameos|

* Hollywood Party (1934)
* Who Framed Roger Rabbit (1988)
* A Goofy Movie (1995)
* The Lion King 1½ (2004)
* Ralph Breaks the Internet (2018)
* Wish (2023)
* Hidden Mickey

* Mickey Mouse films
* Mickey Mouse television series
* Non-Disney works featuring Mickey Mouse

* v
* t
* e

Minnie Mouse in Disney animation

Short films|

| 1920s|

* Steamboat Willie (1928)
* The Gallopin' Gaucho (1928)
* The Barn Dance (1929)
* Plane Crazy (1929)
* When the Cat's Away (1929)
* The Plowboy (1929)
* The Karnival Kid (1929)
* Mickey's Follies (1929)
* Mickey's Choo-Choo (1929)
* Wild Waves (1929)

|

1930s|

| 1930|

* The Cactus Kid
* The Fire Fighters
* The Shindig
* The Gorilla Mystery
* The Picnic
* Pioneer Days

|

1931|

* The Birthday Party
* Traffic Troubles
* The Delivery Boy
* Mickey Steps Out
* Blue Rhythm
* The Barnyard Broadcast
* The Beach Party
* Mickey Cuts Up
* Mickey's Orphans

1932|

* The Grocery Boy
* Barnyard Olympics
* Mickey's Revue
* Musical Farmer
* Mickey in Arabia
* Mickey's Nightmare
* The Whoopee Party
* Touchdown Mickey
* The Wayward Canary
* Parade of the Award Nominees
* The Klondike Kid

1933|

* Building a Building
* Mickey's Pal Pluto
* Mickey's Mellerdrammer
* Ye Olden Days
* The Mail Pilot
* Mickey's Mechanical Man
* Mickey's Gala Premier
* Puppy Love
* The Steeplechase
* The Pet Store

1934|

* Shanghaied
* Camping Out
* Mickey's Steam Roller
* Two-Gun Mickey

1935–1939|

* On Ice (1935)
* Mickey's Rival (1936)
* Hawaiian Holiday (1937)
* Boat Builders (1938)
* Brave Little Tailor (1938)
* The Fox Hunt (1938; cameo)
* Mickey's Surprise Party (1939)

1940s|

* The Little Whirlwind (1941)
* The Nifty Nineties (1941)
* Mickey's Birthday Party (1942)
* Out of the Frying Pan into the Firing Line (1942)
* First Aiders (1944)
* Bath Day (1946)
* Figaro and Frankie (1947)
* Mickey's Delayed Date (1947)
* Pluto's Sweater (1949)

1950s|

* Pluto and the Gopher (1950)
* Crazy Over Daisy (1950; cameo)
* Pluto's Christmas Tree (1952; cameo)

1980s|

* Mickey's Christmas Carol (1983)

1990s|

* Runaway Brain (1995)

2010s|

* Get a Horse! (2013)

2020s|

* Once Upon a Studio (2023)

Feature films|

* Who Framed Roger Rabbit (1988; cameo)
* Mickey's Once Upon a Christmas (1999)
* Mickey's Magical Christmas (2001)
* Mickey's House of Villains (2002)
* Mickey, Donald, Goofy: The Three Musketeers (2004)
* Mickey's Twice Upon a Christmas (2004)

TV series|

* The Mickey Mouse Club (1955–1994)
* Mickey Mouse Works (1999–2000)
* House of Mouse (2001–2003)
* Mickey Mouse Clubhouse (2006–2016)
* Minnie's Bow-Toons (2011–present)
* Mickey Mouse (2013–2019)
* Mickey Mouse Mixed-Up Adventures (2017–2021)
* The Wonderful World of Mickey Mouse (2020–2023)
* Mickey Mouse Funhouse (2021–2025)
* Mickey Mouse Clubhouse+ (2025)

TV specials|

* Totally Minnie (1988)
* Mickey's Tale of Two Witches (2021)
* Mickey and Minnie Wish Upon a Christmas (2021)
* Mickey Saves Christmas (2022)
* Mickey and Friends Trick or Treats (2023)

Related|

* Mickey Mouse (film series)
* Pluto (film series)

* v
* t
* e

Films directed by Burt Gillett

* Wild Waves (1929)
* Cannibal Capers (1930)
* Frolicking Fish (1930)
* The Fire Fighters (1930)
* The Shindig (1930)
* The Chain Gang (1930)
* Monkey Melodies (1930)
* The Gorilla Mystery (1930)
* The Picnic (1930)
* Winter (1930)
* Pioneer Days (1930)
* Playful Pan (1930)
* The Birthday Party (1931)
* Birds of a Feather (1931)
* Traffic Troubles (1931)
* Mother Goose Melodies (1931)
* The Moose Hunt (1931)
* The Delivery Boy (1931)
* The Busy Beavers (1931)
* Mickey Steps Out (1931)
* Blue Rhythm (1931)
* Fishin' Around (1931)
* The Beach Party (1931)
* Mickey Cuts Up (1931)
* Mickey's Orphans (1931)
* The Duck Hunt (1932)
* The Mad Dog (1932)
* Just Dogs (1932)
* Flowers and Trees (1932)
* Mickey's Nightmare (1932)
* King Neptune (1932)
* Bugs in Love (1932)
* The Wayward Canary (1932)
* Babes in the Woods (1932)
* Mickey's Good Deed (1932)
* Mickey's Pal Pluto (1933)
* Ye Olden Days (1933)
* Three Little Pigs (1933)
* Mickey's Gala Premier (1933)
* The Steeple Chase (1933)
* Giantland (1933)
* Shanghaied (1934)
* Playful Pluto (1934)
* The Big Bad Wolf (1934)
* Gulliver Mickey (1934)
* Orphan's Benefit (1934)
* Mickey Plays Papa (1934)
* The Sunshine Makers (1935)
* Scotty Finds a Home (1935)
* Lonesome Ghosts (1937)
* Moth and the Flame (1938)
* Brave Little Tailor (1938)

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