Poster

Californy 'er Bust

A Goofy Cartoon

Release Date : July 13, 1945

Running Time : 7:40

Synopsis

Goofy takes a covered wagon on the overland trail to California.

Characters

Goofy

Credits

Director
Jack Kinney
Animation
Andy Engman
Al Bertino
John Sibley
Jack Boyd
Backgrounds
Claude Coats
Layout
Lance Nolley
Story
Bill Peet
Music
Paul J. Smith

Cut Scenes

Many American Indian stereotypes have been cut from this short.

Video

France
Le Meilleur de Dingo
Italy
Paperino nel Far West
Le Radici di Pippo
I Capolavori di Pippo

Laserdiscs

Japan
Cartoon Carousel
Donald Duck Goes West

DVD

United States
Disney Treasures : Wave 2 : The Complete Goofy
Germany
Disney Treasures : Wave 2 : The Complete Goofy
Sweden
Disney Treasures : Wave 2 : The Complete Goofy
United Kingdom
Disney Treasures : Wave 2 : The Complete Goofy

Television

Walt Disney Presents: The Goofy Adventure Story

Technical Specification

Color Type: Technicolor
Animation Type: Standard animation
Sound Mix: Mono
Aspect Ratio: 1.37 : 1
Negative Format: 35mm
Print Format: 35mm
Cinematographic Process: Spherical
Original Language: English

Released by RKO Radio Pictures, Inc.

Comments

From Ryan Kilpatrick at The Disney Film Project : The multiple Goofys conundrum is getting a little out of hand. Californy Er Bust is the latest example of this. In this Western frontier themed short, Goofy plays the cowboys and the Indians. Just doesn’t seem right, does it?

Aside from that, there’s not much to quibble with in Californy Er Bust, unless you are a fan of grammar, spelling or geography. The short plays off the ignorant backwoods stereotype, but never in a mean or hurtful way. I can see if American Indians were upset at their portrayal in the short, as it is not always favorable. While I can understand if people are upset by this, it’s not that bad in the context of 1945.

If you hang loose and go with it, it’s actually quite funny. The Indians communicate primarily in the word “Ugh” which is so simplistic it’s amusing. When a large gathering of Indians convenes, we get jokes on the Indian names, including the inclusion of a Cleveland Indian. The Indians communicating amongst themselves is one of the highlights of the short.

Apart from that, the “ignorant” nature of the settlers is the other great gag. The short opens with a shot of the wagon train rolling across “Nebrasky” and directly into “Floridy.” Later we see them huddled up in a wagon train circle with their pants falling off as they shoot at the attacking Indians.

The interesting contortions of the Indians as they attack are a sight to behold. We see them go from vicious, bloodthirsty savages to a band playing music on their bows and arrows in mere seconds. Then there are physical contortions, such as one Indian who slithers among the rocks then climbs the wagon train on a ladder of arrows.

This is a short where you just have to let go and have a little fun. It falls into the traditions of tall tales and wild stories of the West. There’s an emphasis on gags and inventive humor in this short that was lacking from some of the previous efforts in 1945. say it’s a job well done by the Disney crew.

From Justin LaFreniere : This is a really fun movie. I enjoyed it very much and would recommend it to anyone who just wants to laugh!
From Ryan : This is one of my favorite Goofy cartoons. I enjoy the part at the beginning where the wagon is traveling on the map in the state of "Nebrasky" and right below it is the state of "Florady" (which is nowhere near "Nebrasky"). This short is banned from the Disney Channel because of its numerous Native American stereotypes. If these Native American do gooders get offended by this short there's just one simple suggestion I have for them: DON'T WATCH THIS SHORT! That's what I do when something on TV, books, etc. offends me: I don't indulge myself in it. That way people who like it can still enjoy it. Anyway back to the short. I love the part at the end where the tornado picks up the covered wagons and drops them in certain states such as "Wash", "Organ", and of course, "Californy". And as the narrator says, "Some made it a little too far west." The Indian jokes are funny for awhile, but they get annoying by the end of the short.
From Mike : I watched this short on The Complete Goofy on DVD and it was a fun short of the Pioneers and Redskins fighting till the tornado comes and sweeps the Pioneers to the Western part of the United States. Luckily some of them are too far west of Californy.
From Joey M. : This short was actually shown on Disney Channel between 1990 and 1993, not exactly sure when, with the "A Goofy Cartoon" card and ending card cut out. It must have been part of some show, but I don't know which one. I have it taped. I timed my copy with the running time on this page, and there are no differences. It's just a second short of the original time, but that's thanks to the missing cards. Everything is there, all the "Ugh!" jokes and the dancing around the fire sequence, and even the part when an Indian gets his feather shot off and foams at the mouth like a rabid dog. He grabs a stone hammer and makes his way through the war zone, and walks on arrows stuck in wagons. He almost hits the gunman on the head, but he steps on a flaming arrow, screams, and falls off. Hilarious! Also, does anyone know the name of of the tune (if there is one) that the three Indians play with their bows? I give it an 8.
From Baruch Weiss : To start off I agree with Ryan about what he said up above. It is not right for the whole world not to see something just because one group gets offended. Anyway back to the cartoon. I enjoy it a lot. I especially like where the Goofs are dancing near a fire.
From Al Galen : The states shown in this Western Goofy short are "Nebrasky" and "Florady" . In a few seconds, they were changed into "Pennsylvaney" by the narrator. The funniest scene was when a Gooofy pioneer's horse gets frightened by a stagecoach. The Goofy Indians smoke-signalize their broken English phrase "Ugh" when they see covered wagons approaching their territory. I saw this Disney short in the television special "The Roots of Goofy" which was hosted by Gary Owens.
From Larry Franklin Jr. : Al Galen meant "Pensavaney" in this classic Goofy cartoon. I saw it on the same show Al Galen was watching during the 1990s. Gary Owens also hosted the Disney animated television summertime special "Let's Get Away From It All". It has been two decades since it was on the air. I recommend this Western Goofy short to audiences who are fans of classic Westerns.

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