Poster

For Whom the Bulls Toil

A Goofy Cartoon

Release Date : May 9, 1953

Running Time : 6:58

Synopsis

While driving through mexico, Goofy accidentally outsmarts a bull in the middle of the road. The villagers then decide that he would make the perfect matador.

Characters

Goofy

Credits

Director
Jack Kinney
Animation
John Sibley
Edwin Aardal
George Nicholas
Dan MacManus
Backgrounds
Eyvind Earle
Effects Animation
Blaine Gibson
Layout
Bruce Bushman
Story
Brice Mack
Dick Kinney
Music
Joseph S. Dubin

Cut Scenes

Some Mexican stereotypes have been edited form this short.

Video

United States
Here's Goofy
Germany
Hier ist Goofy
France
Salut Goofy
Sport Goofy Joue et Gagne
Italy
Le Radici di Pippo
Le Vacanze Di Pippo

Laserdiscs

United States
Here's Donald / Here's Goofy
Japan
Sport Goofy's Vacation

DVD

United States
Disney Treasures : Wave 2 : The Complete Goofy
It's a Small World of Fun Volume 4
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

The Ink and Paint Club: Episode 35: More Sport Goofy
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

Comments

From Calvin Daprice : Other titles for this short could've been, "El Toreador Goofy", "Goofy in Mexico," "The Goofy Matador", etc. "For Whom the Bulls Toil" was just one of many options that the Disney people picked.

It all begins when a large crowd (anyone want to guess how many there were) is sitting in a huge stadium. A blimp with the letters XLNT flies over the stadium. I myself happen to be a Spanish student and that isn't the way it's spelled (actually spelled E-X-C-E-L-L-E-N-T-E), but who cares? It's supposed to make it funny (at least if you know Spanish like I do otherwise it's just over your head). A matador is shown and a bull comes running out of the stables. The matador waves his cape and the bull charges over to it.

Meanwhile, Goofy is seen driving down a rural gravel road. He stops to see that there is a cow (or so he thinks) sitting in his path. Goofy gets out and tries to shoo her away, but she won't budge. A Mexican looks at Goofy and watches in amazement ( this scene has been edited out thanks to those stupid Disney people). Goofy takes out his red handkerchief and the cow (actually a bull) starts running like mad. The Mexican farmers shout "Ole!" (this scene was also edited out) Goofy then manages to get going and drives into town. When he arrives, the Mexicans all greet him and dress him up as a matador. Goofy must've felt really special. Then he walks out into the middle of the stadium. A sheet of paper that shows Goofy's picture and says that he is the matador falls down on the ground by Goofy and he sees it. "Fighter of the bull? Me?", is what he shouts. Hh runs into the bulls stable by mistake. Lighting a match, he sees the bull, runs out, and screams. Goofy tries at all odds to escape the bull. For example, he climbs into the crowd, but they throw him back into the bullring. Goofy climbs onto a pull, but gets tangled onto the bull's horn and the bull swings him around.

Well, by now poor Goofy has had enough and hops into his car and tries to drive away, but the strings on his suit are still tangled. His car gets ahead of him and he is pulled back into the stadium by the bull. We then see that the bull is knocked unconscious and Goofy is showered with sombreros. At the end, Goofy is driving home with his sombrero souvenirs and he comes upon a bull (or so he thinks). He sneaks behind it and quickly drives off. The bull is actually a cow. Another flaw in this short was the incident with the matador. When a matador is fighting the bull, he actually sticks a sword in the bull, eventually ending up killing it. In my opinion, that is pretty barbaric. However, there is one thing that puzzles me. Why did Disney edit out the scenes with the Mexicans talking to each other on the phone? I don't believe that is stereotyping Mexicans. They were just talking to each other.

From J. D. Weil : The censored telephone call (I, for the life of me, can never figure out as to why that call was censored) contained a reference to Manolete. For the uninitiated, Manolete was a legendary matador, and for some a paragon of the art.(To many Latins, bullfighting is an art form, not a sport.) Kinney and co. obviously thought they could get a few extra yoks in by comparing Goofy's capework to Manolete's. Good joke.
From Ryan : Goofy is riding through the countryside of Mexico when he has a run in with a bull in the middle of the road. The censored scene, which I find funny, has the Mexicans thinking that Goofy is a wonderful matador. Another part I enjoy is at the beginning of the short, there is a shot of the arena full of cheering fans. A blimp that reads: XLNT floats above the arena, when in Spanish it's actually excellente.
From Baruch Weiss : This cartoon plays such a contrast to the Looney Tunes cartoon 'Bully for Bugs'. In that cartoon Bugs has the "I am the guy who is in charge" attitude and defeated the bull without showing any sings of fear (well except for the part where he is shown writing his will, but of course he is fakin it!). In contrast, this cartoon shows Goofy scared as hell when he said "UH THE FIGTER OF THE BULLS, ME?! OH NO HO HO HO!". However, he eventually kills it which might I add is illegal in some countries.

In conclusion, there is really nothing funny about bullfighting, but when it comes to the two cartoons mentioned above it is just out fun.

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