"An Alice Cartoon"

Release Date November 15, 1925

Running Time 7:24

Synopsis

Julius is put in charge of keeping the house free from rats. But when he falls into a still and gets drunk, the rats soon begin to take over.

Characters

Alice and Julius

Credits

Director : Walt Disney

Animation

Ub Iwerks

Rollin "Ham" Hamilton

Thurston Harper

Hugh Harman

Rudolph Ising

Live action camera : Rudolph Ising

Live Action actors

Margie Gay

Videos

Disney's Beginnings (1920-1927) (Non-Disney video)

Alice in Cartoonland (Non-Disney video - Inkwell Images)

DVD

Alice in Cartoonland (Non-Disney : Inkwell Images)

Disney's Alice Comedies : Volume 3 (Non-Disney : Tom's Vintage Film)

Alice in Cartoonland (Non-Disney : VCI Home Video)

Technical Specifications

Color Type : Black and White

Animation type : Combination live-action and standard animation

Sound mix : Silent

Aspect ration : 1.37 : 1

Negative format : 35mm

Print format : 35mm

Cinematographic process : Spherical

Original language : English

Released by M. J. Winkler Productions

Gallery

Click on the thumbnail for the full-sized picture

Comments

From Mad Professor : The scenes where the rats are dancing in the house to jazz music are a hoot, as are similar scenes in the Alice Comedies (after all, this was the jazz age). I think this film inspired a similar Harman-Ising cartoon of the 1930s, "Ain't We Got Fun" about rats who harass a cat and put on a vaudeville show when the cat's away.

From Ryan : This cartoon features more of Julius (and even more of the obnoxious rats) than it does Alice. By this time, Disney was finding it hard for Alice to be the main star in the shorts.

One part I enjoy in this cartoon is the background painting of the basement when Julius lands into a tub of homemade gin and gets drunk (note that this cartoon was made during Prohibition). A fun gag I enjoy is when the rats are using the shower as a waterpark and one rat jumps on a tube of toothpaste, squeezing the paste out and using it as a slide. Other than that, I really don't find this cartoon to be too interesting. It just features a bunch of rodents going crazy in Alice's house. The cartoon was later remade in 1929 as "When the Cat's Away" with Mickey Mouse.

Referenced Comments

When the Cat's Away (1929)