''Jungle Rhythm'' is a Mickey Mouse short animated film first released on November 15, 1929, as part of the '' Mickey Mouse'' film series. It was the thirteenth Mickey Mouse short to be produced, the tenth of that year.

Plot

Mickey Mouse wanders into a jungle and comes across several animals, including

elephant Elephants are the largest existing land animals. Three living species are currently recognised: the African bush elephant, the African forest elephant, and the Asian elephant. They are the only surviving members of the family Elephantidae ...

s, monkeys, and lions. A monkey and parrot begin playing a tune on Mickey's accordion, and it turns into a concert for the jungle animals. Mickey dances with a lion, a bear and a pair of monkeys to the tune of

Johann Strauss Johann Baptist Strauss II (25 October 1825 – 3 June 1899), also known as Johann Strauss Jr., the Younger or the Son (german: links=no, Sohn), was an Austrian composer of light music, particularly dance music and operettas. He composed ove ...

' ''

The Blue Danube "The Blue Danube" is the common English title of "An der schönen blauen Donau", Op. 314 (German for "By the Beautiful Blue Danube"), a waltz by the Austrian composer Johann Strauss II, composed in 1866. Originally performed on 15 Februa ...

''. Then two ostriches dance as Mickey plays " Auld Lang Syne" on a makeshift saxophone. Mickey continues with " Aloha 'Oe", "

Turkey in the Straw "Turkey in the Straw" is an American folk song that first gained popularity in the 19th century. Early versions of the song were titled "Zip Coon", which were first published around 1834 and performed in minstrel shows, with different people c ...

" and "

Yankee Doodle "Yankee Doodle" is a traditional song and nursery rhyme, the early versions of which predate the Seven Years' War and American Revolution. It is often sung patriotically in the United States today. It is the state anthem of Connecticut. Its ...

", and the animals applaud.

Legacy

''Jungle Rhythm'' was the inspiration for the first adventure storyline in the 1930 '' Mickey Mouse'' comic strip. ''Jungle Rhythm'' is also a "Projector Screen" level in the 2010 Wii game ''

Epic Mickey ''Epic Mickey'' is a 2010 platform game for the Wii developed by Junction Point Studios and published by Disney Interactive Studios, except in Japan, where it was published by Nintendo. The game focuses on Mickey Mouse, who accidentally damag ...

''. It sets apart Mean Street and Ventureland, and later Tortooga and the Jungle.

Reception

Disney had some trouble with the state censors over this cartoon, due to the suggestive hula-dancing lion. In his book ''Mickey's Movies: The Theatrical Films of Mickey Mouse'', Gijs Grob writes: "''Jungle Rhythm'' is one of the most boring early Mickey Mouse shorts: there's no plot, no dialogue, no song, and the dance routines resemble the worst in contemporary ''

Silly Symphonies ''Silly Symphony'' is an American animated series of 75 musical short films produced by Walt Disney Productions from 1929 to 1939. As the series name implies, the ''Silly Symphonies'' were originally intended as whimsical accompaniments to pieces ...

''. Moreover, it remains unclear what Mickey, who until now we had known is a barnyard and small-town dweller, is doing in the jungle." In the ''Disney Film Project'', Ryan Kilpatrick observes: "

Ub Iwerks Ubbe Ert Iwwerks (March 24, 1901 – July 7, 1971), known as Ub Iwerks ( ), was an American animator, cartoonist, character designer, inventor, and special effects technician. Born in Kansas City, Missouri, Iwerks grew up with a contentiou ...

' silly dancing numbers are constantly amusing. We get two monkeys in one sequence and two ostriches in another. We also get a lion that pushes its mane down to use as a grass skirt and become a hula dancer. All three are great flowing animation that are fun to watch, even if they’re not necessarily story driven." ''

The Film Daily ''The Film Daily'' was a daily publication that existed from 1918 to 1970 in the United States. It was the first daily newspaper published solely for the film industry. It covered the latest trade news, film reviews, financial updates, informatio ...

'' (December 8, 1929) wrote: "Mickey, Master Musician: The jungle beasts serving Mickey as musical instruments. His playing is such as to set the whole animal population a-dancing. In fact, it is his musical ability alone that stands between him and annihilation. The little fellow is fully aware that 'music soothes the savage breast.' He reveals an amazing mastery of every instrument. Again Mickey shows that he is a performer to be relied upon. Plenty of fun, especially for the young." ''

Motion Picture News The ''Motion Picture News'' was an American film industry trade paper published from 1913 to 1930. History The publication was created through the 1913 merger of the ''Moving Picture News'' founded in 1908 and ''The Exhibitors' Times'', founded ...

'' (January 11, 1930) said: "Mark this down as a real laugh-getter. Mickey Mouse in the jungle getting the whole animal gang going by virtue of his musical ramblings on a wide variety of instruments. There are a number of clever gags which assure it many real laughs."

Home media

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

References

External links