Mickey's Good Deed

Mickey's Good Deed (also called Mickey's Lucky Break and Mickey Plays Santa in certain home video releases) is a 1932 animated short film produced by Walt Disney Productions and released by United Artists.  Set during the Christmas season and the contemporary Great Depression, the cartoon centers on Mickey's act of charity to bring Christmas to a poor family.  The film was directed by Burt Gillett and features the voices of Walt Disney as Mickey and Pinto Colvig as Pluto. 

Mickey's Good Deed was Mickey's second Christmas themed film after Mickey's Orphans (1931). 

Plot
Mickey Mouse appears as a street performer playing "Adeste Fideles" on a cello while Pluto howls along.  Several people appear to throw coins in Mickey's collection cup and Mickey wishes them a merry Christmas.  But when Mickey goes to buy food, he discovers to his dismay that his cup is full of nails, nuts, and bolts. 

Eventually Mickey comes to the home of a rich family and begins to play outside.  Inside the home, a crying child named Adelbert keeps throwing away toys given to him by his father and a butler.  When Adelbert hears Pluto outside, he demands his father buy the dog.  The butler goes outside and persistently offers Mickey money for Pluto, but Mickey refuses and Pluto bites the butler in the buttocks.  While running away, Mickey drops his cello and a horse-drawn sleigh runs it over destroying it.  The apparently oblivious party in the sleigh call out a cheerful "Merry Christmas!"  to Mickey. 

Mickey and Pluto later come across the home of a poor cat family.  A mother sits at the table crying and Mickey and Pluto see that the father, Pete, is in jail and she has no money for food or toys.  Emotionally moved by the scene, Mickey returns to the rich home and reluctantly sells Pluto.  With the money, Mickey buys toys and food for the cat family and their mother, who is now snoring as he makes it back to their house and he delivers the goods dressed as Santa Claus.  He barely manages to keep it quiet until he has snuck out of the house, just in time to see the children wake up to celebrate Christmas.  Mickey is then satisfied that he helped the cat family have a happy Christmas, and he does not miss Pluto. 

Meanwhile back at the rich home, Adelbert is tormenting Pluto and tying objects, including a roasted chicken onto Pluto's tail.  The frustrated father finally has the butler throw the dog out, before spanking Adelbert.  Pluto then follows Mickey's tracks to where he finds the lonely mouse sitting in front of a fire along with a snow sculpture of Pluto.  Pluto burrows through the snow and pops his head out the top of the sculpture surprising Mickey.  The two of them share the roasted chicken for a Christmas dinner. 

Voice cast
 Mickey Mouse: Walt Disney
 Pluto: Pinto Colvig
 Spoiled Brat: unknown

Home media
1986 – "Jiminy Cricket's Christmas" (VHS)
2004 – "Walt Disney Treasures: Mickey Mouse in Black and White, Volume Two" (DVD)
2005 – "Holiday Celebration with Mickey & Pals" (colorized, DVD)

See also
Mickey Mouse (film series)

References

External links

Mickey's Good Deed at the Disney Film Project
Mickey's Good Deed at Animation Backgrounds
Mickey's Good Deed reviewed by Dennis Grunes
 

Category:1932 films
Category:1932 animated films
Category:Mickey Mouse short films
Category:Disney animated short films, 1930s
Category:American films
Category:American Christmas films
Category:Great Depression films
Category:Films directed by Burt Gillett
Category:Films produced by Walt Disney
Category:Films about music and musicians
Category:American black-and-white films
Category:1930s Christmas films