Uploaded December 2020 | Updated September 2026, 2 weeks ago
Sometimes original Disney material turns up at unexpected places. The Mickey Mouse Viewer, introduced in 1946, was a short-lived competitor to the View-Master. In difference to the technical sophistication of that internationally successful toy (launched several years earlier), the Mickey version simply used regular 16mm film strips pulled by hand.
The frames, printed horizontically, were taken directly from Disney films. As far as I know, only 13 shorts and 4 feature films were ever offered. This was before any theatrical reissue versions were made, so seven of those strips are interesting today:
– Brave Little Tailor: confirms that the title card in the Buena Vista reissue is the original version.
– Three Little Pigs: the original peddler scene is seen here, just a year or so before it was reanimated. The title card comes from the Academy Award Review of Walt Disney Cartoons from 1937.
– Chicken Little: confirms that the title card in the Buena Vista reissue is the original version.
– The Ugly Duckling: the original title card design, very different from the 1950s non-theatrical reissue seen today. Also confirms that its original title really was The Ugly Duckling (not Ugly Duckling).
– Grasshopper and the Ants: this is apparently the original title, without the “The” at start. The colour spectrum is also seen in other United Artists Silly Symponies of 1933–1934. Probably the rarest title card here.
– The Pointer: something must have happened to the Pluto cel on the title card before it was refilmed for the Buena Vista reissue. Compared to this original version, the reissue looks really strange.
– Donald’s Vacation: confirms that the title card in the Buena Vista reissue is the original version.
Scanning these strips was very tough. Some frames were pretty blurry to begin with – and yes, they are that badly aligned on the strips. I’ve edited them into a little slide show and used the opening themes from each short. Enjoy!
Sometimes original Disney material turns up at unexpected places. The Mickey Mouse Viewer, introduced in 1946, was a short-lived competitor to the View-Master. In difference to the technical sophistication of that internationally successful toy (launched several years earlier), the Mickey version simply used regular 16mm film strips pulled by hand.
The frames, printed horizontically, were taken directly from Disney films. As far as I know, only 13 shorts and 4 feature films were ever offered. This was before any theatrical reissue versions were made, so seven of those strips are interesting today:
– Brave Little Tailor: confirms that the title card in the Buena Vista reissue is the original version.
– Three Little Pigs: the original peddler scene is seen here, just a year or so before it was reanimated. The title card comes from the Academy Award Review of Walt Disney Cartoons from 1937.
– Chicken Little: confirms that the title card in the Buena Vista reissue is the original version.
– The Ugly Duckling: the original title card design, very different from the 1950s non-theatrical reissue seen today. Also confirms that its original title really was The Ugly Duckling (not Ugly Duckling).
– Grasshopper and the Ants: this is apparently the original title, without the “The” at start. The colour spectrum is also seen in other United Artists Silly Symponies of 1933–1934. Probably the rarest title card here.
– The Pointer: something must have happened to the Pluto cel on the title card before it was refilmed for the Buena Vista reissue. Compared to this original version, the reissue looks really strange.
– Donald’s Vacation: confirms that the title card in the Buena Vista reissue is the original version.
Scanning these strips was very tough. Some frames were pretty blurry to begin with – and yes, they are that badly aligned on the strips. I’ve edited them into a little slide show and used the opening themes from each short. Enjoy!
