Director: Burt Gillett
Release Date: November 20, 1930
Stars: Mickey Mouse, Minnie Mouse
Rating: ★★½
Review:
In ‘Pioneer Days’ Mickey and Minnie are pioneers travelling in a caravan through the Midwest.
After an all too long sing-and-dance-routine they are attacked by vicious wolf-like Indians. These bring in some spectacular animation: a dance with long shadows around a bonfire, a complex attack scene, and an impressive shot taken from one of the horses circling the encampment, showing a moving background of wagons in perfect perspective.
Most spectacular is the fight between Mickey and a horrible Indian, who has kidnapped Minnie. The fight is shown in close-up, and contains quite some complex movements between the two. It’s scenes like these that show that Disney kept taking the lead in the animation field, ever pressing forward.
Of course, our hero saves the day: when he and Minnie pretend to be the cavalry all the Indians flee.
‘Pioneer Days’ is Mickey’s first of only a few films clearly set in another time period, and thus the precursor of ‘Ye Olden Days‘ and ‘The Nifty Nineties’. The film recycles some footage from ‘The Fire Fighters‘ of two dogs holding a bed to catch falling people.
Watch ‘Pioneer Days’ yourself and tell me what you think:
This is Mickey Mouse cartoon No. 24
To the previous Mickey Mouse cartoon: The Picnic
To the next Mickey Mouse cartoon: The Birthday Party
‘Pioneer Days’ is available on the DVD ‘Walt Disney Treasures: ‘Mickey Mouse in black and white’
Dr. Grob's Animation Review 
3 comments
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October 9, 2021 at 12:26
Tom Kenny
Dr Grob’s right, some segments drag on for too long. Wish I could get a listing of all the songs in the film. IMDb lists only two, and Daniel Goldmark’s book doesn’t cover this short at all.
March 28, 2021 at 00:08
Mr Gull
2and half star? Please. One of the best black&white Mickey, in fact not even in your description you found anything bad to say.
The intro, the whole dance, and the (funny) sad story told by the old goat are absolutely fantastic, and really make you feel the film mood, with people relaxing and having fun before the “war”. This is just perfect direction. The following action segment is beautiful, fast, funny and incredibly cinematic.
It is truly an old classic Hollywood masterpiece, starring Mickey Mouse.
April 6, 2021 at 17:34
Gijs Grob
Thanks for commenting! I hear you, and I’ve come to love this cartoon more since my review of it from 2016. But still I don’t think this is one of Mickey’s best, because the cartoon drags on until the attack starts.