Mickey's Race: A Bumpy Ride Through Old-School Chaos

Is it worth your time?

Honestly, it depends on how much patience you have for grainy black-and-white antics. If you dig old-school shorts with a chaotic, kids-will-be-kids energy, you’ll probably get a kick out of it. If you need a plot that makes sense or professional pacing, stay far, far away. This isn't A Love Story, and it definitely isn't trying to be.

The whole thing feels like a backyard project that got way out of hand. You have Mickey Rooney running around with this mule, and half the time, I wasn't sure if the animal was acting or just trying to escape the set. It’s honestly kind of charming in that disheveled way.

The race sequence itself? A complete mess. The editing feels like it was done with a pair of rusty scissors. I’m pretty sure I saw a background actor looking directly into the camera during a crucial moment. They just kept rolling, though. It’s the kind of imperfection you just don't see anymore.

Comparing this to something like Putting Pants on Philip makes you realize how much the comedy style shifted back then. While Philip was all about the physical gags, Mickey’s crew relies more on pure, unadulterated noise. It’s loud. Sometimes, it’s actually kind of grating.

• The mule clearly has a better agent than half the child actors.
• The sound mixing is a total gamble.
• I think someone dropped a prop in the background around the twelve-minute mark?

The kids are just being kids, which is both the best and worst part. There’s no polished acting here. Just a bunch of faces trying to remember their lines while the camera rolls. It reminds me of the energy in Alice Is Stage Struck, but with significantly more dirt and animal feed involved. 🐴

Don't go in expecting some grand cinematic statement. It's a short, it's weird, and it ends before you even really know what happened. I’m not sure I’d watch it twice, but it’s a fun little curiosity for a rainy afternoon. Just don't blame me if you start humming that tune for the rest of the day.