Western Animation: Mickey, Donald, Goofy: The Three Musketeers
All for one and one for all!
A direct to DVD feature from Disney that for once isn't a sequel to a much better film or a TV episode compilation. As the name suggests, it's the stars of the Classic Disney Shorts in the roles of The Three Musketeers, or at least a story similar in nature.Mickey Mouse, Donald Duck and Goofy are three janitors who dream of becoming musketeers, but Mickey's size, Donald's cowardice and Goofy's intelligence (or lack thereof) are handicaps from their goal. However, they get their chance when Princess Minnie demands bodyguards from Captain Pete. Since said captain is planning to take over the kingdom, he decides to promote the three, hoping they'll be bungling enough not to ruin his plans.The story is told by the Troubador, a singing turtle who is supposedly narrating it on live television. (Though not given a real name in the film, Word Of God has it that the Troubador is an updated version of 1930s Disney character Toby Tortoise.)Considering it's a DTV movie, it's actually quite an improvement on previous sequels which were mostly excuses to try and kick off (bad) television series.A world based on the film, called Country of the Musketeers appeared in Kingdom Hearts 3D: Dream Drop Distance.
Don't get started on the fast food Minnie and Daisy are eating as they discuss romance.
Indoor plumbing (seen in the opening), Electric lights (during Pete's crowning) and high-quality seamwork (seen on Mickey's and Donald's traditional apparel) certainly were not in vogue during this time.
Call Back: During the first fight with the Beagle Boys, one of them slice through Mickey's musketeer uniform, revealing his trademark outfit underneath. Cue Mickey making his well-known pose before cut to the next frame. Donald is also shown wearing his trademark sailor suit under his uniform when he decided to quit being a musketeer.
Continuity Cameo: The Musketeers from the book save Mickey, Donald and Goofy when the latter were children. They even autographed Mickey's hat, which has the correct number of four signatures.
Dressed In Layers: Mickey dresses in at least two layers, and Donald dresses in at least three, judging by the way they rip off their clothes to reveal either Musketeer uniforms or their classic outfits underneath. Even Pete dresses in at least two layers.
Drowning Pit: Captain Pete tries to off Mickey by locking him in a dungeon in Mont-Saint-Michel, which floods when the tide rises.
Expy: The Troubador is essentially an updated version of Toby Tortoise from the two Silly Symphonies shorts.
Extreme Omnivore: When Pete is getting the Beagle Boys out of the pit, they are doing things to pass the time (drawing Pete with an arrow though his head for one). One of them was playing with jacks, and when Pete sees them relaxing, he quickly eats all of the jacks and the rubber ball.
Everything's Better with Princesses: Minnie is a princess, though she seems to be the monarch of France and a queen in everything but name. No mention is made of any king or queen existing.
Furry Confusion: Naturally, with Goofy and Pluto in the same movie. Clarabelle and a non-anthropomorphic orange and white cow show up, as do horse-driven coaches.
Getting Crap Past the Radar: For a few seconds in which he is seen falling into a hole, the original narrator (who was a complete dick towards the Troubador) is revealed to be a donkey.
Goofy falls in love with Clarabelle... After she bounded him in chains and was about to drown him. Seriously, Goofy are you an Amazon Chaser or just a masochist?
Gilbert and Sullivan: The opera where the climax takes place is basically a Disney version of The Pirates Of Penzance, complete with a Modern Major General parody.
Idiot Ball: It don't matter how Bad Ass you think you are - anytime a villain who's three times your size starts saying, "By the power vested in my fist..." that's a good time to run away.
Kissing Discretion Shot: As is tradition in classic Disney media. With special thanks to Mickey's hat.
He actually does this twice. When he is bringing The Beagle Boys out of the pit, the scene shifts to the poster for the opera and plays the same music bit again. When the scene shifts back to Pete, he stare at the poster, blinks his eyes a few times and continues speaking.
He does it a third time when the opera bit happens, saying, "That little ditty's starting to grow on me."
Never Say "Die": Averted. Everyone is open to admitting that people will die, saying words like "Die" "Death" "Kill" (etc) and Donald is put in a Guillotine at one point. Pete and Clarabelle do use (fairly obvious) euphemisms once, but they make the scene much scarier.
Nice Hat: Mickey treasures a hat given to him by the original Musketeers.
Not-So-Harmless Villain: The little Beagle at first seems like he's incompetent and silly. However it's revealed he's an expert in using the sword, especially a great wicked - looking one.
Oh Crap: Mickey's reaction to the "You Must Be This Tall to Survive this Dungeon" sign when the sewer begins to flood.
Pit Trap: Pete puts the Beagle Boys in one when he finds out that they were going to kill Minnie, However its subverted in the fact that it is just a few feet deep.
Red Boxing Gloves: When kidnapping Minnie, the Beagle Boys conceal one in a jack-in-the box to lure Goofy into looking at it. Considering that this is a cartoon, its kind of suprising that the glove isn't oversized.
Running Gag: The same music, which happens to be the chorus of "With Catlike Tread" playing everytime the opera poster is shown.
That Reminds Me of a Song: Justified in some places, since the Troubadour openly admits to wanting to pepper the narration with songs that he wrote; in other parts, not so much.
Uptown Girl: Mickey (commoner) and Minnie (princess).
Would Hit a Girl: Mickey Donald and Goofy pile on Daisy Duck, mistaking her for a bad guy.
In the comics adaptation, an earlier scene has Mickey tell Donald about recent threats to the kingdom. It seems "Prince Gimlet" was murdered by a royal waitress with an hors d'oeuvres knife. Hapless Daisy appears to be about to pull off a similar crime.
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