Mickey's Mechanical House

"Mickey's Mechanical House" is a cartoon made by Walt Disney Television Animation, originally released in 1999 as part of the 9th episode of Mickey Mouse Works.^[1] It was narrated by Monty Python member John Cleese. The cartoon was also included in the plot of the film Mickey's House of Villains (2002), and in the House of Mouse episode "House of Genius" (2003).

"Mickey's Mechanical House"
Mickey Mouse Works episode
Episode no.	Season 1 Episode 9
Narrated by	John Cleese
Original air date	September 11, 1999 (1999-09-11)
Episode chronology

Plot

This cartoon is narrated in rhyme. Mickey Mouse is trying to sleep in his house that has several flaws; the roof constantly creaks, wind blows around, the boiler turns on by itself, causing pipes to rattle and shutters constantly open and close. When he goes to the bathroom for water, it comes out of the drain and squirts him in the face.

This is the final straw for him. He gets fed up with living in his house so he decides to move. He and Pluto walk past houses for sale and are drawn to one in particular. A salesman who is selling it reveals that it is electric. It includes a couch that folds into a wall, a robot chef and a vacuum machine. Mickey signs a contract and accepts the opportunity to live in the house.

With a few button presses, he receives a snacks, a recliner that has mechanical hands that massage him, surround sound and dimming lights. When he decides to take a bath before bedtime, the recliner takes him to the bathroom where he receives a car wash-like bath. After being tucked in, he realizes that he is unable to sleep because he is so amazed by his house’s amenities.

He decides to stay up all night and play with the devices. However, the robot chef refuses to let him stay awake so it grabs him and tries to put him to sleep but he escapes. It always waits for him when he leaves his room so he plans to use a bucket of water in the kitchen to short it out. When it goes in the kitchen, he pulls a rope, releasing the bucket which falls on the robot chef. The water destroys it but this causes the house’s circuits to malfunction.

Food in the refrigerator splatters Mickey. The recliner drags him to the bathroom where he gets bathed against his will. When he flees, he comes across the vacuum machine which is sucking everything around it. He tries to fight it but the recliner attacks from behind. The recliner squeezes him but he overcomes the squeezing. He throws the recliner at the remote that controls the house, destroying it.

While the house starts to collapse, Mickey escapes and gets Pluto. After they see the house collapse, they return to their old house. Mickey recognizes that it is not perfect but advises Pluto that they should stop on a whim.

Cast

• Wayne Allwine as Mickey Mouse
• Bill Farmer as Pluto
• John Cleese as the Narrator
• Jeff Bennett as Salesman

Reception

The episode is said to exemplify fiction that "animate(s) the sentient home through its collection of labor-saving, but ultimately" malfunctioning devices.^[2][3] The film is also described as follows: "It’s a new short, well animated in the UPA style of the 1950s. Cleese does a wonderful job as the narrator, and brings the story to life with zest and his impeccable sense of wry irony in his voice."^[4]