The Prince and the Pauper (1990) User Reviews

Mickey Becomes Dramatic

[travisimo · 8/10 · 21 February 2004]

For some reason, I confused The Prince and the Pauper with The Brave Little Tailor when I rented this movie. I was only 52 years off! It's interesting to see the amount of effort put into this movie. I think after Who Framed Roger Rabbit, there was an idea to bring Mickey & the Gang back in some big projects. Unfortunately, I think things quieted down a bit after The Prince and the Pauper.

There are definitely some nice moments in this short movie toon. As always, Donald and Goofy provided some great comic relief throughout the film. Pluto was even a nice addition to the film as Mickey's best buddy, who was at the mercy of the evil Captain of the Guards, Pete.

However, what I'm about to say may be blasphemous for a Disney fan and hopeful future cast member like myself to utter, but Mickey kind of annoyed me a few times throughout the movie. Maybe it was his British accent as the Prince, but I'm not totally sure. But Mickey's strength of being a lovable character is most evident in the surprisingly emotional scene where he meets with the dying king. People just love him, even though he doesn't necessarily get the best jokes or steals many scenes.

Speaking of that emotional scene, this movie is quite different from any animation project you'll ever see. It has a quite serious tone to it, where some of the characters suffer in a poverty-like environment. It's not exactly the light-hearted and happy-go-lucky atmosphere most people are accustomed to in cartoons. While I was split on how I felt about this, I realize that Disney is really the only animation company that can pull this off. People care for Disney characters like they would their own personal friends and family members. I'm not sure if the Warner Brothers crew could have the same effect.

Overall, The Prince and the Pauper isn't necessarily my favorite Disney creation. It can get a little too serious for my taste, but I appreciate the effort the filmmakers put into this movie. Hopefully, we'll see even more projects with the classic and beloved Disney characters. Be on the lookout for 2004's Three Musketeers starring Disney's 3 best buds, and maybe even more to come!

My IMDb Rating: 8/10. My Yahoo! Grade: B+ (Memorable)

Looks great but plays a bit too fast and loose with the original story.

[planktonrules · 8/10 · 16 November 2010]

This Mickey Mouse cartoon is one of the best looking Disney cartoons I have seen. Oddly, it was shown along with "The Rescuers Down Under"--yet this short was much better animated than this feature film! The artistry was phenomenal. I especially loved the wonderful muted color pallet and the lovely snow scenes.

The story begins as 'the good king is dying'! This obviously was NOT inspired by the original Mark Twain story or history, as the 'good king' was Henry VIII--one of history's biggest self-indulgent jerks! His admonition to rule justly and wisely is hilarious in light of his abominable record during his rather bloody reign! And, throughout the cartoon, many liberties were taken with the Twain story and it obviously was used only broadly. Some of this can be understood--the story was not originally written for Mickey, goofy and Donald! But a lot of it just showed indifference to the story--and that is a shame. However, the art is so wonderful and the overall film is still a lot of fun...hence in light of all my complaints, I still give this one a 10.

good king pizza

Disney's take on the famous 1881 novel

[Horst_In_Translation · 6/10 · 12 September 2013]

I wonder what Mark Twain would have said, had he lived to watch this animated adaptation of one of his most notable works "The Prince and the Pauper". I'm confident he would have liked it as 25 thoroughly entertaining movies with lots of funny sequences and a good morale. I won't go too much in the story as it's kinda known to most. Prince coincidentally meets pauper and they realize they look very much alike. They decide to change roles for a day. Prince witnesses the social ills he never got to see inside the palace. Pauper is in danger of coronation. Prince gets there in time, beats the bad guy and becomes the new king.

Voicing initially silent animated characters is always quite a risk. I've seen some approaches which really destroyed the whole experience. i'm looking at you, Tom and Jerry. But I applaud Wayne Allwine (rip) and Bill Farmer for their work in this one. What they did with the characters could indeed be described as career-defining as that is exactly the way they should be speaking. Of course the well-written dialogs also help the matter. What I also like about the Disney version is that, besides telling the story centered on the two Mickey's, they made all the supporting characters hilarious to watch. I laughed so hard when Pluto is the only one to realize it's not his real master. Donald gets his fair share of misfortune and reacts hilariously as always and stuck-up Horace Horsecollar delivers as well.

All in all, a very well-crafted piece of animation for viewers from all age-groups.

A good cartoon with all your favorite characters

[action-6 · 7/10 · 19 May 2000]

The Prince and the pauper is a cartoon, inwhich a prince and a pauper look the same(both are a Mickey Mouse-character). The two characters switch roles, which leads to quite a few complications. There is great animation, familiar faces like Donald and Goofy, and an okay story. Not Disney`s best, but worth a look. 7/10

A wonderfully condensed adoption of a classic.

[Ken-120 · 13 April 2001]

Maybe this film is not the best that Disney's has produced, but it has many merits of its own. For one thing, the artists have managed to have at least have an element of the satire of the Twain book as with the Prince's lesson about the only two lines you need to learn as a king.

Furthermore, while the humour is excellent, the film allows for at least a few moments of legitimate drama. Nowhere is this more evident than when the Prince learns that his father has died. You see Mickey in mourning and then soulfully rise to his new responsibility as the true heir to the throne who must end the tyranny he has seen among his people. It's an inspiring moment to see the boy realize the weight of his duties and face them with a new maturity.

This film is a stellar effort from Disney's second golden age.

Mickey Mouse in two roles

[Atreyu_II · 7/10 · 25 December 2007]

"The Prince and the Pauper" is a cartoon which stars some of the most famous Disney characters, such as the humorous Goofy, the hilarious and quick-tempered Donald Duck, the adorable dog Pluto and Mickey Mouse in two distinctive and equal roles at the same time.

We have two Mickey Mice here: one is a prince who's tired of royalty life and dreams about freedom; the other one is the real Mickey Mouse as a poor guy who wants to know what it's like to be a prince. The irony of destiny brings them together and they exchange their roles - after all, they look identical.

However, there's an obstacle: they must fight against the tyrant Pete (the Royal Captain of the Guard), who takes advantage of the King's illness to rob the population «in the name of the King». The Crown Prince realizes this once he knows what it's like to be free. And once the King dies, Pete advances on his evil aims even more.

The ending is a bit weak, but fair enough.

Overall, this is an okay cartoon featuring popular Disney stars, although it isn't among the finest Disney's creations. Nevertheless, the humor is present, the story is different and the artwork is reasonable.

It's the most fun...

[RosanaBotafogo · 7/10 · 7 August 2021]

Very cute, the book is fantastic, a necessary social criticism and rare at the time, in the Disney world, simple, efficient and cute, despite not being a Mickey fan, Goofy always steals the scenes, it's the most fun...

Disney's take on the Mark Twain classic...

[TheLittleSongbird · 10/10 · 1 October 2009]

Out of all the versions out there of the Prince and The Pauper, this is my personal favourite. Then again I may be biased as I am a massive Disney fan, but this is wholly memorable and beautifully done. Yes, it does condense the classic to an extent, but with everything so enjoyable here I don't care really. The artwork is perfectly reasonable; the backgrounds are colourful and the movements of the characters aren't at all stiff on the most part. The music is wonderful, and in a lot of scenes has a real impact on what's going on, especially the jailbreak, the Captain's henchmen's actions had me in stitches. While a vast majority of it is very funny, especially with the characters of Donald Duck and even more Goofy, the part with Mickey at the king's deathbed was a real tearjerker, and one of the more poignant Disney moments, along with Bambi's mother's death, Mufassa's death, the ending of Hunchback of Notre Dame and the silly symphony Ugly Duckling. Mickey is appealing in the duel roles, and Pete is a delightful villain. The voice acting is top notch, the late Wayne Allwine in particular as Mickey. All in all, a condensed but hugely enjoyable take on the Mark Twain classic. 10/10 Bethany Cox

Contains possible spoilers for those who don't know the story

[dcamosy · 9/10 · 16 June 2006]

I don't know if Disney is the only animation company that can pull off a good mix of genuine drama and comedy in a 25-minute cartoon, but they probably are the only ones willing to try.

This cartoon is fantastic! It has more class in its short length than some "hit" animated movies these days have in their whole digitized-thrill-ride selves. The emotional depths reached here are jaw-dropping, from the Prince hearing children complain of hunger (and then say that it's normal), to the death of the king, and some of Captain Pete's reign of terror thrown in for good measure. And that's just the dramatic side.

The comedy here also works well. As usual, the Disney crew hits Goofy and Donald with everything they can, extracting every possible gag and joke from the scenes they're in. Even Pluto is granted some fine moments (with some very memorable expressions that remind you of why you own a dog in the first place). Plus, there's a rollicking arrangement of "La donna è mobile," when Mickey and Goofy sing about what they'd do if they could live like the king.

The cartoon also works as an adventure film on par with those of Errol Flynn. Both Mickeys are granted some subtle moments: Pauper Mickey, for instance, just before he orders Pete's arrest, has a rather shifty expression you wouldn't expect for a Disney movie of any length (don't blink or you'll miss it). The musical score also raises the cartoon to a level unthought of by other cartoonists; I turn up my TV's volume whenever the coronation scene starts because the music is phenomenal. It's almost too good for the movie.

In short, if you want a great adventure that works for all ages (not just young kids--I'm 18 and watch this almost every other week), with a great mix of comedy and drama, plus a well- written score, please watch this.

Unfortunately, it's not widely available. It was originally released as a short film before "The Rescuers Down Under," I believe, during the latter's theatrical run. I own it on video, as part of the Disney Mini-Classics series, but I think it's been discontinued. I would like to find this on DVD, but I don't know if it's available, either alone or with other cartoons. If it's not out, it should be.

The best short film ever made in the Disney Studios' "Renaissance" years

[ja_kitty_71 · 10/10 · 17 February 2008]

I absolutely love it! Mickey's my favorite Disney character, and his pal Pluto; Donald Duck, who are also in this film too as a valet. And it's the best short film ever made in the Disney Studios' "Renaissance" years.

I love the storyline. I thought it's a good adaptation of Mark Twain's classic book by the same name featuring Mickey and his friends. Twain is also the author of "The Adventures of Tom Sawyer." I love literary films, including literary theatrical shorts. Personally, I think Mickey Mouse, Donald Duck and Goofy too are great character actors of their time.

as it happens, I don't actually know the original story

[lee_eisenberg · 5/10 · 23 February 2018]

Disney's short adaptation of "The Prince and the Pauper" delivers the expected slapstick stuff, with appearances by a number of the Mouse House's famous characters. I've never read Mark Twain's original story, although it's safe to guess that this is a loose adaptation even so. One thing that I noticed was that Frank Welker voiced both the king and archbishop. This was unusual for him. While he often provides voices for cartoons - namely Fred on "Scooby Doo" and Ray on "The Real Ghostbusters" - it seems like he seldom does multiple voices in a single production (he often provides voice effects, as in "All Dogs Go to Heaven"). As for some of the other cast members, Arthur Burghardt, who voices Pete, played the Great Ahmed Kahn in "Network", while Elvia Allman, who voices Clarabelle, appeared as Lucy's and Ethel's boss in the candy factory.

Anyway, it's nothing special but entertaining.

1,000 thumbs up for Disney, great storytelling

[maddoxacox · 10/10 · 13 June 2016]

I would give it eleven stars but they wouldn't let me.

It is very family-friendly and has a happy ending, whelp this is kind a like the royal version of Mickey's Christmas Carol.

The Prince and the pauper is based of of the Classic story made by Mark Twain, made it more family friendly (ex. less dark, no mention of the dad in the Mark Twain book swearing)

It is good for a family movie night (if they don't have time to see a full length film)

Rating 11/10 {I rate it for age 8+ (also mature 7 and 6 year old's)}

It is currently on Netflix and Walt Disney Short Films DVD

What could possibly be keeping this colorful film from . . .

[pixrox1 · 8/10 · 24 March 2022]

. . . garnering a perfect 10 of 10 rating? Could it be the factual errors? The "Prince" here is Eddie Tudor, aka King Edward VI of England (1547 to 1553). This story takes place when Eddie is just 9. I'm staring at his autograph right now, and he writes like a child--or a mouse! The narrator says his pops was a "good king," but neglects to mention that he'd already lopped off the noggins of a couple of Eddie's five stepmoms. The narrator concludes that it was Happy Days in Old England when Eddie became king. He omits the fact that Eddie's henchmen lost a disastrous war, and that the cousin he appointed as his heir--Lady Jane Grey--was beheaded herself shortly after her NINE-DAY "reign." Nor does this deluded voice-over man hint at the fact that a series of civil wars spanning several centuries were the direct consequence of "the good king," the "boy king," the "nine-day queen" and Eddie's half-sister, the original "Bloody Mary."