Generally I do like the Mickey Mouse cartoons with the barnyard setting. The stories aren't groundbreaking and there have been times where they have been derivative of other cartoons. But these aside, these cartoons are generally well animated, have great music and are fun. That is exactly the case with The Barnyard Concert. It will draw inevitable comparisons between the later cartoons The Band Concert and Symphony Hour, which also has Mickey taking on the roles of a conductor. Comparing, The Barnyard Concert is not as good as those two, and I wasn't expecting it to be, but it is a good set up to those two. The story is rather thin on the ground and is routine in places. However the animation, apart from some objects disappearing and then re-appearing, is clean and smooth with backgrounds as far away from sparse as you can get and well-drawn characters. The music has always been a high point in the Disney shorts, and its beautiful and energetic themes The Barnyard Concert is no exception. The gags are funny especially when Mickey yanks on the piglets' tails to make the music and when the outhouse jumps to let Mickey and the runaway piglet pass under it. It was interesting also to see the difference in how the instruments were played between now and then. Mickey is a revelation here, his look of disgust and horror at the interruptions caused by the pig with the trumpet, and the angry conducting and happy dancing make him so much fun to watch. The other characters are cute without feeling too saccharine. Overall, a good short with lots of fun and charm. 8/10 Bethany Cox