User Reviews

The short is very dated from todays standards but isn't terribly offensive, one thing the film has going for it is it's visually gag's; though some a bit risqué for some modern audiences a majority of the visual jokes were played out very well.

Some scenes that include the native characters are decently offensive in todays day, and age, relying on stereotypes that aren't very accurate to the tribes shown, Injun trouble doesn't go out of its way to depict the natives in a terrible manner but more in a wrong one.

All in all Injun Trouble is quite a funny short from it's time but not something all viewers may enjoy.

Mighty Mouse's theatrical series consisted of 80 cartoons running from 1942 and 1961. They vary in quality. Some, as far as the previous cartoons in the series go, are quite good, such as 'The Mouse of Tomorrow', 'Mighty Mouse and the Wolf', 'Bad Bill Bunion' and 'The Wicked Wolf'. Others were quite weak, such as 'Eliza on the Ice', 'The Two Barbers', 'At the Circus' and 'My Old Kentucky Home'. The others are in between mediocre and slightly above average.

1951's 'Injun Trouble' is the worst Mighty Mouse cartoon in a long time, the worst perhaps since 1946's 'My Old Kentucky Home'. Also consider it one of the worst 1951 Terrytoons cartoons, in what was a fairly unexceptional year, and somehow manages to be even worse than 'Spring Fever', which takes some doing. It isn't irredeemably awful, with the animation and music saving it from total disaster, but many of the numerous bad things are done terribly and one aspect really sticks out like a sore thumb.

Am going to start with the good. The most consistent asset of all Terrytoons' output was always the music, and it is once again the best asset here. Being one of only two things to be outstanding. It is its usual lush and characterful self, not just adding to the action but enhancing it as well and also love how wild it is. The animation is equally great in quality, especially the backgrounds and landscapes, the characters are well drawn and the colours are really beautiful on the eye.

The climax did generate a little bit of tension, or at least compared to what came before it.

Having said that, a lot is bad. Mighty Mouse is a bland character with a limited personality and his antics are pretty repetitive and tired. The cats here are Native Indian and the portrayal is very stereotypical and over generalised in a way that is distasteful and very out of date even for back then. Will agree that this is an instance of the of the time defence not washing, when Native Indians were starting to not always be portrayed as savage villains. The conflict on the whole is lacking in tension, not just because of the bland Mighty Mouse but also because the villains lack menace.

One of the biggest problems is the story, or should we say lack of it. The story is paper thin to the point of non-existence and takes forever to get going. The action has very little spark or tension, as well as being very predictable with everything practically being seen from miles away. Despite the cartoon being short, it really does struggle with having enough content to sustain the length which meant that the first half drags badly and feels padded. Little more than bland and repetitive cat and mouse conflict. Nothing here is funny too in a cartoon where gags are too few and what there is is very fatigued stuff. The ending can be seen from miles off.

Really, really weak cartoon overall. 3/10.

"Indians are savage and deserve to be wiped out." Presented as comedy.

And don't give the "of its time" excuse. Lone Ranger had a Native hero at the same time as this.