"Mickey Monkey" is the eleventh season 2 short of the new Mickey Mouse (2013) series created by Paul Rudish for the Disney Channel and Disney.com. It's the 29th to air on the Disney Channel and put up on Disney.com.
Mickey must contend with a monkey who stole his clothes before he embarks on a cruise through the jungle with his friends, causing them to mistake the monkey for Mickey and vice-versa. Mickey must now do whatever it takes to get his clothes back.
Tropes:
- Amusing Injuries: Mickey ends up getting his foot bitten by a spider while trying to get his clothes back from the monkey and later hurts himself by pulling leeches off of his body.
- Berserk Button: After going through a whole lot of misfortune throughout the short, Mickey finally blows his top when he sees the monkey getting a kiss from Minnie.
- Here We Go Again!: The short ends with Donald, Minnie, and Goofy having their clothes stolen by a trio of alligators and Mickey not suspecting a thing.
- Idiot Ball:
- Goofy, Donald, and Minnie all go through this for most of the short, being unable to realize that the monkey doesn't look anything like Mickey.
- Mickey himself later is handed the Idiot Ball in the ending when he doesn't notice that his friends have been replaced by alligators wearing their clothes.
- Inevitable Waterfall: After Mickey regains control of the boat from the monkey, Mickey tells of some gorgeous waterfalls coming up — which they immediately go over.
- Internal Homage: Mickey wears the same cap he wore in Steamboat Willie. When the monkey is dressed as Mickey, wearing the cap, it performs the same song while at the steering wheel, which is "Steamboat Bill".
- Interspecies Romance: In a one-sided example, Minnie unknowingly engages in some with the monkey.
- Mischief-Making Monkey: The monkey steals Mickey's clothes and takes over as the captain of the boat.
- Mistaken Identity: The monkey steals Mickey's clothes, and is mistaken for Mickey; Mickey himself is also mistaken for the monkey.
- Naked People Are Funny: Mickey spends much of the short naked after the monkey swipes his clothes, but the gang thinks he's the monkey.
- Paper-Thin Disguise: The monkey that steals Mickey's clothes manages to fool Minnie, Goofy, and Donald into thinking that it's Mickey, and at the end of the episode, a trio of alligators that steal Minnie, Goofy, and Donald's clothes manages to fool Mickey.
- Shout-Out:
- Mickey pilots a boat down the river, which is based on the Disney Theme Parks attraction, the Jungle Cruise.
- Mickey piloting a boat also refers to Steamboat Willie.
- Mickey swinging on the veins while hollering also refers to Tarzan.
- The title of the cartoon could also be a shout out to the song "Mickey's Monkey," by Smokey Robinson and the Miracles.
- The mere idea of a monkey dressing as Mickey could be seen as a deep-cut reference to Babes in Toyland (1934), which featured a monkey in a Mickey Mouse costume.
- Vine Swing: Mickey swings on vines as he chases the boat trying to retrieve his clothes.
