Keep those Dark Toons recommendations coming! Watch more Dark Toons here - bit.ly/DarkToons Watch more Nostalgia Critic here - bit.ly/NCPlaylist13 Doug is LIVE on Twitch - www.twitch.tv/channelawesome
We need more stuff like this - just Doug being Doug. Don’t get me wrong, I love the Nostalgia Critic character too, but there’s something about just seeing the man behind the glasses that feels kind of inviting and genuine.
When he's not in character and not screaming at everything, he feels more fair even at stuff he doesn't like, like his Disneycember review on Frozen 2.
please does anyone know the name of the picture of the white hooded girl with white eyes shown at the start of these videos? i need help finding it. 0:03
please does anyone know the name of the picture of the white hooded girl with white eyes shown at the start of these videos? i need help finding it. 0:03
I think another element that's unsettling to me is that we never find out what ultimately happens to Pluto in the dream. Did the Mad Doctor splice him with the chicken? Did he botch the operation? It's gruesome to think that Pluto's decapitated remains could be lying in the back somewhere as the doctor prepares to slice up Mickey.
The thing that I always found particularly disturbing is that even though it does turn out to be a dream the fact remains that Micky doesn’t get off that table, Pluto doesn’t get rescued. Sure it’s just a dream but that dream ends rather badly.
Strong alcohol still sounds like distinctly adult entertainment to me, so I don’t see how that makes it much better. Just shows that cartoons weren’t just made for little kids back then.
Actually the number of x'es represents how strong it is with pure alcohol being XXX. It was often shown on moonshine and became associated with it because during the prohibition moonshine was labelled as XXX just so everyone knew it was very strong.
Something interesting to note. The Mad Doctor's cloak before his reveal looks a bit similar in design to, one of many of Mickey's adversaries in his comics. The Phantom Blot. I never noticed it until looking at this review. Also, this used to shown on Disney channel, before, things transgressed and went to hell.
On yeah, I remember that one, wasn't it Looney Toons? I always adored Claude. I think the episode is The Hypo-Chondri-Cat and the mice are Hubie and Bertie..
Brains, brains, it'sokay! It's not a matter if it isn't grey! Sure they might think it's deranged, but they won't give it a though when I've eaten their brains!
@@sarafontanini7051 Brains, Brains, I won't Lie! I'll eat their Brains till the Zombified! And if at first they think it's strange, They won't think twice without having a Brain!
As someone that struggles with perfectionism, the allegory that "perfection" is this abusive teacher with unrealistic expectations that only you can see is 100% true
I'm pretty sure the inspiration for Dr. XXX was Ivan Pavlov, he was known around that time period for the cruel experiments he conducted on dogs. That would explain his Russian accent too
Let’s see Doug tackle the Teen Titans episode “Haunted.” Probably one of the best examples of a villain (Slade) psychologically torturing a hero and the hero (Robin) slowly slipping into madness.
Also, "Crash", in which Beast Boy mistakenly gives Cyborg a computer virus that causes the big guy to go haywire and infect every piece of electronic equipment in sight with the virus. Now the Titans must stop Cyborg before he infects the main dish of the city's communication hub.
Here are some more Courage the Cowardly Dog Episodes for you "Demon in the Mattress" - Exorcist call back "A Night in the Katz Motel" (introduces Courage's longest-running enemy Katz) - Creepy motels are creepy and my persona favorite "The Great Fusilli" - Creepy Puppet Master......what else do you need? Not sure if this would be considered for kids, but check out the Teen Titans episode "Haunted" (5th episode of Season 3). It's a great look at a troubled mind and even has one of Slade's best quotes in it. It was also the first episode to give us a hint at Robin's real name in that series (they never call him back Dick Grayson, but there is a flashback that shows the death of the Flying Graysons)
So, Disney is REALLY popular in Japan, I would NOT be surprised to learn that this cartoon inspired several ideas used in the Thriller Bark arc of the One Piece series: You've got the ever-smiling Mad Doctor, the Frankensteinian Chimeras experiments, the Scissor-cutting-off of a Shadow, etc.
One of the recent MICKEY MOUSE ADVENTURES may have topped this one: Micky's car breaks down and the WALKING DEAD version of Goofy just shows up. There's also that AMAZING short RUNAWAY BRAIN (in fact the last theatrical Mickey Mouse short until GET A HORSE), directed by the great Chris Bailey, who went on to direct the first two seasons of KIM POSSIBLE (as well as CGI animator on LIFE OF PI and.....'eh', ALVIN AND THE CHIPMUNKS)
I remember another Mickey Mouse short, “Runaway Brain”, being a pretty intense viewing experience as a child with its overt 50s horror movie mad science and sinister colour palette. May want to do that one eventually; one of my favourites.
Mad scientist with the triangle beard. Maybe Rasputin was the inspiration for the mad scientist. But I was told these early cartoons wasn't really made for kids they were made for adults and kids just came along for the ride.
That would be a good one. It was a short released in theaters before A Goofy Movie began and would be the first Mickey cartoon to return him to theaters after nearly 50 years.
or the episode that introduced the Lich the epsidoe itself has a lot of funny moments, but the Lich? he was NOT one of those moments dear god. Shame the seires went on to waste him in later seasons, not even using him for the finale.
Another detail I noticed is that when the Doctor does that weird little dance thing, if you look at his shadow in the back, the eyebrow shadows make it look like there are devil horns on his head!
*"Damn it, Frank!"* Okay, to be serious, the one part of the cartoon that bugs me to no end is that they blatantly stole a joke from another famously dark Fleischer cartoon, Bimbo's Initiation. The joke where they open a bunch of doors lined up to each other.
I'm really surprised to find out that this was banned in Europe. I mean, I've seen Disney do some creepy stuff. Heck, I've seen Europe do some really creepy stuff. Weird. I think that when the Disney parks reopen, that they should use the Mad Doctor to enforce social distancing! Like have signs everywhere with him on it.
There's actually a creepyasta on the internet named Mickey's Best Friend. Is about Mickey meeting an anthropomorphic dog named Eustace (aka Pluto) and becoming friends with him. He becomes so attached to him that he doesn't want him to leave. So he knocks him out and turns him into a four legged dog and naming him Pluto.
Also the way the doctor looked before revealing who he was, while wearing that black cloak/roab (?) he kind of looked like the Phantom Blot. Who atleast in the comics was a common enemy for Mickey to face. You know the comics when he was a detective of sorts
the phantom blot has done more messed up stuff than the mad doctor has. like almost getting mickey sent to the electric chair, leveling an entire city, threatening to dry out every ocean in the world, starting a war between two countries etc...
8:26 - that bit is so dark that it actually made you break character from your riff! "OH GOOD GOD!" - Doug "A faaaamily picture.........from HELL!" - Rob
I think I have a very similar opinion on Jurassic Park. I was scared the first time I saw it, but came back to it several times because I love dinosaurs. I guess now that I’m older I do appreciate how scary it is. When you see Muldoon lose all of his machismo the moment the raptor starts to eat his face, that is more legit scary than a lot of horror movies.
You know, I will say this about this old cartoon. As terrifying and dark the last scene was of Mickey Mouse about to be cut to pieces, it's still nothing compared to the alien experiment scene from the 1993 movie Fire in the Sky. That was true nightmare fuel.
I LOVE dark toons. The weirder, the better lol. Especially older ones. I need to go thru all these to see ones I have missed. Thanks for doing this awesome series Doug! If anyone has any recommendations for some dark, weird, bizarre cartoons, please let me know! Edit: Want to throw in that I really miss how dark Disney cartoons could get. Parents are way too sensitive now a days. Social Media is doing way more harm than these dark cartoons ever did.
I think that one of the most creepy ideas from this episode and most likely THE real reason why it was banned if the mad doctor’s plan, he literally wants to make a chimera and specially using Pluto, that’s such a creepy and unnatural thing, like you said the trope of a mad scientists was used already, but is always something over the top like I’m gonna make a giant gun or a robot, and even when they needed to experiment on living things we either never truly know what it was or was something silly, like “ I’m gonna replace your leg with a blander “ or something like that, yet in this case not only he wants to “ fuse “ Pluto with another living thing, but he also wants him to stay alive with that new body and to serve him, and that’s such a creepy and weird ideia
I remember watching this cartoon as an unlockable from the first Epic Mickey game, and then thinking that this was disturbing. Then again, I always feel slightly scared by most of these old cartoons for some reason. I'm not sure why though, but it's been like that ever since I was a kid.
I remember for my 12th birthday, getting the Wii game Epic Mickey, one of my favorite video games of all time, because it's Mickey Mouse in a dark twisted world. In the bonus features was the Mad Doctor Cartoon. I had NO idea this was banned! I loved watching it growing up and I still do love it today
The professor's name being XXX could be a reference to the Floyd Gottfredson comic *Blaggard Castle* from 1932. In that comic, Mickey and his friends visit the titular castle, where three professors Ecks, Doublex, and Triplex run mysterious experiments to take over the world. It's a delightfully dark comic you wouldn't see the likes of today. Professor Triplex in the comic is much more ape-like than the one in this short, however. Also, when disguised, the professor looks an awful lot like The Phantom Blot, a character that would debut in the comics six years later.
For anyone wondering about why the Mad Doctor is called Dr. XXX , it's a reference to the 1932 film Doctor X , and the fact that XXX used to be a code for strong alcohol, this is also why sometimes jugs and barrels of { presumably } liquor will have three X's drawn on them.
@@rowanw1312 No. I wasn't aware someone else said it in the Comments. It was just the first thing that came to mind when I saw that scene and remembered the Riff
-Powerpuff girls (Speed demon or Octi-Evil) -Dexter’s lab (Monstory) -Rugrats (in the Dreamtime, chuckie’s wonderful life, Angelica’s worst nightmare, or Weaning Tommy) -Danny Phantom (The Ultimate enemy - it’s a made for TV movie) Tom & Jerry - Blue Cat Blues The Fairly Odd Parents - It's a Wishful Life Looney tunes: Cheese Chasers, Porky in Wackyland, Claws For Alarm, Life with feathers, or Pigs is Pigs
I’m still going to suggest the 1992 Bugs Bunny short Invasion of the Bunny Snatchers. It’s got some really dark, creepy imagery & I’d love to see Doug’s reaction to some of the stuff in it.
There is an episode of a cartoon called "Ned's Nightmare" where he turns into a robot, I never was able to find it and watch again... but I remember to be really creepy.
3:35 No kidding, try to guess how many times Bambi's mother shows up in other Disney properties besides Bambi after she got shot. I counted 4, a Donald Duck cartoon, The Jungle Book, The Rescuers and Beauty & The Beast.
Major recommendation for a future video. It's another Courage the Cowardly Dog episode, except this one is one of the most beautifully crafted in setting, music and atmosphere. My recommendation: *Windmill Vandals* by Bill Marsilii.
I swear Courage the cowardly dog could get be a monthly thing for this series very easily. That could last for a couple years before it ends up just being Courage focused cause I believe he would run out of other shows before he finished covering every great Courage episode for this series. And that's if NC covers episodes of shows like adventure time and gravity falls as well. Tons of potential for this series but Courage the Cowardly Dog could be part of the backbone. I think NC needs to stop sleeping on this show. Lol
This episode is such a classic that they made two full video games with the mad doctor being a villain. I'm not kidding, they're called Epic Mickey 1&2 and they're a pretty good as games of their own
The Mad Doctor also made an appearance in the 1994 game "Mickey Mania" (where Mickey Mouse goes back in time to the popular cartoons featuring him) but not as the main villain but a boss for the end of the Mad Doctor sequence.
There is an animated short called "Swing You Sinners", and you really gotta check it out. My favourite image is Bimbo running from the barn and the telephone poles cast cross shaped shadows on the road.
@@Goldstar_ The one that I really want to see him cover is "Speed Demon." Almost any of the earlier episodes with Him were disturbing to begin with. However, this one is by far the darkest Him centered episode in my opinion.
@@Lowkeylie Bingo, that's the one! The girls fly 50 years into the future, where everything's been taken over by Him and the girls have abandoned Townsville. It's Him at his creepiest.
There was a Tex Avery short called "What's Buzzin' Buzzard?" in which two starving crazed vultures try to eat one another. I remember being traumatized by it when I first saw it around the age of 5 while my dad was outside in the backyard on his lounge chair.
The real Ghostbusters Boogieman episode scared the crap out of me as a kid. There were other equally odd episode as well but this one was something dark.
Another great analysis, hope this lasts a long time. Here are some others that would be cool to see you review: Invader Zim- Dark Harvest: it’s basically Body Horror in a kid’s show. I haven’t honestly watched much Invader Zim but the episodes I have seen have always been a little odd, but a cool kind of odd. Ren and Stimpy- Man’s Best Friend: This is what Adult Party Cartoon should have been. It would have been shocking, but still smart and funny. Courage the Cowardly Dog- The Mask: The themes in this one are some of the darkest you’ll see in a kid’s show. It is great, and it’s one of the most interesting episodes to talk about. Mickey Mouse- Runaway Brain: Not as insane as this one, but still pretty threatening for a more current Mickey cartoon. Spongebob- Nasty Patty: Spongebob could get really gross like the Splinter episode but not super dark as often. But In this one, Spongebob and Mr Krabs poison a man. A FAMILY show. TAWOG- The Rival: Honestly, I really want to see you talk about this show. Gumball is honestly one of the funniest comedic shows on Cartoon Network recently because it is so random and also pretty cynical. In this one, Gumball and Darwin’s baby sister tries to kill them, It’s absolutely insane. Powerpuff Girls- Speed Demon: Everyone thinks Twisted Sister is bad but honestly the “disturbing” ending is kinda funny and there’s not a lot of dark themes or imagery before that point. This one is just depressing. Arthur- Basically Buster becomes a germaphobe. He gets really paranoid and starts seeing germs everywhere. Not as dark as the others, but It’s pretty weird for an Arthur episode.
Three cartoons that would fit perfectly in this Dark Toons series are: Tales of Worm Paranoia - (What A Cartoon!) Invasion of the Bunny Snatchers - (Looney Tunes) Haunted Train - (Hey Arnold!)
My youth theater director told us a story one time about how her mother and her sister (director's aunt) went to see a movie when this was playing in theaters and this was the short that played before the movie. I think they were maybe 8 and 6 at the time. They were so freaked out that when they walked home after the movie (they lived a few blocks away), they linked arms so one was facing forward, the other was facing backwards and they walked home that way.
I second this. Especially considering how the rest of the series do a lot of disturbing and dark jokes, but this episode pretty much plays it all for straight-up horror.
2010 kids got to see this short because it was an unlockable in Epic Mickey. Yeah that's right, there were 2 bonus cartoons you could unlock in the game and watching: Oh What a Knight starring Oswald the Lucky Rabbit, and The Mad Doctor starring Mickey Mouse. Epic Mickey 2 just had The Skeleton Dance.
I remember seeing this as a kid. None of the stuff in the haunted castle bothered me. The only part I remember legit scaring me was at the very beginning when Mickey woke up to find Pluto being dragged away by the doctor because the thought of one of my pets disappearing in the night was very upsetting.
Another piece of trivia-Fun & Fancy Free is the last official time Walt Disney voiced Mickey but he also voiced him for the opening sequence of the '50s Mickey Mouse Club (when he says: "Hi Mouseketeers" and the kids replied "Hi Mickey!" that part).
These probably don’t count as kid friendly cartoons but these are dark. One was the segment “It’s a Good Life” from the Twilight Zone Movie (1983) and the animated episode “The Third Pig” from the show “Tales from the Crypt.”
Definitely not kid friendly--The Twilight Zone Movie is a movie--Doug isn't taking movie suggestions--and that segment is still live action despite most of it revolving around cartoons. "The Third Pig" from Tales from the Crypt was an adult cartoon from an adult show--filled with gore, sex and cursing. It was awesome--but for kids to watch. On the other hand, if you do want a kid friendly yet dark episode from Tales from the Crypt--try "The Sleeping Beauty" from its kid friendly series-- Tales from the Cryptkeeper, in which an arrogant, handsome prince and his twin---not identical brother set off to free the sleeping beauty from her curse. However, she turns out to be a vampire!
