Classic Disney short teaming Mickey Mouse, Donald Duck, and Goofy. Here they are working on their tugboat when they receive an SOS call and rush to help. As you might imagine, things never go smoothly when Goofy and Donald are involved. Repeats some gags from earlier shorts with these three but it's still fun. As was usually the case with Disney from this era, the animation is gorgeous; nicely drawn with exciting action and beautiful colors. Great voice work from Clarence Nash, Pinto Colvig, and Walt Disney. It's a fun cartoon but not one that will likely make the highlight reel for these characters. You can't go wrong with classic Disney, though, so definitely give it a look.

Two years following their prior high seas adventure in "Boat Builders", Mickey, Donald and Goofy team up once again in a similar tale, this time aboard a ship, and roused to action when they hear a distressing S.O.S. from the Steamship Gigantic, about to flounder on a dangerous Rocky Reef. Goofy has to contend with an uncooperative coal furnace door, while Donald Duck has a bit of trouble getting in gear himself. Finally breaking free of the harbor, the trio come to realize that the S.O.S. broadcast they heard could just as well have been intended for themselves, as the intrepid sailors wind up in the drink. Excellent animation and vibrant color highlight this quick seven minute film, and Disney fans should find themselves well pleased.

This is one of the Disney cartoons I first watched and grew up with. I thought it was wildly entertaining and chaotically fun as we see Mickey, Donald and Goofy try to get their tugboat in order so they could go and see an allegedly singing ship. Obviously, nothing goes accordingly to plan as Mickey has troubles with a seagull, Goofy tries to get coal in the steamer and Donald grapples with the engine.The animation is vibrant and has some very excellent sequences, including the scenes where the tugboat is racing across the sea. When I was a kid, I felt a little sorry for the three characters as their boat ***spoiler ahead*** blows up and never makes it to their destination. It wasn't until years later that the supposedly SOS call was just a radio station broadcasting an episode of a fictional show, so, that would be feel better about the story's outcome. ***spoiler ends *** It's great fun seeing the three characters together.Grade A

A significant portion of this animated short shows Goofy trying to load up some coal to be burned in order to get Mickey's tugboat moving. Meanwhile, Donald struggles with a piece of machinery and Mickey stands around until the boat gets moving. Wow...the comic genius involved is downright mind-blowing!I know I'm being a bit of a downer, but it is disappointing that Mickey and his gang were always trying to cull laughter from idiocy instead of cleverness. "Tugboat Mickey" continued to employ that strategy. It used broad, uninvolving humor and the "surprise" ending was obvious from the get-go. 1/10