The Four Musicians of Bremen (1922)

by Linda Kay

Directed by: Walt Disney

Synopsis: A donkey, a rooster, a dog and a cat set out to make their way in the world as musicians in this early Laugh-o-grams animated short which has next to nothing to do with the original story.

Cartoon Cat: As the short begins the musicians are being run out of town, presumably for playing so badly. People are throwing objects after them but only the cat, who is bringing up the rear, is getting hit.

The Four Musicians of Bremen - donkey, dog, rooster and black cartoon cat running away from thrown objects

After stopping by a body of water the group cries. The cat paces (a bit of foreshadowing of Felix the cat’s movements?) trying to think of some way to solve the group’s hunger pangs, depicted as a devil poking the cat with a pitchfork.

The Four Musicians of Bremen - donkey, dog, rooster sitting by lake with black cartoon cat being poked by hunger pangs

The cat tells the others to play music and when the fish start to dance one even comes up out of the water. The cat tries to hit him with a board but misses every time.

The Four Musicians of Bremen - black cartoon cat holding board behind rock and licking lips

The Four Musicians of Bremen - black cartoon cat watching fish dancing

Next the cat dives into the water and chases the fish but is then chased by a swordfish.

The Four Musicians of Bremen - black cartoon cat swimming after fish

The Four Musicians of Bremen - black cartoon cat chased by swordfish

The swordfish follows the cat out of the water and chases the group into a tree trunk.

The Four Musicians of Bremen - swordfish chasing donkey, dog, rooster and black cartoon cat

The Four Musicians of Bremen - black cartoon cat jumping from tree trunk

After escaping the trunk, the group climbs into a tree beside a cliff, but the swordfish simply saws it down.

The Four Musicians of Bremen - donkey, dog, rooster and black cartoon cat laughing while sitting in tree

The group plummets into a house where they displace a group of soldiers who then start bombarding them with cannonballs.

The Four Musicians of Bremen - donkey, dog, rooster and black cartoon cat falling off cliff

The Four Musicians of Bremen - donkey, dog, rooster and black cartoon cat in house being hit by cannonballs

The cat climbs to the roof and removes his tail (another bit of Felix foreshadowing!) and uses it to hit the cannonballs back.

The Four Musicians of Bremen - black cartoon cat on roof ducking under flying cannonball

The Four Musicians of Bremen - black cartoon cat hitting cannonball with his tail

As one of the projectiles passes the cat jumps aboard and goes for a wild ride, crashing through numerous trees and telephone poles.

The Four Musicians of Bremen - black cartoon cat riding on cannonball

The Four Musicians of Bremen - black cartoon cat crashing through telephone pole while riding cannonball

Turning the cannonball around the cat clubs the soldiers and is able to subdue them.

The Four Musicians of Bremen - black cartoon cat riding on cannonball while hitting soldiers

Jumping off the cannonball, the cat falls while his friends try to catch him in a blanket. But it rips and the cat’s nine lives start to float out of the hole, save but the last one which the dog pushes back down into the hole, saving the cat’s final life.