The Milky Way (1940)

Directed by: Rudolf Ising

Cat Out of the Bag Alert! This review contains some spoilers for this film!

Synopsis: Three little kittens are punished for losing their mittens and decide to travel to the Milky Way in search of milk.

Cartoon Cats: The cartoon begins with the three little kittens coming home to break the news to their mother that they have lost their mittens.

The Milky Way - three little kittens lost their mittens

The mama cat is angry and sends the kittens to bed with no milk for dinner.

While in their room, the kittens see the Milky Way from their window and one of them comes up with the idea to use a basket and some balloons to get there.

The Milky Way - three little kittens in room by window

The kittens sail up into the sky, passing many familiar celestial bodies.

The Milky Way - three little kittens flying through universe in a basket and balloons

Finally the kittens arrive at the Milky Way where they are thrilled to see rivers of milk and cream as far as the eye can see.

The Milky Way - three little kittens in balloon basket reach the Milky Way

The Milky Way - three little kittens in a basket beneath balloons

The kittens indulge in many milk-oriented items, including milk from milkweeds and milk dispensed like gasoline from a service station.

The Milky Way - kitten squirting milk from milk weed into a bucket

The Milky Way - three little kittens running to milk station

It’s when one of the kittens drinks from milk from a baby bottle called Old Faithful that trouble begins. The kitten’s tummy rumbles and then sends the kitten flying into his siblings, breaking a bread wall.

The Milky Way - kitten drinking milk from Old Faithful milk bottle

The Milky Way - three little kittens in buttermilk river with breaking bread dam

The kittens fall into a butter churn and are turned out onto a river of buttermilk.

The Milky Way - kitten stuck in butter cube floating down buttermilk river

Eventually the kittens find themselves hanging on to the edge of the Milky Way with a long way to fall to Earth.

The Milky Way - kittens dangling from Milky Way a long way above Earth

The kittens awake from their daydreams to find themselves still in their room.

The Milky Way - three little kittens dangling from bunk beds

Mama cat comes up to tell them they can have supper. The kittens are thrilled until they get downstairs and see milk on the table. The three of them collapse.