The defence The Sentimental Softie
“Sincerity is not manipulation.”
The film risks embarrassment to make emotion communal, and that openness is harder than fashionable detachment.
Back to trending 
The Simple Things
Animation · Comedy · 1953
Mickey and Pluto go fishing. Pluto has a run-in with a clam, who eventually lodges in Pluto's mouth; Mickey thinks the clam is Pluto's tongue and can't understand why Pluto keeps begging for more food. After they get rid of the clam, Mickey's attempts to use his minnows as bait are thwarted by a hungry seagull; he brings his friends, and they chase our heroes away.
Movie details
The Simple Things
“Mickey and Pluto go fishing at the beach.”
1953 Animation · Comedy 7m
Critical arithmetic
One number, for now.
Scores change. Arguments endure.
TMDB
6.3 / 10
Community rating
Mickey and Pluto go fishing. Pluto has a run-in with a clam, who eventually lodges in Pluto's mouth; Mickey thinks the clam is Pluto's tongue and can't understand why Pluto keeps begging for more food. After they get rid of the clam, Mickey's attempts to use his minnows as bait are thwarted by a hungry seagull; he brings his friends, and they chase our heroes away.
CriticWise case file
What this film says about your taste.
Not a recommendation score. A measure of how closely the film’s taste signals resemble yours.
The archetype split
Who fights over The Simple Things?
For the defence
The Sentimental Softie
“You came to feel something, and you will.”
Read their case For the prosecution
The Cool Ironist
“Feeling things is a little embarrassing.”
Read their objectionThe split comes from the same five-axis model used by the test, not audience ratings or review sentiment.
Taste neighbourhood
Nearby on the taste map.
TMDB supplies the candidates. CriticWise reorders them by craft, strangeness, prestige, emotion, and pace.
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The princess is to wed the Prince against her wishes. When she refuses, the king locks her in the tower. Minstrel Mickey sees her and rescues her, making a rope from the clothes of lady-in-waiting Clarabell. The king spots them and prepares to chop off Mickey's head until Minnie intercedes. The king calls for a joust. Mickey wins and they live happily ever after.
Gone Fishing
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On Motunui, Maui tries to catch a fish with his magical fishhook, only to be comically foiled by the ocean.
The Big Bad Wolf
Animation · 1934
The Big Bad Wolf torments Little Red Riding Hood and the Three Little Pigs.
Aquamania
Animation · 1961
Mr. X buys a boat and inadvertantly enters the water skiing race. With Junior driving, with no experience, he's a bit out of his league.
Bath Day
Animation · 1946
Minnie gives Figaro a bath and ties a ribbon around his neck. Figaro feels like a sissy, and when he mixes it up with some alley cats, they mock him, and the leader attacks. But Figaro is so afraid that his shaking topples a series of trash cans onto the aggressor. The rest of the cats didn't see this happen, and think Figaro defeated their leader. Of course, now he's all dirty, and he needs another bath.
Super Rhino
Animation · 2009
This short begins with the star canine and his owner Penny in peril from "The Man with the Green Eye", trapped within his fortress protected by overwhelming defenses, tied up and suspended high above a bottomless pit that's surrounded by fire. So Penny's father transforms Rhino into a super hamster to save the day.
Goofy and Wilbur
Animation · 1939
Goofy goes fishing with his best friend, Wilbur, a grasshopper.
Hawaiian Holiday
Animation · 1937
Mickey, Donald, Goofy, and Pluto experience all that Hawaii has to offer. Donald tries hula dancing, Pluto explores the beach and Goofy takes up surfing!
Bird Karma
Animation · 2018
A tale of a long-legged bird's journey of blissful joy, inescapable greed and the accidental discovery of the consequences when too much is not enough.
Where it lives
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Names above the title
The people responsible.
Cast & crew
Directed by
Charles August Nichols
Written by
Bill Berg
James MacDonald
Mickey Mouse (voice)
Pinto Colvig
Pluto (voice)
Court is in session
Put The Simple Things on trial.
Two incompatible taste archetypes. One film. Read the arguments, then issue a completely binding cultural ruling.
The prosecution The Cool Ironist
“The strings are showing.”
Every cue tells you exactly what to feel and when, leaving sentiment to do the work character should have done.