Original release date: March 22, 1935

Rating: TV-Y7 and “It may contain outdated cultural depictions.”

Length: ten golden minutes

Background: “The Golden Touch” is a Disney Silly Symphony take on the story of King Midas.

There’s a bit of a backstory to this one. Walt Disney himself decided to direct this one, having not directed in five years and unhappy with the job other directors were doing. He was disappointed with the result of his own performance here and told his workers they couldn’t talk about it.

Well Walt, here we are talking about it. Sorry, boss.

Review:

We start with King Midas and his cat counting money and singing. Midas sings a song about being rich, his disinterest in women and wine, and his love of money. He does not sing about his creepy mustache.

Goldie the elf appears, offering Midas the golden touch, demonstrating it by turning the cat gold and back. Midas offers his kingdom, gold, and everything else for the golden touch. Goldie offers the rebuttal of the golden touch being a curse and the root of all evil. Midas isn’t listening, of course, and is given the golden touch.

Midas attempts to display the powers of the touch on his cat, running into a tree in the process and turning a tree, apples, and flowers gold in the process. He continues through the kingdom making things gold, like a birdbath, a fountain, and even one of his teeth.

He finds out what a curse this is as he sits down to eat, with first his fruit and then corn, his drink, and a turkey all turning gold. He can’t eat!

Midas goes mad, seeing a gold skeleton of himself and locking himself in his counting room. He begs for Goldie to reappear and rescue him from his golden curse. Goldie comes back and laughs at him, taking all of his gold, his royal outfit, and leaving him with a plain ol’ burger with onions.

I noticed no cultural depictions.

Extras:

Not a one.

Should you watch it?

I could go either way, but let’s say “watch it.” It’s a good cautionary tale and isn’t as bad as Walt himself apparently thought it was.