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Horace Horsecollar

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Horace Horsecollar
File:HoraceHorsecollar.jpg
First appearanceThe Plow Boy (1929)
Created byUb Iwerks
Walt Disney
Voiced byWalt Disney (1930)
Billy Bletcher (1933)
Bill Farmer (1990–present)
SpeciesHorse
GenderMale
RelativesPa Paardepoot (father)

Horace Horsecollar is a cartoon character created in 1929 by Ub Iwerks and Walt Disney. Horace is a tall anthropomorphic black horse and is one of Mickey Mouse's friends. Characterized as a cheerful know-it-all, Horace helped Mickey on his sleuthing expeditions in the comics before Goofy assumed that role. Horace most commonly appears as a funny animal, although a common gag in his early appearances was his ability to change at will from being a regular horse to a more human-like character.

Horace first appeared as Mickey's plow horse in the cartoon The Plow Boy in 1929.[1] Later that same year, he appeared in The Jazz Fool, and afterwards he became a regular member of the Disney supporting cast, along with Clarabelle Cow, Clara Cluck, and other minor characters. In recent years, Horace has appeared in Mickey Mouse Works and Disney's House of Mouse.

In animation

He appeared frequently from 1930 to 1932 and less frequently afterward, making his final classic-era bow in 1942.[2] The name of Horace's voice actor in the original incarnation is unknown.[2]

Horace's biggest role was in Camping Out in 1934, where he was the star of the cartoon.

In his earliest incarnation, Horace was presented as Mickey Mouse's four-legged plow horse. He could walk upright on his hind legs, at which time his forelegs became gloved hands; at other times, he got back down on all fours and reverted to form. Horace mostly played bit-parts in the approximately 30 cartoon shorts in which he appeared. Like Goofy in his early Dippy Dawg appearances, Horace's body seemed to be formed of rubber tubing. He and Clarabelle Cow had an uncanny ability to change from somewhat normal farmyard animals into anthropomorphized beings as necessary.

As with most Disney characters, he was given small cameos in Mickey's Christmas Carol (1983) and Who Framed Roger Rabbit (1988). He had a bigger role as the Prince's (Mickey's royal double) stone-faced tutor in the The Prince and the Pauper (1990).

In his latter-day animated appearances, his voice is provided by Bill Farmer (who also voices Goofy and Pluto). In the series House of Mouse, Horace plays a small role in some episodes as the club's technician, playing episodes of cartoons for the audiences and generally running the machinery.

After departing the Disney studio in 1930, Ub Iwerks created a Horace-like character, the mule Orace, for his own studio; the name simply dropped the 'H' from Horace.

In the 1990s, Horace was intended to star in a new TV series to be created for The Disney Afternoon, titled Maximum Horsepower, intended to explain his disappearance from the shorts after the 1930s ended. The concept would be that, in 1939, Horace had gotten tired of playing bit parts and, after learning Mickey was starring in Fantasia, was going to demand Walt to give him a starring role in that movie as well. On his way to Walt's office, though, he gets abducted by aliens who bring him halfway across the galaxy because they are in desperate need of the hero that they believe Horace is, despite his dreams of returning to Earth and resuming his acting career. Maximum Horsepower, however, never came to be.[3]

Classic cartoon appearances

With Clarabelle Cow

  1. The Plow Boy (1929)
  2. The Barnyard Concert (1930)
  3. The Shindig (1930)
  4. The Birthday Party (1931)
  5. Blue Rhyth (1931)
  6. The Barnyard Broadcast (1931)
  7. The Beach Party (1931)
  8. Barnyard Olympics (1932)
  9. Mickey's Revue (1932)
  10. The Whoopee Party (1932)
  11. Touchdown Mickey (1932)
  12. Mickey's Mellerdrammer (1933)
  13. Mickey's Gala Premiere (1933)
  14. Camping Out (1934)
  15. Orphan's Benefit (1934)
  16. The Band Concert (1935)
  17. On Ice (1935)
  18. Mickey's Grand Opera (1936)
  19. Orphan's Benefit (remake, 1941)
  20. Mickey's Birthday Party (1942)
  21. Symphony Hour (1942)
  22. Mickey's Christmas Carol (1983)
  23. Who Framed Roger Rabbit (1988)
  24. The Prince and the Pauper (1990)
  25. Get a Horse! (2013)

Without Clarabelle Cow

  1. The Jazz Fool (1929)
  2. The Cactus Kid (1930)
  3. The Fire Fighters (1930)
  4. Pioneer Days (1930)
  5. The Fox Hunt (1938)
  6. All Together (1942)

In comics

Horace has seldom been more than a supporting character, though he has starred in numerous European comic book stories of his own. In these, he plays a much bigger role than elsewhere, accompanying Mickey on his adventures or acting as Clarabelle Cow's paramour and fiance. Clarabelle and Horace were engaged in the comics according to some 1931 and 1932 continuities, but neither ever followed through.

Some modern European-made stories with Horace as star character were published in the United States by Gemstone from 2003–2008, including

  • "King of the Bungaloos" (Walt Disney's Comics and Stories 635, 2003)
  • "World's Greatest Horace" (WDC&S 641, 2004)
  • "Horace's Secret Helper" (Mickey Mouse 266, 2004)
  • "Horace's Travails" (MM 268, 2004)
  • "Driving Clarabelle Buggy" (WDC&S 651, 2004)
  • "All Aboard the Blunder Bus" (WDC&S 652, 2005)
  • "Blockheads" (WDC&S 656, 2005)
  • "High Horace" (WDC&S 692, 2008)
  • "'Tis Better to Give Than to Deceive" (Christmas Parade 5, 2008)

Though produced in Denmark, these Horace stories were written by Americans: Stefan Petrucha, Sarah Kinney, and Don Markstein. Horace is also a very common co-star in modern Mickey comics by these writers.

In video games

Horace made a cameo appearance in the Timeless River world of Kingdom Hearts II with many other classic Disney characters like Clarabelle Cow and Clara Cluck as one of the world's citizens and also makes an appearance as a resident of Disney Town in Kingdom Hearts Birth by Sleep. He also appeared in Mickey's Ultimate Challenge and Land of Illusion.

Horace is also a playable character in Disney TH!NK Fast.

Horace Horsecollar also appears in Epic Mickey and Epic Mickey 2: The Power of Two, having become a Private Investigator in Wasteland after having arrived down there. He gives Mickey a number of quests in each game, some of which involved advancing his relationship with Clarabelle.

In 2016, Horace made an appearance along with Clarabelle Cow in Disney Crossy Road as an unlockable playable character under the Mickey and Friends theme.

Horace in the Disney Theme Parks

From September 2006 to September 2008, Horace Horsecollar and Clarabelle Cow appeared together for meet-and-greets in Town Square at the Magic Kingdom in Walt Disney World. Also, they were in the Main Street Family Fun Day Parade. Since Family Fun Day's ending, the two haven't been easy to see outside "Mickey's Boo-to-You Halloween Parade", "Mickey's Once Upon a Christmastime Parade" and the occasional special event.

Horace and Clarabelle come out for meet-and-greets and appear in parades and shows on a regular basis at Tokyo Disneyland as well.

Horace Horsecollar made his meet-and-greet debut at Disneyland In Anaheim with Clarabelle Cow as part of Character Fan Days Weekend.

References

  1. ^ Patrick A. Malone: The Plow Boy. The Encyclopedia of Disney Animated Shorts. Retrieved on September 2, 2007.
  2. ^ a b Horace Horsecollar at Don Markstein's Toonopedia. Retrieved on September 2, 2007. Archived from the original on February 5, 2016.
  3. ^ Jim Hill's Blog: The Disney Afternoon Shows You Didn't Get to See. Retrieved on January 11, 2009.
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