The Golden Touch (1935) Reviews

"The Golden Touch" still resonates, both as a fable and as this short film, because of the way in which it tackles the problem of being too greedy and placing the wrong emphasis on things in life so head on. It's a pity then that this short film is so ordinary, even with Uncle Walt at the head of it.

None of the songs stick in your mind, there's quite a few clever visual details, and the somber turn the myth must takes is handled effectively. But there's still a nagging feeling of something vital missing from this treatment of the King Midas myth. To paraphrase and take a turn into pun-territory, it is missing the "golden touch" itself. Sorry, I know there was a groan you had to let out there and I don't blame you.

Economic storytelling, usually one of Disney's great trademarks, is absent here by and large. Ten minutes isn't really all that long to tell a story in an animated short, but the story of Midas, while packing a large punch in the morality department, is pretty quick. It would've had a stronger impact if it had been shorter and gotten to the point much quicker. The scene of Midas dancing and singing and taking great joy in his new-found gift goes on for a bit too long.

The ending is also a bit of a problem. Not in that Midas loses everything, that's a nice touch, but that it ends on a joke in which he's happiest eating a hamburger. "The Ugly Duckling" wasn't afraid to give us a more quiet, dramatic ending, and "The Golden Touch" would've been better served with a somber turn of events. There's an impact to this short and it does quite a bit well, but the overall impression is one of missed opportunities and generally unimpressive results.