THE MOUSE ON THE MAYFLOWER (1968)

THANKSGIVING IS ALMOST HERE! ONE OF THE GREATEST HOLIDAYS OF THE YEAR! In the midst of the travails that inevitably complicate our lives it’s a great time for taking stock of the positives that we can find.  

THE MOUSE ON THE MAYFLOWER (1968) – This is an enjoyable cartoon which could have been much better with just a little more effort. Vintage country western star Tennessee Ernie Ford narrates and supplies the voice of the title character – a Puritan mouse named Willum – who stows away on the Mayflower during its trip from England to America. 

After arriving in the New World and enduring various hardships, the little rodent also gets to participate in the first Thanksgiving celebration with a Native American mouse as they watch their human counterparts mark the event.

If you have children around the household the antics of the animated mice are the highlight of this forgotten television special which you can watch as a harmless piece of entertainment for the occasion. Unfortunately, the rest of The Mouse on the Mayflower may lose their attention as it focuses on the human drama.

BALLADEER’S BLOG

This cartoon special has really grown on me over the years. Part of the reason is the needless rush each year to leap straight from Halloween to Christmas preparations. Thanksgiving – and rare treats like this animated production – provide a bit of sedate reflection before the frenzied sprint to Christmas and New Year’s Day festivities. 

At any rate, The Mouse on the Mayflower, which could and should have been an enduring holiday classic, has a pace that some viewers find horrendously boring, so use your own judgment regarding whether or not any children in your life will even sit through it. If the tale had been set in a half-hour timeslot instead of an hour it might have been more watchable for younger attention spans. 

As it is it’s one of the few options out there if you’re desperate for a Thanksgiving cartoon to match the Grinch and all the other Christmas cartoons.

ON THE OTHER HAND, FOR SOME GOLDEN TURKEYS FOR THANKSGIVING CLICK HERE.