{{short description|1930 animated film}} {{for|the video game|Circus Caper}} {{Use mdy dates|date=October 2020}} {{italic title}} thumb|upright 1.17| The title card of ''Circus Capers'' '''''Circus Capers''''' is a 1930 animated short film made by The Van Beuren Corporation and distributed by Pathé Exchange.<ref name=":0">{{Citation|last=SignOffsGuy|title=Van Beuren Aesop's Fables Cartoon - Circus Capers (1930)|date=July 11, 2013|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZU71qHtAaY8|access-date=June 9, 2018}}</ref> The film, which featured the characters Milton Mouse and Rita,<ref name=":0" /> the main characters in the Aesop shorts made in 1930, is part of the early sound cartoon series entitled ''Aesop's Sound Fables'',<ref name=":0" /> though it is not based on an Aesop fable.
Released on September 28, 1930,<ref>{{Cite book|url=https://play.google.com/books/reader?id=M7vwCQAAQBAJ&printsec=frontcover&pg=GBS.PA286|title=The First Hollywood Sound Shorts, 1926–1931|last=Bradley|first=Edwin M.|date=April 27, 2009|publisher=McFarland|isbn=9781476606842|language=en}}</ref> it was one of the last cartoons to feature Milton and Rita before Van Beuren was sued by Disney to their similarity to Mickey and Minnie Mouse in 1931.<ref name=":1">{{Cite web|url=http://cartoonresearch.com/index.php/animation-anecdotes-232/|title=Animation Anecdotes #232 {{!}}|website=cartoonresearch.com|language=en-US|access-date=June 9, 2018}}</ref><ref>Motion Picture Daily, April 15, 1931</ref> The outcome of the lawsuit was that Van Beuren agreed to no longer use Milton and Rita in his Sound Fables.<ref>{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=uX5RAgAAQBAJ&q=Disney+lawsuit+1931&pg=PA190|title=Broken Toy: A Man's Dream, a Company's Mystery|last=Andrews|first=Craig L.|date=October 31, 2002|publisher=Author House|isbn=9781403303905|language=en}}</ref>
== Plot == thumb|upright 1.17| The marching band The film begins with a circus parade, with a variety of dancing animals, and a trombone band. Once at the circus, the first sideshow is an obese lady in revealing clothing, which excites the crowd as they dash in after her when she goes into the circus hall.
The acts inside the circus are extraordinary, with a horse leaping from a high platform, Milton Mouse commanding a pack of lions, and the circus keeper dancing with a lion. However, in the third act, the circus keeper is kicked off the stage by the lion. Milton laughs at him off-stage, until the circus keeper snarls back at him.
The next act involves Milton as a human cannonball. For retaliation for everyone laughing at him, the circus keeper adds more gunpowder than necessary into Milton's cannon. This makes Milton fly out of the circus hall and into the sky.
The circus keeper then runs off with Milton's girlfriend Rita into a private wagon. However, Milton falls back into the same wagon as theirs, and discovers Rita kissing the circus-keeper. Saddened and shocked, Milton slowly walks out the wagon, before breaking down.
Then Milton sings ''Laugh, Clown, Laugh''. This makes Rita reject the circus keeper and attempt to take back Milton. She is unsuccessful, as Milton rejects her by blowing a raspberry. Milton winks at the camera.<ref name=":0" />
== Reception == ''Circus Capers'' was well received by the cinema magazines at that time.<ref name="mpnews">{{Cite book|url=https://archive.org/details/motionpicturenew42moti|title=Motion Picture News (Oct-Dec 1930)|date=1930|publisher=New York, Motion Picture News, Inc.|others=Media History Digital Library}}</ref><ref name=":3">{{Cite book|url=https://archive.org/details/filmdailyvolume55354newy|title=The Film Daily (Jul-Dec 1930)|last=New York|first=Wid's Films and Film Folks|date=1930|publisher=New York, Wid's Films and Film Folks, Inc.|others=Media History Digital Library}}</ref> ''The'' ''Motion Picture News'' said that the film was "''Enjoyable''" and said that the film will be "fine in any spot where comedy is needed".<ref name=mpnews /> ''The Film Daily'' said that the film was a "''Good Aesop Fable''" and also said that the mix of funny emotions and dramatic stuff "gets the laughs".<ref name=":3" />
==References== {{Reflist}}
== External links == * [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZU71qHtAaY8 ''Circus Capers''] on YouTube * [https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0020767/?ref_=tt_urv ''Circus Capers''] on IMDb
Category:1930 films Category:1930 American animated films Category:1930 animated short films Category:1930 English-language films Category:American animated short films Category:Circus films Category:Comedy films about clowns Category:Animated films about mice Category:Animated films about dogs Category:Pathé Exchange films Category:Aesop's Fables (film series) Category:English-language short films Category:American animated black-and-white films