Introduction
What would happen if the heroes of the Harvey Comics universe meet their equivalents in the Disney universe? That is the goal of this article. Also, the Harvey Comic character deserves to meet the most famous equivalent character.
1) Archibald the Talking Wishing Well vs. Pinocchio
As I stated in Harvey Comics vs. DC article, I have a soft spot for objects with sentience and even wrote a book on the subject called Household Fables. Archibald the Talking Wishing Well is a sentient magical object and deserves to fight another sentient magical object. Hot Stuff’s trident is also sentient and capable of doing magic.
Disney is filled with objects that possess sentience. The question is if they must masquerade i.e. hide true sentient and in many cases animate nature. The following Disney films have sentient objects: Aladdin (Magic Carpet), Beauty and the Beast (Lumière, Cogsworth, Mrs. Potts, The Wardrobe), Cars, Toy Story (Aliens, Baby Face, Barbie, Barrel of Monkeys, Big Baby, Bo Peep, Bookworm, Bullseye, Buttercup, Buzz Lightyear, Chatter Telephone, Chuckles, Chunk, Combat Carl, Cymbal-banging monkey, Dolly, Ducky, Etch, Evil Emperor Zurg, Hamm, Hand-in-the-Box, Hannah’s dolls, Hockey Puck, Jack-in-the-Box, Janie and Pterodactyl, Jessie, Jingle Joe, Ken, Legs, Lenny, Lots-O’-Huggin’ Bear, Mr. Mike, Mr. Potato Head, Mr. Pricklepants, Mr. Shark, Mr. Spell, Mrs. Potato Head, Peas-in-a-Pod, RC, Rex, Rock ‘Em Sock ‘Em Robots, Rockmobile, Rocky Gibraltar, Roller Bob, Roly Poly Clown, Sarge, Slinky Dog, Snake and Robot, Sparks, Stinky Pete the Prospector, Stretch, The Frog, Toddle Tots, Totoro, Tour Guide Barbie, Trixie, Troikas, Troll, Twitch, Utility Belt Buzz, Walking Car, Wheezy, and Woody), Fantasia (Mickey the Sorcerer’s Apprentice animates brooms), and The Sword in the Stone (Merlin’s furniture).
Still the all time classic story of an object coming to life not only in the Disney universe but in world literature has to be Pinocchio. The book is a classic but how people visualize Pinocchio is totally from the Disney movie Pinocchio.
Pinocchio is desperately looking for magical allies throughout the multiverse to fight Geppetto, who had become evil. Pinocchio visits Archibald the Talking Wishing Well for advise since Wishing Wells are kind of the gossip queens of their particular magical universe. Listening to wishes all day long ends up being a lot of intel! Archibald is very honest with Pinocchio and points out the inhabitants of the Harvey universe would make poor soldiers. Later that night, Archibald wishes upon a star every night for humanity or death until he is delivered from his condition by the Haunted Tank years later.
2) Baby Huey vs. Donald Duck
I deal with the subject of anthropomorphic animals in more detail at:
http://foxhugh.com/2009/06/10/Disney-vs-marvel-funny-animals/
Disney is arguably the home of the most and greatest cartoon anthropomorphic animals. However, the most famous duck of Duckburg and Disney is Donald Duck! Donald Duck hasn’t had to deal with a baby for awhile but has extensive experience with children. Donald has three nephews, Huey, Dewy and Louie, that he has had many adventures with them. Baby Huey’s town Duckville borders Duckburg. Baby Duck gets lost during a school field trip to Duckburg. Donald Duck sees Baby Huey crying on a park bench and tries to comfort Baby Huey. Baby Huey gives Donald Duck a hug which knocks him out. No one in Duckburg has this sort of strength and Donald gets Baby Huey a job as a body guard to Scrooge McDuck.
3) Casper vs. Blackbeard’s Ghost
Casper loves his new friend from the Marvel Universe, Homer the Ghost, but misses getting rides with his horse, Nightmare. Casper is a novice at interdimensional travel which for a ghost involves changing the vibrational frequency of the ghost’s spectral body. Casper ends up in the Disney universe not the DC Universe. The Disney universe has many less ghosts than the Harvey universe. Ghosts even have a town, Spooky Town, in the Harvey universe! Casper is in a panic! There are no ghosts in this new universe. A bearded ghost comes towards Casper.
Blackbeard bellowed, drunkenly, “Avast ye matey! I be Blackbeard. I thought I had met all the ghosts in the great spectral vastness.”
“Sir, I think I am lost”, responded Casper.
“Hmmmm, I have been cursed to wander as an unquiet spirit until I perform a good deed and I think helping a lad like yourself would be a good deed indeed!”, responded Blackbeard.
Blackbeard actually knows less than Casper about how to use his ghostly powers. Casper reflected that he had actually learned a lot from the Ghostly Trio. Casper was polite and pretended to take Blackbeard’s advice but realized on his own was that if he reversed the vibrational process then he should return home and it worked.
4) Hot Stuff the Little Devil vs. Chernobog
Disney is the “G” rated part of the toon universe and not surprisingly stays away from the very touchy subject of devils and demons. Chernobog is Disney’s most famous and arguably only demonic character. Hot Stuff notices a disturbance in the very firmament of hell. When he gets to near the disturbance, Hot Stuff finds himself thrown out of a volcano surrounded by other demons, ghosts and witches. There is this eerie music playing in the background. Hot Stuff is very scared. The music stops and Chernobog returns all the beings he used like so much confetti, at a party, back to their respective realms.
5) Nightmare the Galloping Ghost (Casper’s horse) vs. Pegasus (horse of Hercules)
Horses are a constant part of the background of Disney cartoons but very few have names and include: Achilles (The Hunchback of Notre Dame) Bullseye (Toy Story 2), Captain (One Hundred and One Dalmatians), Cyril Proudbottom (The Adventures of Ichabod and Mr.Toad) , Khan (Mulan), Maximus (Tangled), Pegasus (Hercules), Phillipe (Beauty and the Beast), Philip (The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe), Samson (Sleeping Beauty) and Sprout (The Parent Trap, 1998). While many of the horses listed are brave, especially Achilles and Khan, only one has the power of flight like Nightmare and that is Pegasus.
Nightmare is distressed. There was yet another Phantom Zone disturbance, Nightmare wishes Superman would fix that problem once and for all, and she is flying around a cartoon universe that is familiar yet unfamiliar. Her love, Comet, is nowhere to be found. Pegasus has been the only horse in the skies forever. Pegasus sees Nightmare and says hello in horsey (neeigh). The two play hide and seek in the clouds. Nightmare is not as smart as Comet but smarter than Pegasus and soon becomes bored. Pegasus does not even have rudimentary telepathy and zero language skills beyond a whinny. When a rift to the DC universe opens, Nightmare is gone.
6) Richie Rich vs. Scrooge McDuck
Cai Shen, the Chinese God of Wealth, will give a silver version of his golden rod. The golden rod turns iron into gold. The silver rod turns iron into silver. The silver rod will be given to a person of great wealth that is worthy. Cai Shen visits Richie Rich in the Harvey universe in the guise of a beggar. Richie Rich is the wealthiest being of the Harvey Universe and thus warrants a visit by Cai Shen. Richie Rich showers the beggar with attention and food. Cai Shen is impressed until he is taken to the mansion of Richie Rich.
“There is too much conspicuous consumption. A tree fort made of money is an unworthy act”, reflects Cai Shen. Cai Shen thanks Richie and quietly slips away.
Cai Shen then visits the Disney universe and attempts the same beggar ploy on Scrooge McDuck looks at the shoes of Cai Shen and realizes the shoes are incredibly expensive and at oods with the overall dress and appearance of the beggar.
“It’s the old eccentric millionaire pretending to be a beggar scam”, thinks Scrooge McDuck. Scrooge McDuck has pretended to be a beggar himself once or twice over the years. Scrooge McDuck plays the game perfectly. Cai Shen is fed and feted and all displays of conspicuous consumption are wisely avoided. Cai Shen transforms into his real form. Scrooge McDuck immediately recognizes Cai Shen. Scrooge McDuck is an avid collector of Chinese antiques.
“Oh boy, oh boy, oh boy, this is the big time”, thinks Scrooge McDuck.
Cai Shen gives Scrooge McDuck the silver rod. Within a week Scrooge McDuck has accidentally turned Donald Duck into silver while trying to extend the powers of the silver rod by combining them with the good luck power of his number one dime and has no idea how to undo the spell or how to contact Cai Shen. Huey, Dewey and Louie find a Chinese spell book and read the counter spell, they go to a fine boarding school in Australia. Uncle Scrooge and Donald Duck’s nephews will have to go on a quest to find the ingredients for the counter spell. This was the plan by Cai Shen to teach Scrooge McDuck humility from the beginning!
7) Sad Sack vs. Sarge, Commander of the Green Army Men
I have written about comic book war heroes before at:
http://foxhugh.com/2009/03/21/Disney-vs-marvel-war-heroes/
Disney is filled with mythic warriors like Hercules and Mulan but stays away from the drab, bloody, muddy, all too real, terrible wars of the Twentieth Century. However, there is one commanding officer that would feel at home in the modern battle field and that is Sarge who has the honor of commanding the Green Army Men of Toy Story. Sad Sack has escaped the endless jokes of Sgt. Fury in the Marvel universe and finds himself in the Toy Story universe. Sad Sack feels at home for the first time in his life. The endless drills of the Green Army Men against a none existent army are strangely soothing. Sad Sack saw real war in the DC and Marvel universes and likes the fake war of the Disney part of the multiverse. Sarge likes Sad Sack and soon promotes him to the rank of corporal.
8) Stumbo the Giant vs. Willie the Giant
What giants at Disney would be a good match for Stumbo? Hercules, the movie, has quite a few titans who are large and of giant proportions but far more powerful than any giant. Gustav the Giant is a Stumbo type giant but was a one-shot in a Disney short with Mickey as a tailor here, but Gustav was not very memorable mostly because the cartoon he was in was not very good. Mickey was the hero against a second giant in Willie the Giant in Mickey and the Beanstalk. Willie made further appearances in Mickey’s Christmas Carol, Who Framed Roger Rabbit, Mickey Mouse Clubhouse, Disney Parks, and Once Upon a Time. Stumbo buys some beans from a shady visitor to Tiny Town. The beans sprout and Stumbo quickly climbs the bean stalk to the palace of Willie the Giant.
Willie is not just a giant but has any number of magical powers including flight, invisibility, and metamorphosis. Stumbo is probably smarter than Willie but only marginally. Willie is quite sure Stumbo is in his palace to steal his magic harp and deals with Stumbo decisively and brutally. Stumbo’s limp body is thrown from the sky to the earth but Stumbo does not die since no one dies in this type of Disney cartoon or any Harvey cartoon.
9) Wendy the Good Little Witch vs. Witch (Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs)
Witches in the Disney universe include: Circe (Hercules) , Maleficent (Sleeping Beauty), Martha Wentworth ( The Sword in the Stone), The Witch (Brave), White Witch (The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe), Miss Eglantine Price, The Sanderson Sisters, and Witch Hazel. However, when you think Disney witches the classic is the Queen turned witch in Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs. Perhaps it’s the transformation from a great beauty to a terrible hag is what titillates our imagination.
The witch offers Wendy a poisoned apple. Wendy would never eat an apple from a witch in her universe but in her universe witches have a green complexion. Wendy figures the person in front of her is just and old lady. Wendy eats the apple and dies.
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Harvey Comics vs. Marvel Comics
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