The Hot Chocolate Soldiers is an animated segment of MGM's feature film Hollywood Party, which was released on June 1, 1934. The segment was introduced by Mickey Mouse, who harassed Jimmy Durante in the film and plays the piano.
Synopsis
The short starts with a group of male confectionery chocolate soldiers marching in a parade as they leave town to fight in the war, specifically in the Battle of Vanilla against the cookie kingdom. The chocolate ladies stay home and send their goodbyes to the soldiers, wishing them good luck in their fight. As they leave the town, their weaponry and resources are shown to the viewers.
As the chocolate soldiers were about to arrive at Pastry Land, a cookie guard quickly spots them and flees towards his castle, alarming his kingdom, shutting down the cookie castle, and preparing themselves for the upcoming war. The choc-late soldiers shortly arrive, throwing everything they got at the cookie kingdom, the cookie fortress enduring their attacks, being quickly followed by the chocolate soldiers trying to enter the kingdom by force through breaking the main entrance by using candy canes as logs and ladders, albeit with little to no sucess, with the log cane breaking and the ladder cane being sabotaged.
Seeing that their efforts weren't enough, the chocolate soldiers pretend to retire and give them a peaceful "chocolate dove" as a parting "gift". Joyfully, the cookie soldiers allow the dove to enter their town and drop their weapons behind as they get close to the dove, only for the dove to crack with numerous chocolate soldiers inside and well armed, catching the cookie soldiers off guard and being arrested.
The wounded chocolate soldiers return triumphantly to their hometown, hailed as heroes by the chocolate ladies and dragging the defeated cookie soldiers as their prisoners. The short ends with the flaming sun melting the wounded chocolate soldiers just as they were about to enter their base to rest.
Trivia
- One of the primary animators of this short was Ben Sharpsteen, who would be promoted to director not long after making this short and make the Silly Symphony, The Cookie Carnival similar in style to this work.
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