Don Donald
| Don Donald | |
|---|---|
 Theatrical release poster | |
| Directed by | Ben Sharpsteen |
| Produced by | Walt Disney |
| Animation by | Al Eugster Fred Spencer |
Production company | |
| Distributed by | United Artists (Mickey Mouse, 1937) and Buena Vista Distribution (Donald Duck, 1973) |
Running time | 8 minutes |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
Don Donald is a 1937 American animated short film produced by Walt Disney Productions and released by United Artists. The cartoon follows Donald Duck attempting to woo a female Mexican duck named Donna. It was directed by Ben Sharpsteen and features music by Paul J. Smith which was adapted from the Mexican folk songs "Cielito Lindo" and "Jarabe Tapatío." Clarence Nash voiced both Donald and Donna.[1]
Although billed at the time as another Mickey Mouse cartoon, explaining the face of Mickey Mouse at the beginning, the film is actually the first installment of the Donald Duck series, and is the first to feature Donald as the primary starring character.[2] The film also introduces a love interest for Donald.
Plot
Donald Duck rides his donkey through the Mexican desert playing a guitar and wearing a sombrero on his way to see his girlfriend, Donna Duck. After briefly flirting with Donald, Donna dances the Mexican Hat Dance and eventually lands on Donald's donkey who throws her off his back. Donald laughs at this which angers Donna. She slaps Donald and after a brief bout of temper tantrum posturing, declares hatred on him, knocks him into a fountain, breaks his guitar over his head and storms back inside the house.
Back outside, the donkey makes fun of Donald's misfortune which makes him mad and he called his donkey a jackass. So Donald decides to exchange the donkey for a new car at a trading post (the donkey was responsible for Donald's situation).
Meanwhile back inside the house Donna is destroying a portrait of her and Donald. But then she hears a car horn, and upon seeing Donald's new car, she is immediately won back. She lands in the rumble seat and gives Donald a big kiss. Together they speed off through the desert, but eventually the car has engine problems and stops working. Donald confidently tries to fix the problem (even trying to literally choke it), but the car overreacts and throws Donald out of the car and speeds off without him. The rumble seat closes on Donna and she is trapped inside. Donald chases after the car but is run over twice. Finally the car smashes into a rock and breaks apart throwing Donna out of the rumble seat, cross a waterhole and into a mud puddle. Once again, Donald laughs at this and Donna attacks him in retaliation with the car's horn and then rides off on her unicycle which she had conveniently carried with her in her purse.
Donald is left alone in the desert with the donkey who had escaped from the trading post. Frustrated at his new car, Donald throws the horn at it, but the radiator explodes and the hot water lands on his sombrero shrinking it. The donkey laughs hysterically.
Donna Duck
It is unclear if Donna Duck simply represents an earlier version of Daisy Duck or is a separate character entirely. Donna is officially recognized as Daisy by the Internet Movie Database[3] and the Big Cartoon DataBase.[4] However Donna was later retconned in a 1951 Disney comic strip as Daisy's rival.[citation needed]
Donna made several other appearances in the British magazine Mickey Mouse Weekly.[5] Donna did not appear in any other films.
Releases[6]
- 9 January 1937 – original release (theatrical)
- 1984 – "Cartoon Classics: Donald Duck's First 50 Years" (VHS)
- 13 November 1984 – Donald Duck's 50th Birthday (TV)
- 1987 – "Cartoon Classics: Starring Donald and Daisy" (VHS)
- 1993 – The Adventures of Mickey and Donald, Episode 26 (TV)
- 13 October 1997 – Ink & Paint Club, Episode 4 "Disney Firsts" (TV)[7]
- 18 May 2004 – "The Chronological Donald Volume One" (DVD)
- 11 January 2005 – "Classic Cartoon Favorites: Starring Donald" (DVD)
References
- ^ Don Donald at IMDb
- ^ Donald had appeared previously in 14 films as a co-star.
- ^ Daisy Duck at the Internet Movie Database
- ^ Don Donald at the Big Cartoon DataBase
- ^ Daisy's First Incarnation as Donna in Mickey Mouse Weekly on Disneyville.
- ^ Don Donald at The Encyclopedia of Disney Animated Shorts
- ^ Movie connections for "Ink & Paint Club" at the Internet Movie Database
External links
- Don Donald at IMDb