June 3, 1949 – The Donald Duck Short Winter Storage is Released to Theaters
“Oh boy, oh boy! I finally got them!”
On June 3, 1949, the Donald Duck short film Winter Storage was released to theaters. It features Chip and Dale as Donald’s adversaries, their third short with Donald. It was directed by Jack Hannah, with the story by Bill Berg and Nick George, and music by Oliver Wallace. It featured Clarence Nash as the voice of Donald, and James MacDonald as the voices of Chip and Dale.
It’s autumn in the woods, and Chip is busy, storing nuts in a giant oak tree for the approaching winter. According to his calendar, it’s October 7th, and he hasn’t gotten very far with his collection. He passes by a matchbox in the tree that seems to be snoring, and opens it to find Dale fast asleep. Chip kicks the matchbox out onto the main branch, and Dale quickly sets to work picking the acorns from the tree. As Chip collects, he is suddenly thrown off stride by an acorn cap hitting his head.
Donald with his bag of acorns to plant in the area
Chip storms out to ask Dale where the acorn went, and Dale points to the tree – every acorn is gone, save for their caps. Chip grabs Dale and pulls him to the calendar, explaining that they have to collect enough food before December 1st, otherwise it will be an awful winter. He then begins to pace, wondering what they’re going to do about their food problem. The pair hears a strange sound outside, and rush out to see Donald standing near their tree, holding a map marking an area that needs to be seeded. With him is a giant bag of acorns used for planting.
The pair becomes excited, and they rush down the tree, digging up the acorns Donald has planted, intending to them back to their food pile. Dale, being a bit slow-witted, decides to replant the acorns, following Donald’s example. When Chip finds out what Dale has done, he gives him a good hard kick before coming up with the next plan: following the acorn bag and collecting the nuts. Dale, however, pulls a loose string from the bottom of the acorn bag and lets all the nuts spill out over Chip, who is not the least bit amused.
Although he has the best intentions, Dale accidentally traps both of them in the box again
Donald looks to see that his bag is entirely empty, and spots the two chipmunks creeping away with all the acorns in their own bag. He carefully follows them and sets out a trap to catch them, after taking the bag back, but Chip is able to spot the trick. However, Dale unwittingly gets Chip caught in the box, and when Chip makes a successful attempt to free himself, it’s Dale that gets both of them trapped inside.
As Donald rushes over to see his capture, the two dig into the dirt and tunnel out of the box, only to find themselves under it again when Donald has moved it. The two begin to argue, and Donald looks under the box to see his capture. He moves the box away, just observing their little quarrel, wondering if they’ll notice that they are, this time, free. The two face away from each other, silent, and Donald provokes the fight again by pulling Chip’s tail. This causes their argument to become physical, but Dale accidentally ends up punching Donald in the eye.
Donald begins to play a game of hockey with the pair with the stolen acorns
The two critters escape and make their way back to the tree with more acorns, and Donald hot on their tails. They begin to play a game of hockey with Donald, trying to shoot the nuts into the hole at the base of the tree. A sudden avalanche of nuts, directed by the chipmunks, approaches, and Donald has no time to prepare. The poor duck is knocked out, and seemingly driven mad, and the two chipmunks are happy they have enough food for the winter.
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