November 28, 1947 – The Donald Duck Short Film Chip an’ Dale Premieres in Theaters
“Doggone freezing weather. A guy never gets a chance to sleep around here.”
On November 28, 1947, the Donald Duck short film Chip an’ Dale premiered in theaters. This short is the first time the two chipmunks have been named, and also marks the first time they are Donald’s adversaries. The short was nominated for an Academy Award, but lost to Warner Brothers’ Tweetie Pie. The short was directed by Jack Hannah, with story by Dick Kinney and Bob North.
A snowstorm is raging outside, and inside his cabin, Donald is trying desperately to stay warm. He notices that the snow has come down his chimney and put out his fire. Out of firewood, he decides to go out with his axe and chop down a nearby dead tree, unaware that Chip and Dale live inside with their stores for the winter. The chipmunks watch as Donald takes off with their home, and follow him into his cabin. They sneak past him to reclaim their nuts, but are unable to grab them before Donald starts the fire. Once again, they try to sneak past him, and decide to put out the fire themselves.
As Donald enjoys the fire he’s made, he’s unaware that the two chipmunks are taking away the log
As Donald thinks he’s enjoying the fire, he suddenly notices the log walking right in front of him. He lets them walk out the door, taking the log as they go, and slams the door behind them. The chipmunks take another approach of dropping snowballs down the chimney, putting out the fire. Donald traps the two in a snowball and sends them flying down the roof before starting his fire again. Chip gets the idea of rolling a snowball down a steep hill on a clear collision course with Donald’s cabin. When Donald opens the door, the giant snowball sends him flying into his backdoor, encased in snow. The two chipmunks walk happily away with their log, but not before Dale is able to give Donald a well-placed kick in the rear.
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