Tag Archives: Short film

December 25, 1953 – The Donald Duck Short Film Canvas Back Duck is Released to Theaters

“Okay, boys, break it up. What’s the beef?”

On December 25, 1953, the Donald Duck short film Canvas Back Duck was released to theaters. It was directed by Jack Hannah, with story by Jack Kinney and Bill Berg.

Donald is attending a carnival with his nephews, and decides to try one of the “test your strength” machines. He hits the bell and, after his nephews cheer him on, he decides to try another one. After winning several with ease, Donald’s confidence is up, as is the nephews. What they don’t realize is that they’ve been hustled by a little boy, who tells the nephews that his uncle could beat up Donald. Donald laughs at the boy’s assertion, though he is intrigued when he sees the sign that promises $500 should he stay 3 rounds in the ring with Peewee Pete. The boys then spot the ruse – the “boy” is actually Pete’s manager, with Pete being a massive boxer. The boys try to warn Donald, but it’s no use, and all they can do is prepare for the worst. When the bell rings, Donald sets out, but once he spots Pete, he faints. Donald gets a grip and starts the fight, though his fighting consists of dodging and hiding. The boys manage to ring the bell early for the end of the first round, but when round two starts, it’s back to dodging and other trickery. The boys then give Donald a rigged boxing glove full of nails and horseshoes, but what knocks Pete out is a simple tap to his glass jaw. Donald wins the match, and leaves with nothing more than a black eye.

December 21, 1945 – The Donald Duck Short Film Old Sequoia is Released to Theaters

“If Old Sequoia goes, you go!”

On December 21, 1945, the Donald Duck short film Old Sequoia was released to theaters. It was directed by Jack King, with story by Homer Brightman.

The short begins at a national park, where the tree Old Sequoia proudly stands. Two beavers are chopping down trees close to Old Sequoia at a rapid pace, unbeknownst to Donald, who is snoozing away in the ranger station. He nearly falls from the post when he receives a call, and is lectured about the trees in his park. The lead ranger threatens him, and Donald rushes to his task. He spies the beavers near Old Sequoia and chases after them as fast as he can. The beavers manage to trip him up, then set their sights on Old Sequoia. Donald manages to trap them with his shotgun, just as the phone rings. He is lectured again by his boss, and he sprints back to guard Old Sequoia. He realizes that the beavers have gotten into the tree to chop it down, and poor Donald can only watch as sawdust comes out of the tree. He attempts to put the sawdust back in the tree, and only ends up making the tree implode. The tree, left standing by a tiny stand, threatens to fall, with Donald just barely able to keep it propped up. Unfortunately, the tree falls, taking the ranger station with it. Donald receives one final call from his boss, informing him he is fired.

December 16, 1949 – The Donald Duck Short Film Toy Tinkers is Released to Theaters

“Prepare to defend yourselves!”

On December 16, 1949, the Donald Duck short film Toy Tinkers was released to theaters. The sixteen mm release of the film gave it another title of Christmas Capers. The short was directed by Jack Hannah, with story by Harry Reeves and Milt Banta.

It’s a beautiful winter’s night, and Chip and Dale are sound asleep in their log when Chip is awakened by Donald chopping down a Christmas tree. Chip wakes up Dale, and the two follow Donald home, where they spy all sorts of Christmas goodies through the window. Chip devises a plan to get inside and unnoticed, and the two start collecting the nuts they spotted inside. Dale gets a bit distracted after taking a hat and cane from a teddy bear, and starts playing with the toys. Donald notices the two stealing the nuts, and decides to play a prank on the while reclaiming the nuts; the chipmunks are much smarter than Donald, however, and the two groups go back and forth trying to one-up the other. The two engage in a war, throwing ornaments at each other, but eventually, Donald raises the white flag of surrender while the boys make off with the nuts and the toys.

December 14, 1951 – The Donald Duck Short Film Bee on Guard is Released to Theaters

“How are you, buzz buzz?”

On December 14, 1951, the Donald Duck short film Bee on Guard was released to theaters. It was directed by Jack Hannah, with story by Nick George and Bill Berg.

A tall tree trunk has been turned into a castle hive for bees, and they set out to gather what they need to produce honey, leaving one bee behind to guard the castle. The bees set to work in Donald’s nearby garden, and he becomes excited about the prospect of honey. He follows them back to the hive and attempts to take the honey, but is thwarted by the lone guard. He heads home to create a giant bee costume, then attempts to trick the guard into believing he’s a part of the hive after the bees depart again. While the guard is occupied, he steals the honey from the hive and “flies” away. The rest of the bees return, and find the honey missing and the guard asleep. The guard is booted from the hive, and finds a trail of honey leading to Donald’s house. Discovering the ruse, the guard attacks Donald, and the other bees watch as the two duel. The other bees cheer when the guard wins the fight, and he is honored within the hive.

December 10, 1937 – The Donald Duck Short Film Donald’s Ostrich is Released to Theaters

“Hey, what’s the big idea?”

On December 10, 1937, the Donald Duck short film Donald’s Ostrich was released to theaters. It was directed by Jack King.

Donald is listening to a shrill radio opera while at work, and quickly changes the channel, finally finding something he can dance to. The train arrives, dumping its packages on the platform – and on Donald – and is surprised to find one containing an ostrich, which gives him a kiss. The ostrich comes with a label: her name is Hortense, and she must be fed and watered, with a post script warning that she eats anything. Hortense continues to flirt with Donald, though Donald will have nothing of it. When Donald crashes into a stack of milk jugs, Hortense is left to her own devices, and starts eating what she can find, including an accordion, an alarm clock, and some balloons. The mix of the contents gives her the hiccups, and she starts hiccuping into a hose, which gives Donald a cause for concern. He works on curing her hiccups by scaring her with a tuba, but it only causes her hiccups to worsen. Hortense then eats the radio, which is set to a murder mystery. Each hiccup she has causes the station to change, and she reacts with each broadcast. Donald attempts to extract the radio, but pulls out the accordion first. Hortense, reacting to a racing broadcast, crashes in the station, and Donald unfortunately comes down with a case of the hiccups after yelling at Hortense.