Cartoon a Day: The Greener Yard

The Greener Yard
1949
Directed by Jack Hannah
Available on: Walt Disney Treasures: The Chronological Donald Vol. 3

"The Greener Yard" is a short which puts Donald Duck against a beetle out to feast on his garden. It's a short that has some great moments of creativity but is not without a few flaws as well.

To start, the background art is amazing. Some of the most detailed and colorful work you will ever see. Donald is a far better gardener than I could ever be, that's for sure. The animation is, of course, top notch. Both Donald and the beetle are extremely well drawn.

Where this short runs into problems is in how it presents the story. It begins with narration from the Beetle..."One day my son was blah blah blah..." and we're let into the story. Or so we think. The younger beetle is eyeballing Donald's beautiful yard next door and wanting to head on over there. It's "grass in greener" scenario. The older beetle then launches into telling about when he was younger and wandered over to Donald's yard. The majority of the film is that flashback. So technically it takes two flashbacks to even get to the story. Both are completely unnecessary when they could've just made it Donald vs. the beetle rather than trying to give it a lesson at the end.

Cartoon a Day: The Band Concert

The Band Concert
1935
Directed by Wilfred Jackson
Available on: Walt Disney Treasures: Mickey Mouse in Living Color

In 1932 Mickey Mouse made his first appearance in color. It was a short made for the Academy Awards ceremony, "Parade of the Award Nominees." However, the publics first look at the famous mouse in color came in 1935 with this groundbreaking short, "The Band Concert."

In this short Mickey is conducting a band concert in the park. All is going well until the intrusion of a pesky food vendor (Donald Duck), a stubborn bee, and finally a tornado that rivals the one Dorothy hitched a ride on.

This is certainly one of Mickey's best films, and is probably one of his funniest as well. Remember, Mickey was known for being fun, but not necessarily laugh-out-loud funny. The pacing of the gags in this short is closer to what you'd expect from the Looney Tunes crew than the folks at Disney.

It's also interesting to watch Donald Duck in this short. He's actually more like his cousin from the Warner's lot, Daffy Duck, in this one. He plays the lovable troublemaker rather than the temper driven fowl he is in later films.

The film makes fantastic use of color in everything from the band uniforms to the dark sky that slowly creeps into the scenes as the storm approaches. It was just a little over 6 years before the release of "The Band Concert" that Disney had amazed audiences with his Mouse that spoke (in "Steamboat Willie"). It's easy to see how audiences were wowed again when that mouse showed up in color.

Cartoon a Day: Don Donald

Don Donald
1937
Directed by Ben Sharpensteen
Available on: Walt Disney Treasures - The Chronological Donald Vol. 1

It's never enough to have just Superman, there needs to be a Supergirl. Batman had help defending Gotham from Batgirl. Minnie Mouse joined Mickey Mouse on screen from the beginning. So, of course, Donald Duck got matched up with Daisy, a version of whom made her first appearance in "Don Donald."

In this short Donald is south of the border and he comes a courtin' ridding on a burro. The burro ends up causing all sorts of trouble so Donald trades him in for a car, which Daisy goes nuts for. Now, some Disney fanatics would probably have a problem with me calling her "Daisy" in this short. Some folks refer to this version of the character as "Donna" and see her as a completely different character. This version is more of female version of Donald than Daisy would become. This character has a temper to match Donald's, though the later Daisy had a temper too, she was a bit more controlled with it.


The animation of Daisy (or Donna or whatever) is very well done. The animators seem to capture a bit more femininity than they had even achieved with Minnie Mouse previously. I also really enjoyed the interesting backgrounds, southwestern in style but also very unique when compared to other cartoons with a similar setting. A brief sequence with some cacti come to life is also a highlight.

Cartoon a Day: The Wise Little Hen

The Wise Little Hen
1934
Directed by Wilfred Jackson
Available on: Walt Disney Treasures - The Chronological Donald Vol. 1

If we're going to look at famous first appearances then we can't neglect "The Wise Little Hen," Donald Duck's first cartoon and one of his best.

This cartoon was part of the Silly Symphonies series and told the classic tale of a hen who tries to get her friends to help plant and harvest her corn. In this version the friends are Peter Pig and (ta-da) Donald Duck. They both fake belly aches to get out of the work, but are eager when she asks them to help eat the corn. But in the end, she presents them with a bottle of castor oil instead of corn on the cop, muffins and corn bread.


This short is significant not only because of the first appearance of Donald, but it's also a great animation milestone. It does have some moments where the animation is repetitive, as many early cartoons are, but other moments display some great artistry. The animation of Peter Pig and Donald Duck both show great attention to detail. The choreography of the animation to the music is also expertly done.

The short is more cute than funny but I never tire of this one. 74 years old and still a classic!

Cartoon a Day: The Spirit of '43

The Spirit of '43
1943
Directed by Jack King (uncredited)
Available on: Walt Disney Treasures - On the Front Lines

We continue with out look at the animation studios contribution to the war effort with Disney's "The Spirit of '43." This short begins as a Donald Duck film. It's pay day and Donald has a big wad of cash. Of course, according to cartoon tradition, two alternated versions of our main character come out to tell Donald how what to do with his money. The thrifty version is telling him to save his money so he has enough for taxes, while the "spendthrift" wants him to live it up.



The very vivid imagery you'd expect in a war propaganda short begins when Donald realizes that the swinging doors of the saloon he's being lured to are in the shape of a swastika. From there the film takes on a style more like Disney's animated propaganda feature "Victory Through Air Power."

What follows is very stylized animation of factories producing shells and "guns, guns, guns." The sequence of enemy planes and ships being shot down are very dark and not at all what you would expect from Disney. The large metal Nazi monster is an image that looks more like the animation from "Pink Floyd: The Wall" than something the house of the mouse would produce.

I'm sure this short achieved it's purpose. People probably felt a bit more spirited about paying their taxes..."taxes to sink the axis." It definitely takes an interesting approach, combining a beloved character with horrific and ultimately very patriotic imagery.

Cartoon a Day: Der Fuehrer's Face

Der Fuehrer's Face
1942
Directed by Jack Kinney (uncredited)
Available on: Walt Disney Treasures - On the Front Lines


Having looked at a cartoon yesterday that was so influenced by the world at war, I decided to continue with another World War II cartoon. Most of the major animation studios contributed to the war effort in some way, both with educational films and films designed to boost the spirits of the war weary public. One of the best cartoons from this time is the Donald Duck short "Der Fuehrer's Face."



This cartoon wasn't shown much after the war. Though it is very funny, it is also somewhat disturbing. After all, Donald is forced to read Mein Kampf in one scene. The film's title comes from the song that is played throughout the film which was made famous by Spike Jones. Having spent many Sunday nights of my youth listening to the Dr. Demento Show, I knew of the song long before I knew of this cartoon.


In the film, Donald is living in Nazi-land. It's actually kind of interesting that it isn't revealed that this is all a dream until the end of the picture (sorry to spoil the ending there folks). It must've been strange for movie audiences to see Donald cast as a Nazi and have no explanation as to why America's favorite duck had gone to the dark side.




The whole Nazi-land environment is played out hilariously with the background designs. We see trees, windmills, even fire hydrants all in the shape of a swastika. Even Donald's house ends up being a caricature of Adolf Hitler.



The film moves at a frantic pace and by the end even becomes somewhat psychedelic in it's style as Donald ends up in a sequence similar to the pink elements on parade scene from "Dumbo."


This Academy Award winner is a brilliant piece of animation and one of the best examples of Disney's contribution to the war effort.

Cartoon a Day: Dude Duck

Dude Duck
1951
Directed by Jack Hannah
Available on: Walt Disney Treasures - The Chronological Donald Vol. 4

The fourth volume of "The Chronological Donald" was also under my tree yesterday, so let's take a look at one of the shorts from that collection, "Dude Duck."

In this short we visit a dude ranch where the horses are bored, that is until a bus load of beautiful girls wanting to ride pulls up. Unfortunately for one horse, Donald Duck also happens to be with the group. The horse that gets assigned to Donald would much rather have one of the beautiful young ladies on his back, so he proceeds to do everything he can to keep Donald off his back.



The first shot of this film really tell you that you're in for some great animation. The shots of the western buttes are beautiful artwork. Completely different than what you might see in a Warner Brothers Road Runner short.


Donald, of course, is always a great character, but the horse really ends up being the star of this short. He has a wonderfully expressive face and a great range of body movement as well. The gags go back and forth, with Donald and the horse each getting the best of each other at times. It was kind of funny to see that this short features a very similar gag to one in yesterday's Tom and Jerry cartoon "Texas Tom." Both shorts feature one character lassoing the other, only to have that character switch places with an angry bull. One of the classic gags of animation, I guess.

Cartoon a Day: Mickey's Polo Team

Mickey's Polo Team
1936
Directed by David Hand
Available on: Walt Disney Treasures - Mickey Mouse in Living Color


Mickey Mouse shorts aren't usually laugh-out-loud funny. Don't get me wrong, I love Mickey cartoons, but it's just not the same style as say the Looney Tunes. "Mickey's Polo Team," however, is a very funny short.


Mickey's polo team consists of Donald Duck, Goofy (called "The Goof" here), and the Big Bad Wolf. They are up against four of Hollywood's top comedians of the time, Harpo Marx, Charlie Chaplin, and Stan Laurel & Oliver Hardy.




As the short begins, you start to think it's just an exercise in having celebrity caricatures in animation. Many studios featured cartoon versions of celebrities in their shorts at some point. The celebrity caricatures are great, but that's not all there is. This turns into an action packed short.




Donald Duck served as the major source for comedy in many Mickey shorts, and this is no exception. He contends with a mule and Harpo in various scenes. One of the sequences with Harpo is a bit unusual as it's a rare example of somewhat crude humor in a Disney short. Never would you expect to see a joke where a boxing glove seems to pop out of Harpo's rear end and punch Donald in the face under Walt's watchful eye, but it happens here.




Donald has his moments, but I find the Big Bad Wolf to be the most interesting character on Mickey's team. He has some great moments including huffing and puffing and blowing the polo ball across the field.


The animation is excellent. There are several moments where the animators play with perspective to create some really interesting shots. It all contributes to a fun short, even if you don't know how to play polo.

Cartoon a Day: Three For Breakfast

Three For Breakfast
1948
Directed by Jack Hannah
Available on: Walt Disney Treasures - The Chronological Donald Vol. 3

Before home movies were on video tape you actually had to set up the movie projector and watch reel to reel films. Amongst the movies of family vacations and Easter egg hunts at my childhood home was an edited copy of "Three For Breakfast." There was no sound, and it was about half the length, and it may have even been in black and white, but it was one we watched just about every time the projector got pulled out.



In this short, Chip and Dale are living in the chimney of Donald's house. When they smell something cooking, the decided to check it out and become obsessed with getting some of the pancakes Donald is fixing.



Some people say the Disney shorts are brilliant from an animation standpoint, but not that funny, well this is proof that's not the case. There are several great gags in this short, but they aren't just gags for gags sake. These progress the story. It's pretty early in the short that Donald ends up with a pancake made out of rubber cement to try and trick Chip and Dale, but that element ends up being used for the final, very elaborate, gag of the film.



Donald actually is pretty calm in this film. He doesn't just fly off the handle right away, it's a bit of a slow burn for him, which is somewhat unusual. Donald is a a great character, the "Gable of our stable" as Walt Disney called him, and this is a great example of why he was such a popular star.

Cartoon a Day: Lonesome Ghosts

Lonesome Ghosts
1937
Directed by Burt Gillett
Available on: Walt Disney Treasures - Mickey Mouse in Living Color Vol. 1

It didn't occur to me until last night while reviewing "Hell's Bells" that I should've been doing Halloween appropriate toons all week. Oh, well, I'll try and continue the theme through the weekend.

"Lonesome Ghosts" is a cartoon I have fond memories of. When I in around kindergarten age, a friend who lived a few doors down has this toy that was kind of like a View-Master, except it played movies. You'd turn the crank and look through the hole to see the movie. It was cool! One of the cartridges I remember them having was of a few scenes from "Lonesome Ghosts." I loved watching that thing, not to mention turning the crank backwards so you could watch the film in reverse.

In this short, Mickey, Donald, and Goofy are the original Ghostbusters (Goofy even utters the line "I ain't afraid of no ghosts"). They have a ghost exterminator business which isn't doing too well, until a bunch of bored ghosts call and send them off to their haunted house so they can have some fun.

The sequence in which Mickey opens a door to find a flood of water coming at him is a favorite. The ghosts floating through on surfboards is funny and the animation is pretty amazing. Goofy's Harpo Marx style mirror sequence with one of the ghosts is also a stand-out. My only real beef with this cartoon is the voices of the ghosts. They sound like the actors were speaking into soup cans and are almost unintelligible at times.



That little movie machine my friend had when I was a kid also allowed you to watch the movie frame by frame, which I did many times. This is a great cartoon to watch frame by frame. There's a alot of skillful animation going on here. Then remind yourself this was made in 1937, still pretty early in the grand scheme of things.

Cartoon a Day: Orphan's Benefit

Orphan's Benefit
1935
Directed by Burt Gillette (uncredited)
Available on: Walt Disney Treasures - Mickey Mouse in Black and White

The Mickey Mouse cartoon so nice they made it twice. This is a look at the 1935 black and white original. Maybe tomorrow I should review the 1941 remake.

I remember my Grandma had a Mickey Mouse record album that had the entire audio track for this film on it. I listened to it over and over again. I can play the soundtrack back in my head if I try hard enough. This is a true classic.

"Orphan's Benefit" is a Mickey short, but the real stars are all his buddies. The gang is putting on a show for a bunch of rather nasty orphans, all of whom look like Mickey. The sequences where Donald Duck tries to read some nursery rhymes are well known for helping to establish some of his character traits. My favorite scene, however, is the performance by the "Barnyard Nightingale," Clara Cluck. It's funny, I'm mean let's face it, what's not to like about a chicken singing. It's also a great sequence from an animation standpoint. Both for Clara's dramatic stage presence and Mickey's skilled work on the piano.

I think "Orphan's Benefit" also serves as a great example of just how beautiful black and white animated films can be. The background shadows cast by the spotlight during the Clara Cluck sequence give the scene great depth. In black and white the contrast is striking.

Disney was always striving to push his films further. He truly worked to explore the art form. "Orphan's Benefit" was another giant step forward for the Disney Studio.