"A Donald Duck Cartoon"

Release Date July 8, 1938

Running Time 7:39

Synopsis

Donald acts as scoutmaster for his three nephews for a nature hike through the wilderness.

Characters

Donald Duck

Huey, Dewey and Louie

Credits

Director : Jack King

Story : Carl Barks

Animation

Jack Hannah

Ed Love

Paul Allen

Awards

Nominated for an Academy Award (Short Subjects - Cartoons.) The award went to "Ferdinand the Bull."

Videos

United States

Kids is Kids starring Donald Duck

Germany

Donald Duck Geht Nach Wildwest

Swinging Micky

Italy

Video Parade 12

Laserdiscs

United States

Mickey Mouse and Donald Duck Cartoon Collections Volume 2

Kids is Kids starring Donald Duck

Japan

Donald Duck : A Star is Born

Donald Duck Goes West

DVD

United States

Disney Treasures : The Chronological Donald Volume 1 : (1934-1941)

Cartoon Classic Favorites : Extreme Adventure Fun

Television

Walt Disney Presents : A Day in the Life of Donald Duck (shown in black and white)

The Ink and Paint Club : #20 : Huey, Dewey, and Louie

Donald's Quack Attack : Episode #61

Technical Specifications

Color Type : Technicolor

Animation type : Standard

Sound mix : Mono

Aspect ration : 1.37 : 1

Negative format : 35mm

Print format : 35mm

Cinematographic process : Spherical

Original language : English

Released by RKO Radio Pictures, Inc.

Gallery

Click on the thumbnail for the full-sized picture

Comments

From Jerry Edwards : Once again I just don't care much for the Donald and his nephews shorts. While there is some nice animation, the gags and situations just don't work for me.

From Ryan : This short was pretty good. I liked the scene where Donald's nephews tie him up in bandages while practicing first aid. Donald looks like a mummy. At the end, however, I just feel so sorry at the fact that Donald is being chased by a bear on a geyser for hours at a time. What a living Hell!

From Gijs Grob : This cartoon about Donald and his nephews as scouts is only moderately funny until the superb finale, in which the nephews try to save Donald from a bear and a geyser, only to succeed to make things worse for him.

From Baruch Weiss : Great short. Loved it!

This Donald Duck short is actually the second Disney cartoon released to feature Donald Duck's three nephews - Hewey, Dewey and Louie, in which Donald is familiarly paired up with on-and-off throughout his remaining 18 year career in theatrical short subjects. (Preceded by "Donald's Nephews", 1938)

It's truly a classic cartoon in which Donald's character is wholly epitomized by the context in which director Jack King has placed him - as a stubborn, adamant, overly pretentious, know-it-all scout leader for his nephews.

The introduction of Donald Duck's nephews was a perfect send-off in Donald's early years as the characters play off of each other so well. Donald's egotistic and domineering persona works perfectly in conjunction with his nephews free-wheeling and unruly tendencies; and while Donald is best distinguished as a conceited, uncompromising and narrow-minded character whose high-spirited and dynamic nature is often the cause of many slapstick laughs - his nephews tend to carry many similar traits, but in direct opposition to Donald's perspectives which often makes for aggressive and humorous plot situations.

In my opinion, this cartoon absolutely defines the essence of Donald's character disposition and serves as a masterful lay out for future cartoons with his nephews, which will eventually carry into the 1950's with director Jack Hannah (who worked with King as an animator on this particular short).

The short itself features a wide range of sight gags from Donald's mishaps with pitching a tent, to an unexpected rendezvous with a disgruntled grizzly bear and a conveniently faithful geyser, a painful wood-chopping segment involving a petrified tree, and so on...

While much of these gags are predictable and easily forseen, the comedic impact may not be extreme but the delivery is very much on point and the end result offers quite a charming and fun short film.

I have very fond memories of watching this cartoon as a child as it was one of the very first Donald Duck shorts I was introduced to and seeing it always manages to bring a smile to face, however, like almost all Disney shorts to date - this still holds up nearly 70 years later and I would recommend that everyone make an effort to seek this out and watch it!

-- Oliver Besner