"A Donald Duck Cartoon"

Alternate Titles

"Mickey Bienfaiteur" - France

"Die Kindervorstellung" - Germany

Release Date August 22, 1941

Running Time 9:13

Synopsis

An ensemble performance emceed by Mickey includes piano playing, an adagio dance, an operatic number, and numerous attempts by Donald Duck to recite "Little Boy Blue."

Characters

Mickey Mouse

Donald Duck

Goofy

Clara Cluck

Clarabelle Cow

Horace Horsecollar

Credits

Director : Riley Thompson

Animation

Ed Love

Jim Armstrong

Videos

United States

Cartoon Classics (Second Series) : Volume 1 : Here's Mickey

Germany

Donald Duck Geht in die Luft

Donalds Grösste Hits

Italy

I Capolavori di Paperino

Laserdiscs

United States

Here's Mickey / Here's Pluto

Japan

Donald's Greatest Hits

DVD

United States

Disney Treasures : Mickey Mouse in Living Color : Volume 2

Cartoon Classic Favorites : Extreme Music Fun

United Kingdom

Walt Disney's Laugh Factory with Donald

France

Walt Disney's Rigolons avec Donald

Germany

Walt Disney's Donald's Spassfabrik

Television

The Ink and Paint Club : #10 : "Mickey, Donald and Goofy : Friends to the End"

Comments

This recreation was traced exactly from the 1934 original, but with the character models updated.

From Tom Wilkins : I have never seen the 1934 version, but Walt Disney probably pulls out one of the weirdest soundtracks in cartoon history, using the 1934 soundtrack with 1941 animation. (MGM did this a few times in the 1950's off late 1940's cartoons.) This film has an intersting comparison with Mickey's Amateurs (1937), only the acting was a little more elegant, Donald was being challenged to recite Mother Goose, and the audience was worse than unruly. After all, that describes Mickey's orphans. Donald gets the usual distraction performing the second of his nursery rhymes, Goofy gets his "bell rung" by Clarabelle after stripping her of her clothing, and Clara hits her high notes with Mickey on the piano (and an orphan's help). Donald finally completes his poem only to get the temporarily "angel" audience to clobber him with balloons holding up everything but the kitchen sink. Not a bad film, but Disney should be saying "aw nuts!!" after mixing the two tracks together.

From J. D. Weil : Fortunately for Tom Wilkins I did see the the 1934 original. The 1941 version is a frame-by-frame remake of the 1934 version even to the point of using the original soundtrack recording. The 1941 remake has the advantage of using updated graphics and Technicolor. There is, however, one minor difference in the animation between the two versions, Donald's Jimmy Durante impression (done to the words, "Am I mortified!") is missing in the 1941 remake. I guess that Durante's popularity wasn't as great in the 1940's.

From Ryan : I have never seen the original 1934 version of this short, but I think this short is okay. Again, as I have said in the past, I don't care much for those pesky orphans. I noticed one goof in the soundtrack. When Donald is in one of his hot temper modes, Mickey says "Pluto, behave yourself!" He's talking to Donald, not Pluto. And besides, Pluto never appeared in the cartoon.

From Rich : Here's another one of those fund-raising events for a bunch of hair-raising brats that Mickey holds. I must say that the most ridiculous part of this short is when Mickey tells Donald to behave himself. What did the duck do wrong?! He's trying to recite a little poem, and those little brat rats in the audience just keep on ticking him off. If you've seen "The Spirit of Mickey", you'll notice how similar this short is to "Orphan's Picnic"; for two reasons. 1) Donald is constantly harassed by the orphans. 2) Mickey rarely appears! Altogether, this ain't that bad a cartoon. But someone oughta find those orphans a home, and fast! If anybody, Donald would be the first character in line for the job.

From Baruch Weiss : I haven't seen the 1934 version of this short, but this is a wonderful cartoon. I have watched it since I was a little kid!

From Michelle I. : A variety of great acts are performed at the orphans' benefit, but one must feel bad for poor Donald, who just can't get through 'Little Boy Blue' without having something thrown at or dumped on him by all those little Mickey orphans. By the end he's having a fit in which his words are even less decipherable than usual.

I have seen "Orphan's Benefit" and would like to
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