''Don Donald'' is a 1937 American

animated Animation is a filmmaking technique whereby image, still images are manipulated to create Motion picture, moving images. In traditional animation, images are drawn or painted by hand on cel, transparent celluloid sheets to be photographed and e ...

short film A short film is a film with a low running time. The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS) defines a short film as "an original motion picture that has a running time of not more than 40 minutes including all credits". Other film o ...

produced by

Walt Disney Productions The Walt Disney Company, commonly referred to as simply Disney, is an American multinational mass media and entertainment conglomerate headquartered at the Walt Disney Studios complex in Burbank, California. Disney was founded on October 16 ...

and released by

United Artists United Artists (UA) is an American film production and film distribution, distribution company owned by Amazon MGM Studios. In its original operating period, it was founded in February 1919 by Charlie Chaplin, D. W. Griffith, Mary Pickford an ...

. The cartoon follows

Donald Duck Donald Fauntleroy Duck is a cartoon character created by the Walt Disney Company. Donald is an Anthropomorphism, anthropomorphic white duck with a yellow-orange bill, legs, and feet. He typically wears a sailor suit, sailor shirt and cap with ...

attempting to woo a female Mexican duck named Donna. It was directed by

Ben Sharpsteen Benjamin Sharpsteen (November 4, 1895 – December 20, 1980) was an American film director and producer for The Walt Disney Company, Disney. He directed 31 films between 1920 and 1980. Sharpsteen created a museum documenting the history of C ...

and features music by Paul J. Smith which was adapted from the Mexican folk songs " Cielito Lindo" and " Jarabe Tapatío".

Clarence Nash Clarence Charles "Ducky" Nash (December 7, 1904 – February 20, 1985) was an American voice actor and impressionist. He is best remembered as the original voice of the Disney cartoon character Donald Duck. He was born in the rural community of W ...

voiced both Donald and Donna. Although billed at the time as another ''

Mickey Mouse Mickey Mouse is an American cartoon character co-created in 1928 by Walt Disney and Ub Iwerks. The longtime icon and mascot of the Walt Disney Company, Mickey is an anthropomorphic mouse who typically wears red shorts, large shoes, and white ...

'' cartoon, explaining the face of

at the beginning of the original release, the film is actually the first installment of the ''Donald Duck'' series, and is the first to feature Donald as the primary starring character. The film also introduces a love interest for Donald.

Plot

Donald Duck rides Jenny the

donkey The donkey or ass is a domesticated equine. It derives from the African wild ass, ''Equus africanus'', and may be classified either as a subspecies thereof, ''Equus africanus asinus'', or as a separate species, ''Equus asinus''. It was domes ...

through the Mexican

desert A desert is a landscape where little precipitation occurs and, consequently, living conditions create unique biomes and ecosystems. The lack of vegetation exposes the unprotected surface of the ground to denudation. About one-third of the la ...

playing a guitar and wearing a

sombrero In English, a , ; ) is a type of wide-brimmed Mexican men's hat used to shield the face and eyes from the sun. It usually has a high, pointed crown; an extra-wide brim (broad enough to cast a shadow over the head, neck, and shoulders of the w ...

on his way to the house of his girlfriend, Donna Duck. Donna dances the Mexican hat dance and eventually lands on Donald's donkey who throws her off his back. Donald laughs causing Donna to get angry. She knocks Donald into a

fountain A fountain, from the Latin "fons" ( genitive "fontis"), meaning source or spring, is a decorative reservoir used for discharging water. It is also a structure that jets water into the air for a decorative or dramatic effect. Fountains were o ...

, breaks his guitar over his head, and storms back inside the house. Back outside, Jenny laughs at Donald's misfortunes. Donald decides to exchange Jenny for a car at a nearby trading post. Donna is immediately won back with Donald's car. She lands in the

rumble seat A rumble seat (American English), dicky (dickie/dickey) seat (British English), also called a mother-in-law seat, is an upholstered exterior front-facing seat which is folded into the rear of a coach, carriage, or early motorcar. Depending on it ...

and gives Donald a big kiss. Together they speed off through the desert, but eventually the car has engine problems and stops working. Donald confidently tries to fix the problem but the car suddenly goes out of control; the rumble seat closes on Donna and she is trapped inside as the car throws Donald out and speeds off without him, with Donald in pursuit. The car crashes, throwing Donna out of the rumble seat, across a waterhole, and into a mud puddle, and Donald laughs at her. Donna, furious once again, grabs the car's horn and hits Donald with it, until he lands in some

cacti A cactus (: cacti, cactuses, or less commonly, cactus) is a member of the plant family Cactaceae (), a family of the order Caryophyllales comprising about 127 genera with some 1,750 known species. The word ''cactus'' derives, through Latin, ...

and Donna shoves the horn in his mouth. Donna then rides off on her

unicycle A unicycle is a vehicle that touches the ground with only one wheel. The most common variation has a frame with a saddle, and has a pedal-driven direct-drive. A two speed hub is commercially available for faster unicycling. Unicycling is prac ...

which she has conveniently carried with her in her purse, and declares their relationship over. Donald, alone in the desert with Jenny who has escaped from the trading post, is furious at the car and throws the horn at it in retaliation. This, however, causes the car's radiator to explode and the hot water lands on Donald's sombrero, shrinking it in the process. Jenny laughs at Donald yet again, ending the cartoon.

Production

The film was first conceived in 1935 as a

Silly Symphony ''Silly Symphony'' (also known as ''Silly Symphonies'') is an American animation, animated series of 75 musical short films produced by Walt Disney Animation Studios, Walt Disney Productions from 1929 to 1939. As the series name implies, the ''Si ...

short called ''Little Burro'', about a young boy who trades his burro for a car to impress his girlfriend. It was reworked as a Donald Duck comedy. It is unclear if Donna Duck simply represents an earlier version of Daisy Duck or is a separate character entirely. Donna was later

retconned Retroactive continuity, or retcon for short, is a literary device in fictional story telling whereby facts and events established through the narrative itself are adjusted, ignored, supplemented, or contradicted by a subsequently published work ...

in a 1951 Disney comic strip as Daisy's rival. Donna made several other appearances in the British magazine ''Mickey Mouse Weekly''. She did not appear in any other films.

Releases

Source: * January 9, 1937 - original release (theatrical) * November 13, 1984 - Donald Duck's 50th Birthday (TV) * 1993 - ''The Adventures of Mickey and Donald'', episode 26 (TV) * October 13, 1997 - '' Ink & Paint Club'', episode 4: "Disney Firsts" (TV)

Home media

The short was released on May 18, 2004 on '' Walt Disney Treasures: The Chronological Donald, Volume One: 1934-1941''. Additional releases include: * 1984 - "Cartoon Classics: Donald Duck's First 50 Years" (VHS) * 1987 - "Cartoon Classics: Starring Donald and Daisy" (VHS) * January 11, 2005 - "Classic Cartoon Favorites: Starring Donald" (DVD) * April 29, 2008 - bonus feature on the "Classic Caballeros Collection" (DVD).

References

External links