''Old MacDonald Duck'' is an

animated cartoon Animation is a filmmaking technique whereby still images are manipulated to create moving images. In traditional animation, images are drawn or painted by hand on transparent celluloid sheets to be photographed and exhibited on film. Animati ...

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 ...

from 1941, featuring

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 ...

Plot

works as a farmer on a farm. He is first seen feeding the animals whilst singing "Old MacDonald Had a Farm". After finishing his song, Donald then goes to look for Clementine the cow to milk. He soon finds her up in the tree eating leaves from a branch and Donald calls Clementine to come down and says good morning to her. Donald puts the bucket under Clementine's udder and prepares to milk her. As Donald was milking Clementine a fly arrives where it lands on Clementine's nose whom she snorts it off and spooking her which she smacks Donald with her tail. The fly then lands on Donald's nose and buzzes around his head. Donald tries to hit the fly but hits himself instead. The fly buzzes faster and faster around Donald's face making him dizzy but he hides under his hat. As he looks around to see if the fly has gone, Donald continues to milk Clementine but the fly lands on his hat and notices the two holes which he crawls in which causes Donald to go crazy and chases the fly around trying to hit it again but the fly lands on the fence. Donald returns to milk Clementine again but he doesn't notice he had accidentally milked his hat instead of the bucket. He realises he had got mixed up and swaps the hat for the bucket. As Donald puts his hat back on, he gets covered in milk, much to the fly's amusement. Annoyed, Donald squirts the fly away using milk from Clementine's udder, but the fly escapes into a jug. Donald uses a super squirt and the milk hits the jug the fly is in and laughs. Soaked, the fly takes his revenge on Clementine and Donald causing trouble and making Clementine lifting Donald up with her tail and swipes him around trying to get the fly, but the fly leads her into swinging Donald in his milking bucket. With Donald Squawking angrily inside the bucket, the fly bites Clementine on her back leg, causing her to kick Donald into the air and ends up crashing into the stable getting covered in equipments much to his anger and snorts like a pig. The fly laughs yet again as the cartoon comes to a close.

Voice cast

* Donald Duck: Clarence Nash

Music

The cartoon takes its title from the children's song " Old MacDonald Had a Farm" that Donald sings while feeding his animals. Later on, while milking Clementine, Donald sings also the American folk ballad " Oh My Darling, Clementine". In addition, "

Turkey in the Straw "Turkey in the Straw" is an American folk song that first gained popularity in the 19th century. Early versions of the song were titled "Zip Coon", which were first published around 1834 and performed in minstrel shows, with different people cl ...

" is used as background music, as in ''

Steamboat Willie ''Steamboat Willie'' is a 1928 American animated short film directed by Walt Disney and Ub Iwerks. It was produced in black-and-white by Walt Disney Animation Studios and was released by Pat Powers (producer), Pat Powers, under the name of Cele ...

'' and '' The Band Concert''.

Legacy

Frames from this short have been shown and reused to describe how animation works. This clip is first seen in ''The Reluctant Dragon'' with Robert Benchley, later in '' Donald Duck's 50th Birthday'' to

Dick Van Dyke Richard Wayne Van Dyke (born December 13, 1925) is an American actor, entertainer and comedian. Dick Van Dyke on screen and stage, His work spans screen and stage, and List of awards and nominations received by Dick Van Dyke, his awards includ ...

, and a later special with Tony Anselmo and

Neil Patrick Harris Neil Patrick Harris (born June 15, 1973) is an American actor, singer, writer, producer, and television host. Primarily known for his comedic television roles and dramatic and musical stage roles, he has received List of awards and nominations ...

Home media

The short was released on May 18, 2004, on '' Walt Disney Treasures: The Chronological Donald, Volume One: 1934-1941''. It was released to

Disney+ The Walt Disney Company, commonly referred to as simply Disney, is an American multinational mass media and entertainment industry, entertainment conglomerate (company), conglomerate headquartered at the Walt Disney Studios (Burbank), Walt Di ...

on October 6, 2023.

References

External links

* {{Jack King 1940s Disney animated short films American comedy short films Donald Duck short films Films directed by Jack King Films produced by Walt Disney Films with screenplays by Carl Barks 1940s English-language films American animated short films RKO Pictures short films RKO Pictures animated short films Animated films about cattle Animated films about flies Animated films set on farms English-language short films 1941 animated short films