''Toy Tinkers'' is an American animated

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 in

Technicolor Technicolor is a family of Color motion picture film, color motion picture processes. The first version, Process 1, was introduced in 1916, and improved versions followed over several decades. Definitive Technicolor movies using three black-and ...

by Walt Disney Productions and released to theaters on December 16, 1949 by

RKO Radio Pictures RKO Radio Pictures Inc., commonly known as RKO Pictures or simply RKO, is an American film production and distribution company, historically one of the "Big Five" film studios of Hollywood's Golden Age. The business was formed after the Kei ...

. Set during Christmas time, the film shows Chip 'n' Dale trying to steal nuts from Donald Duck's home using toy weapons. The film was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Animated Short Film in 1950, but ultimately lost to Warner Bros'. '' For Scent-imental Reasons'', a Pepé Le Pew ''

Looney Tunes ''Looney Tunes'' is an American media franchise produced and distributed by Warner Bros. The franchise began as a series of animated short films that originally ran from 1930 to 1969, alongside its spin-off series ''Merrie Melodies'', during t ...

'' film directed by

Chuck Jones Charles Martin Jones (September 21, 1912 – February 22, 2002) was an American animator, painter, voice actor and filmmaker, best known for his work with Warner Bros. Cartoons on the ''Looney Tunes'' and ''Merrie Melodies'' series of shorts. He ...

. ''Toy Tinkers'' was directed by Jack Hannah and features original and adapted music by Paul J. Smith which includes the song " Jingle Bells" and Schubert's '' Marche Militaire''. The voice cast includes Clarence Nash as Donald and Jimmy MacDonald and Dessie Flynn as Chip and Dale respectively. It was later reissued as ''Christmas Capers'', and 16mm prints of this version still exist.

Plot

Chip and Dale's curiosity leads them into Donald's house after they see him chop down a tree near their log home to use as a Christmas tree. The chipmunks follow Donald to his house and see nuts and candy through a window, deciding to try to take them. They slip in through the mail slot and load the nuts into a toy truck. During the theft, Dale pretends to be in a make-believe neighborhood, before Chip beats him up for playing around. Donald sees Chip and Dale stealing the nuts and uses the toys to foil them. When the chipmunks catch on, Donald disguises himself as Santa Claus and gives Chip a much larger present than Dale, making him jealous and start fighting with Chip. Donald is laughs at the chipmunks arguing before revealing that inside the large nut is a handgun. He holds them at gunpoint, crashes them in a toy police car, and fires nuts from a pop gun at them. The chipmunks retaliate with a toy cannon when Donald encroaches on them. Angered, Donald sets up a fort of presents on one side of the living room and returns fire with Chip and Dale doing likewise. Dale covertly sneaks a candlestick telephone into Donald's fort which Chip uses to distract Donald to transmit direct cannon fire. A frustrated Donald loads the phone with a stick of dynamite, but it doesn't explode. When the chipmunks call him again, he answers and the dynamite explodes. Having incapacitated Donald, the chipmunks march back home, and in a scene reminiscent of '' The Spirit of '76'', employ the help of the mechanical toys to transport the hoard of nuts.

Voice cast

* Donald Duck: Clarence Nash * Chip: Jimmy McDonald * Dale: Dessie Flynn

Adaptations

A comic book adaptation of the short was published in ''Walt Disney's Christmas Parade'' #2, printed by

Dell Comics Dell Comics was the comic book publishing arm of Dell Publishing, which got its start in pulp magazines. It published comics from 1929 to 1973. At its peak, it was the most prominent and successful American company in the medium.Evanier, Mark"Wh ...

in 1950. This adaptation was titled "Christmas Fray" and "Such a Clatter" in reprints.

Releases

* 1949 - theatrical release * 1958 - '' Walt Disney Presents'', episode #5.12: " From All of Us to All of You" (TV) * 2010 - ''Mickey's Christmas Special''

Home media

The short was released on December 11, 2007 on '' Walt Disney Treasures: The Chronological Donald, Volume Three: 1947-1950''. Additional releases include: * c. 1960 (Super8)8mm Forum
/ref> * 1985 - ''Cartoon Classics: The Continuing Adventures of Chip 'n' Dale Featuring Donald Duck'' (VHS) * 1986 - ''Jiminy Cricket's Christmas'' (VHS) * 2005 - '' Holiday Celebration with Mickey and Pals'' (DVD)

References