02.06
Small entry this month, but a good one. Three repeats (“Boat Builders”, “Mickey’s Polo Team” and “Alpine Climbers”, referenced in the above links) and only one new addition, which I’ll review here.
Don Donald (1937)
My first true solo Donald Duck outing of the series, this also happens to be his first solo cartoon. In it, Don Donald travels across Mexico with his donkey to find the fair Donna Duck. The catch? Donna hates the donkey and won’t ride along with it. They eventually find a car, but the donkey becomes jealous, and hilarity ensues.
Donna is the precursor for Daisy, but still isn’t quite the character we know her as now. She isn’t wearing her usual lavender dress, and shares Donald’s voice actor, Clarence Nash, sounding almost identical to him. It seems as if the character was a one-off made just for the short, but the idea of Donald having a love interest seemed to fancy Disney, and a few years later, she would be brought back and before long, would be modeled like the Daisy we know and recognize today.
The cartoon is cute, even if it’s nothing earth shattering. This cartoon proves that Donald has enough character outside of Mickey and Goofy to hold his own, and there’s some good jokes here. The Latin America setting adds some flavor to the mix, and helps to make the short look and feel vibrant. I enjoyed this one, and hope it’s not my last solo Donald short in this series.
Originally posted on Sunday, May 29, 2011.