Donald's Penguin

Last updated
Donald's Penguin
Donald's Penguin (1939).jpg
Theatrical release poster
Directed by Jack King
Story by Carl Barks
Produced by Walt Disney
Music by Oliver Wallace
Color process Technicolor
Production
company
Distributed by RKO Radio Pictures
Release date
  • May 16, 1939 (1939-05-16)
Running time
7 minutes
LanguageEnglish

Donald's Penguin is a Donald Duck animated Technicolor short film by Walt Disney Productions and directed by Jack King, which was originally released on May 16, 1939, by RKO Radio Pictures. [1] [2] The story was written by Carl Barks. [3]

Contents

Plot

Donald Duck adopts a cute and feisty baby penguin called Tootsie. Tootsie is a gift from the unseen character Admiral Bird. At first, surprised that his charge is a baby penguin, Donald grows fond of her, but when he mistakenly thought she ate his three goldfish, Donald becomes angry and spanks Tootsie. Only does he spot the mistake when the three fish emerge from their castle, looking just as angry as Tootsie. Hurt and cross over Donald's rashness, Tootsie isn't willing to forgive him, even when an embarrassed Donald takes off his hat and said "let bygones be bygones". To make amends for his mistake, He decides to feed Tootsie a catfish from the refrigerator, only to find that Tootsie is hiding inside the fish tank and eating the three goldfish. Enraged, Donald chases her through the house. During the chase, Tootsie eludes him by sliding under a chest and presumably putting a mousetrap underneath, which catches Donald's fingers. After Tootsie steals the catfish from him, Donald ultimately decides he has had enough of the penguin's shenanigans. The enraged duck corners her near the closet, pointing his double-barreled shotgun at the frightened Tootsie, threatening to kill her, but before he can deliver the coup de grace, his conscience and the sight of a scared and crying Tootsie reminds him why he shouldn't harm her. Full of remorse over what he was about to do, Donald settles down the gun and cries. As he laments, his gun falls down suddenly. An alarmed Donald tries to stop the gun from falling but is too late to prevent it from firing a hole in the wall, with Tootsie nowhere in sight. Horrified, Donald frantically looks for Tootsie through the pile of rubble. Suddenly, Tootsie reveals herself to be alive and well, having retreated to the closet in the nick of time. An overjoyed and relieved Donald hugs her. Tootsie forgives the teary-eyed duck by snuggling him before falling asleep in his arms. Donald then looks at the camera and smiles.

Adaptation

While finishing developing the short, newspapers in portions of the United States introduced the "new" Tootsie character on April 15, 1939 listing as "oblivious" to Donald's feelings. The first few theaters would run the short a month later. [4]

Voice cast

Home media

The short was released on May 18, 2004, on Walt Disney Treasures: The Chronological Donald, Volume One: 1934-1941 . [5]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Carl Barks</span> American cartoonist (1901–2000)

Carl Barks was an American cartoonist, author, and painter. He is best known for his work in Disney comic books, as the writer and artist of the first Donald Duck stories and as the creator of Scrooge McDuck. He worked anonymously until late in his career; fans dubbed him The Duck Man and The Good Duck Artist. In 1987, Barks was one of the three inaugural inductees of the Will Eisner Comic Book Hall of Fame.

<i>Donald Gets Drafted</i> 1942 Donald Duck cartoon

Donald Gets Drafted is a 1942 American animated short film produced by Walt Disney Productions and released by RKO Radio Pictures. The cartoon has Donald Duck being drafted into the U. S. Army during World War II and follows his introduction to military life. The film was directed by Jack King and introduced the song "The Army's Not the Army Anymore" by Carl Barks and Leigh Harline. The voice cast includes Clarence Nash as Donald, John McLeish as an officer, and Billy Bletcher as Pete who is Donald's drill sergeant.

<i>Trick or Treat</i> (1952 film) 1952 Donald Duck cartoon

Trick or Treat is a 1952 animated short film produced by Walt Disney Productions and released by RKO Radio Pictures. The cartoon, which takes place on Halloween night, follows a series of pranks between Donald Duck and his nephews with Witch Hazel. The film was directed by Jack Hannah and features the voices of Clarence Nash as Donald and his nephews, and June Foray as Hazel.

<i>Donalds Cousin Gus</i> 1939 Donald Duck cartoon

Donald's Cousin Gus is a Walt Disney cartoon released on May 19, 1939. Gus Goose debuted as a recurring character in Al Taliaferro's Donald Duck newspaper comic since 9 May 1938.

<i>Mr. Duck Steps Out</i> 1940 Donald Duck cartoon

Mr. Duck Steps Out is a Donald Duck cartoon produced by Walt Disney Productions, which is released on June 7, 1940, and featured the debut of Daisy Duck. The short was directed by Jack King and written by Carl Barks, Chuck Couch, Jack Hannah, Harry Reeves, Milt Schaffer, and Frank Tashlin.

<i>Good Scouts</i> 1938 Donald Duck cartoon

Good Scouts is a 1938 American animated short film produced by Walt Disney Productions and released by RKO Radio Pictures. The cartoon follows Donald Duck leading his nephews Huey, Dewey, and Louie on a scouting trip through the wilderness. It was directed by Jack King and features Clarence Nash as Donald and the three nephews.

<i>Old MacDonald Duck</i> 1941 Donald Duck cartoon

Old MacDonald Duck is an animated cartoon by Walt Disney Productions from 1941, featuring Donald Duck.

<i>Dons Fountain of Youth</i> 1953 Donald Duck cartoon

Don's Fountain of Youth is a 1953 American animated short film by Walt Disney Productions featuring Donald Duck.

<i>The Autograph Hound</i> 1939 Donald Duck cartoon

The Autograph Hound is a 1939 Donald Duck cartoon which features Donald Duck as an autograph hunter in Hollywood. Many celebrities from the 1930s are featured. This is the first cartoon where Donald Duck is featured in his blue sailor hat.

<i>Donalds Crime</i> 1945 Donald Duck cartoon

Donald's Crime is a 1945 American animated short film produced by Walt Disney Productions and released by RKO Radio Pictures. The cartoon, which parodies film noir crime dramas of the time, follows Donald Duck as he struggles with guilt after stealing $1.25 from his nephews. The film was directed by Jack King and features original music by Edward H. Plumb. The voice cast includes Clarence Nash as Donald, Huey, Dewey, and Louie, Ruth Clifford as Daisy Duck, and Harry E. Lang as the off-stage voice of Donald's conscience. This was Blondell's first performance as Daisy and marks the debut of the character's "normal" voice. Previously in Mr. Duck Steps Out, Daisy had been voiced by Nash using a voice similar to Donald's.

<i>Sea Scouts</i> (film) 1939 Donald Duck cartoon

Sea Scouts is an animated cartoon short film in the Donald Duck series. It was produced in Technicolor by Walt Disney Productions and released to theaters on June 30, 1939, by RKO Radio Pictures.

<i>The Dognapper</i> 1934 Mickey Mouse cartoon

The Dognapper is a 1934 animated short film produced by Walt Disney Productions and released by United Artists. The cartoon stars Mickey Mouse and Donald Duck as police officers who chase Pegleg Pete after he dognaps Fifi, Minnie Mouse's pet Pekingese. The film was directed by David Hand and features the voices of Clarence Nash as Mickey and Donald. Pinto Colvig as Pete and Melvin J. Gibby as Fifi. It was the 70th Mickey Mouse short film to be released, and the eighth of that year. This was the first and only time that Mickey was voiced by Nash; Walt was in Europe at the time and was unavailable to record his lines for Mickey, thus, Nash took over.

<i>Bellboy Donald</i> 1942 Donald Duck cartoon

Bellboy Donald is a 1942 Donald Duck animated short film, produced in Technicolor by Walt Disney Productions, distributed by RKO Radio Pictures. This cartoon made the debut of Pete's son Pete Junior.

Slide, Donald, Slide is an American animated short film directed by Jack Hannah. In the short film, Spike the Bee listens to classical music while Donald Duck listens to the World Series and the two fight each other over the radio. Part of the Donald Duck film series, the film was produced in Technicolor by Walt Disney Productions and released to theaters by RKO Radio Pictures on November 25, 1949.

<i>Officer Duck</i> 1939 Donald Duck cartoon

Officer Duck is a Donald Duck short film which is produced in Technicolor by Walt Disney Productions and released September 22, 1939 by RKO Radio Pictures. This cartoon marked the first appearance of Pete in a Donald Duck series cartoon.

<i>Donalds Fire Survival Plan</i> 1966 American film

Donald's Fire Survival Plan is an 11-minute Donald Duck educational cartoon released on May 5, 1966. The film was directed by Les Clark. This animated short focuses on fire safety in the home. The original release of this short included a live-action introduction from Walt Disney. It was re-released in August 1984 without the Walt Disney introduction.

<i>Spare the Rod</i> (1954 film) 1954 Donald Duck cartoon

Spare the Rod is a 1954 American animated short film directed by Jack Hannah and produced by Walt Disney, featuring Donald Duck. In the short film, while Donald is doing yard work, his nephews are playing games instead of doing their chores. He is going to punish them, but the "voice of child psychology" convinces him to play along instead. This works well when they chop the wood to burn him at the stake. Meanwhile, a trio of Pygmy cannibals that escaped from the circus are out to do the very same thing to Donald with a cauldron of water.

Bee at the Beach is a 1950 animated short film featuring Donald Duck. It was released by Walt Disney Productions.

The Riveter is a 1940 American Donald Duck short film directed by Dick Lundy and produced by Walt Disney. In the short film, Donald lands a job working high steel as a riveter for construction foreman Pete.

<i>Donalds Dream Voice</i> 1948 Donald Duck cartoon

Donald's Dream Voice is a 1948 American animated short film featuring Donald Duck, the film was directed by Jack Hannah and produced by Walt Disney. In the short film, no one understands a word that salesman Donald says, so he takes voice pills to improve his speech.

References

  1. ""Donald's Penguin" released in first few theaters in U.S." The Ithaca Journal . May 17, 1939.
  2. Lenburg, Jeff (1999). The Encyclopedia of Animated Cartoons. Checkmark Books. pp. 74–76. ISBN   0-8160-3831-7 . Retrieved 6 June 2020.
  3. Andrae 2006, pp. 279–280.
  4. "Tootsie the Penguin introduced to the world of Disney". The Miami News. April 15, 1939.
  5. "The Chronological Donald Volume 1 DVD Review". DVD Dizzy. Retrieved 13 February 2021.

Sources