Donald, der Caballero

"Don Donald" has the distinction of being Donald's first solo cartoon. That's its only distinction. It offers no more than occasional, incomplete glimpses of Donald's personality, which had been far more fully developed in his cameo in "The Band Concert" (1935) and the ten or so cartoons that had been made since in which he had co-starred.

The basic problem is one of casting. Donald may be the greatest, richest cartoon creation of all time, but there are some things he can't do, and role-playing song-and-dance is one of them. This is more the kind of cartoon that was assigned to Mickey at the start of HIS solo career. Mickey was born to play roles. Donald was always best as himself. (That's one of the reasons why Mickey's segment in "Fantasia" would be, if it were separate, one of the best short cartoons ever made, while the best that can be said of Donald's segment in the generally ill-conceived "Fantasia 2000" is that it was a game but doomed effort.) It's surprising that a director as talented and astute as Ben Sharpsteen could have made so elementary a mistake.

Donald's solo career would soon take off. Later in 1937 he'd appear in "Modern Inventions" and "Donald's Ostrich", both the real thing.

This is the first cartoon that features Donald Duck's girlfriend, Daisy, though she is called Donna in this short and her voice is similar to Donald's. It is also the first cartoon starring Donald Duck as top billing. Here, he arrives in his burro and tries to court Donna in Mexico, but things don't go well at first, leaving the two ducks quarreling and fighting, with Donna getting the upper-hand. She proves to be an aggressive snob and, in my opinion, unlikable in this story.

There are funny moments though, which includes Donald's classic temper and frustrated demeanor, and his car breaking down, throwing Donna around left and right. Donna's voice being similar to Donald's was also somewhat funny; it's like hearing two Donald Ducks bickering with each other. Donald's burro is a bit annoying though, not cooperating with Donald and causing him to get in trouble with Donna.

Overall, not one of the better Donald/Daisy cartoons. Donald was OK in this one, but Daisy was unlikable.

Grade D

This very funny Donald Duck short puts the feathered one south of the border as he tries to woo an attractive young female duck. This film marks the first appearance of the character that would become Daisy Duck, but it's not the Daisy we've come to know. This duckette has a temper to match Donald's. Watching this made me wish they had left the Daisy Duck character like this, making her a much more suitable match for Donald.

Apparently, this is Donald's first solo effort. Hs is in Mexico and goes to see a potential love interest. It's Donna Duck, not Daisy. What transpires is his every effort being met with huge anger by the female. He trie everything, including buying a car, but she is hell on wheels. The weakness of this episode has to do with the lack of connection between the characters. Donna never treats anyone positively, yet Donald is utterly taken with here. Quite ordinary with little future promise. One downside--I could barely make out what Donald was saying.

A Walt Disney DONALD DUCK Cartoon.

In Old Mexico, DON DONALD learns what it takes to impress a temperamental señorita.

Daisy Duck made her movie debut in this very enjoyable little film, which features good animation and funny performances from both Ducks. Strangely, it would be another three years before Daisy returned for her second appearance, in MR DUCK STEPS OUT (1940). At this point in her career, Daisy received her unique vocalization from the same source as Donald - talented voice artist Clarence Nash.

Walt Disney (1901-1966) was always intrigued by drawings. As a lad in Marceline, Missouri, he sketched farm animals on scraps of paper; later, as an ambulance driver in France during the First World War, he drew comic figures on the sides of his vehicle. Back in Kansas City, along with artist Ub Iwerks, Walt developed a primitive animation studio that provided animated commercials and tiny cartoons for the local movie theaters. Always the innovator, his ALICE IN CARTOONLAND series broke ground in placing a live figure in a cartoon universe. Business reversals sent Disney & Iwerks to Hollywood in 1923, where Walt's older brother Roy became his lifelong business manager & counselor. When a mildly successful series with Oswald The Lucky Rabbit was snatched away by the distributor, the character of Mickey Mouse sprung into Walt's imagination, ensuring Disney's immortality. The happy arrival of sound technology made Mickey's screen debut, STEAMBOAT WILLIE (1928), a tremendous audience success with its use of synchronized music. The SILLY SYMPHONIES soon appeared, and Walt's growing crew of marvelously talented animators were quickly conquering new territory with full color, illusions of depth and radical advancements in personality development, an arena in which Walt's genius was unbeatable. Mickey's feisty, naughty behavior had captured millions of fans, but he was soon to be joined by other animated companions: temperamental Donald Duck, intellectually-challenged Goofy and energetic Pluto. All this was in preparation for Walt's grandest dream - feature length animated films. Against a blizzard of doomsayers, Walt persevered and over the next decades delighted children of all ages with the adventures of Snow White, Pinocchio, Dumbo, Bambi & Peter Pan. Walt never forgot that his fortunes were all started by a mouse, or that childlike simplicity of message and lots of hard work will always pay off.