Donald, der Nußdieb

A Walt Disney DONALD DUCK Cartoon.

CHIP AN' DALE make Donald's life miserable after he cuts down their tree for firewood.

The story & animation are routine, but the film is significant in that it is the first in which the Chipmunks are named, hence the title. Clarence "Ducky" Nash supplies Donald's voice; the little rodents are often unintelligible.

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 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 simplicity of message and lots of hard work always pay off.

Very funny Oscar-nominated Donald Duck short featuring Chip & Dale. While it isn't the first Chip & Dale cartoon, it is the first in which they go by those names. It's also their first pairing with Donald Duck. The story has Donald at a wintry cabin. He decides to chop down a tree for some firewood. Needless to say, the small tree he chooses is occupied. Chip & Dale want their home back and are happy to torment Donald in the process. This leads to a battle between the duck and the chipmunks with expectedly humorous results. It's well-animated with beautiful colors and nice music. It's got a lively pace and several funny gags. This is good fun that anybody who loves these classic characters should get a kick out of.

This is one of my favourite Chip an' Dale cartoons. It is lively and on the whole well animated. The animation is very colourful and vibrant, a couple of stiff movements here and there, but not at all bad. My only other minor criticism is that the story is very routine. The music however is lovely and memorable, and like in Toy Tinkers I loved it that Donald was made the antagonist of the picture. Chip an' Dale are as funny and as cute as ever, and Clarence Nash does a fine job voicing Donald. I may be biased for liking this, but I love Donald Duck, he is such a great character. There are some funny moments, one of my favourites was when Donald sticks his head into the fireplace and Chip an' Dale drop snow onto his head from above. All in all, lively and fun. 8/10 Bethany Cox

'Chip An' Dale (1947)' is one of the earliest shorts featuring its eponymous chipmunks. This time, they find their slumber disturbed by Donald Duck, who chops down their home to use in his fireplace. The pair make various attempts to prevent their house from burning to ashes, irritating the ever-irritable duck in the process. It's almost like a 'Tom and Jerry' cartoon, in some ways. It's a solid short film, with enjoyable animation and a few chuckle-worthy gags. It features a few of the old classics, such as what I'll call the 'extended double-take', and it's typically entertaining. It does lack a proper sense of pacing but that's not a major issue. What is, perhaps, is the fact that you can't really understand any of its dialogue. Even then, the characters are physical enough for this not to be a big problem; you can always understand their intentions. The film isn't quite as engaging or funny as it could have been but it's still a decent effort overall. 6/10.

Despite the title, this is NOT the first appearance of Chip and Dale in cartoons. Instead, it's their third--and their first starring vehicle.

When the film begins, Donald, ever the jerk, chops down Chip and Dale's tree. Naturally the pair resent this--plus he's stolen their nuts! So the pair go in search of their tree or at least what's left of it. The rest is a battle between the two rodents and Donald and, as you'd expect, they get the better of this grouchy bird throughout the cartoon.

So is this a classic? Perhaps. I liked the cartoon and it's well made but it also lacks the wonderful sadism of Warner Brothers' comparable pair, Hubie and Bert--characters that were far less popular but whose nasty antics make me laugh car more than a Chip and Dale cartoon. Still, well worth seeing.