Der Hockey-Champion

A perfect 10 for 10

This short animation from the Walt Disney vaults is a must see for any hockey fan enthusiast. The color is fantastic, and the interaction with Donald Duck and his young and rambunctious three (3) nephews on ice skates is such a wonderful piece of cartoon nostalgia that I wished that the new Disney films that get released in the theaters with their half a billion dollar budgets would wow their audiences by showing this 1939 short 7 minute cartoon prior to their main feature film which is what I was used to seeing back in the 1960's.

Parents and children would flock back to the theaters and talk more about the preliminary cartoon short they just saw than the multi-million dollar CGI enhanced feature films that are cookie cutters of the previous years action/adventure films.

A Walt Disney DONALD DUCK Cartoon.

Donald, THE HOCKEY CHAMP of Duck Swamp, gets himself into trouble when he brags of his prowess on the ice to his Nephews.

This enjoyable little film boasts fine animation & a funny storyline. Early on, Donald does an impression of Norwegian skating queen Sonja Henie, a big movie star at the time, even replicating her trademark tiptoe ice dancing. Clarence "Ducky" Nash supplies the unique voices of Donald & the Nephews.

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.

I noticed one review that complained that 'the characters didn't really get along and were mean-spirited toward each other'. Well, this is very true in "The Hockey Champ"...but also in MOST cartoons featuring Donald and his nephews! I can only assume they haven't seen that many of these Disney shorts.

When the short begins, Donald is skating around the lake--pretending he's the Olympic skating champion, Sonja Henie. Soon, the nephews arrive and Donald tries to show them how a champion hockey player plays the game. Mostly, however, what you see are the nephews tormenting Donald.

To me, this is an average Donald and nephews film...no better, no worse.

Donald Duck is showing off on the ice. The kids are playing hockey and Donald brings out his Hockey Champion of Duck Swamp trophy. He challenges his nephews in a three on one game. He's unstoppable until the boys fight back with some unconventional tactics. It's a little odd when Donald is great at anything. So this starts off a little oddly. His arrogance is very much expected and that's how this plays out. That's the fun of this short. Donald gets his comeuppance once again.

Donald is skating with elegance, and grace on a frozen lake until he sees his nephews Huey, Dewey, and Louie playing Ice Hockey. So he decides to challenge them to a three-on-one game after showing them his 'Duck Swamp Champion' trophy.

The animation and effects were great, especially for the year that this cartoon was released. Some funny moments will rouse young children and keep them entertained.

Like all short Disney cartoons, I find the scenery looked gorgeous and the story itself was enjoyable, but not truly memorable.

On a side note, you can't help but feel a little sorry for Donald, as he seems to always get slapped around like a hockey puck.

7/10.