Canvas Back Duck

Donald Duck and his nephews, Huey, Dewey and Louie, visit the carnival, where Donald makes high scores on various weight testing machines. Thinking he is a force to be reckon with, Donald is conned into a boxing match with Peewee Pete. As a result, Donald attempts to fight Pete in the ring, with hilarious results, while his nephews try to help him.

It's a beautifully animated cartoon with a good collaboration and character development between Donald and his nephews - they're not picking on one another for a change. And, Donald gets the upper hand in this one, which is a rare feat.

Loved Clarence Nash's voice-over of Donald and the nephews. Fun little cartoon!

Grade A-

A Walt Disney DONALD DUCK Cartoon.

Donald quickly becomes a CANVAS BACK DUCK after getting suckered into going three rounds with boxing thug Peewee Pete.

While this is a very routine Duck cartoon in every way, it is still humorous enough. It is interesting to note that this is a rare instance in which Donald's Nephews are totally on his side, doing all they can to help him against the abominable Pete. Clarence Nash provided the unique voices for the entire Duck clan.

Walt Disney (1901-1966) was always intrigued by pictures & 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 storm of naysayers, 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 always pay off.

While not one of my favourite cartoons, this is still a very entertaining Donald Duck cartoon. It is a very interesting one for starters for two reasons, one because Donald's nephews are the ones on his side rather than conflicting with him, and two because it is one where Donald is the one who wins. While perhaps not the most original of stories, Canvas Back Duck is crisply paced and is constantly amusing. The highlight is the boxing match between Donald and Pee-Wee Pete(a deliciously ironic name as one would see), it is amazing how anyone survives considering what goes on in this scene when that would not be the case in real life. The part where Donald breaks Pete's chin, which happens to be his Achilles heel is no exception. Donald is a character you immediately identify with and works well doing what he does best. Pete is a great adversary. Huey, Duwey and Louie are also at their most likable. The animation quality doesn't disappoint either, the colours are vibrant and the backgrounds have fluidity. The music an sound effects are typically energetic and help to enhance the action. All in all, a fun and interesting Donald Duck short. 9/10 Bethany Cox