Soup's On

A Walt Disney DONALD DUCK Cartoon.

"SOUP'S ON" brings the Nephews running, but their filthy hands at Donald's supper table really arouses their Uncle's ire.

This is an unusually violent little film, with the Duck family eagerly out to do serious physical harm to each other. At one point the Nephews even convince their temperamental Uncle that he's dead! However, Donald is always fun to watch regardless of his mood. Clarence "Ducky" Nash provides the voices for all four fowl.

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.

The story is somewhat standard, despite the Thanksgiving setting the "nephews cruelly trick Donald" scenario has been done before. Maybe it is just me also, but I didn't get the significance of the title. This said, Soup's On is a very beautiful-looking Disney short, with colourful backgrounds and crisply drawn characters. The music and sound effects have always been a big part of why the Disney shorts work so well, and Soup's On is no exception, the music is very energetic and the sound effects are well-placed and never bizarre. There are some fun gags as well, the one where Donald slips on the toy and falls down the stairs into the fireplace, the one with Donald falling down after trying to fly with his "angel wings" and especially the one where Donald getting his own back by disguising himself as the devil. There is also a sombre and quite poignant note in the sequence where Donald genuinely does believe he is dead. Donald is both easily frustrated and an unreasonable authority character here, both sides to his character are done very well, while the nephews are mischievous yet cute as well. Overall, very funny and beautifully animated if not one of my favourites. 9/10 Bethany Cox

Donald Duck calls in his nephews for dinner. They're filthy. He sends them up to wash. Even as you and I, they do a poor job of it. Donald sends them to bed without supper, but relents. Nonetheless, they will have their revenge!

It's one of the better Donald Duck cartoons because it starts out fairly normal and simple, and by the end becomes enormously complicated without ever breaking down. Disney staff built this one out of bits and pieces from silent comedy, and made it Mr. Duck's own.

Donald's nephews come home very dirty for dinner. They must wash but when they come back they are still dirty. Now Donald locks them up in their room. The nephews come up with a plan to eat without being bothered by Donald. There are some funny moments in this one, mostly in the end, but overall it is not that funny.

This is a funny cartoon featuring Donald Duck and his nephews. They are at camp in a cabin in the woods.

The nephews were playing outside and has gotten pretty dirtied up, much to Donald's ire. So, when they arrive at the supper table, Donald tells them to wash up. They go upstairs and pretend to wash (they just wiped themselves with towels), but when they return to supper, Donald caught on to them and banishes them to their room. What results is one of the most outrageous trick they play on Donald, leading him to literally show the devil in himself (which, actually was pretty scary to me when I was a little kid)! But, it's funny stuff!

It is a great cartoon with great animation, catchy music, colorful characters and a funny script. It will send you laughing from start to finish.

Grade A