Truco o trato

With it being that time of year, I thought it was a perfect night to watch this Donald Duck cartoon taking place on Halloween. He sees his nephews Huey, Dewey, and Louie knocking on his door and saying, "Trick or treat" but instead of giving them candy, he gives them firecrackers which explode and has a pail above pour water on them! So a Witch Hazel appears to them and offers her services to exact revenge. And does she ever! It's often funny seeing Donald get his comeuppance and this short was no exception, that's for sure! By the way, while there was also a Witch Hazel in a couple of Bugs Bunny cartoons, obviously that one's not the same as this one here though both were voiced by June Foray in the same cadence. Happy Halloween, everybody!

After Donald Duck plays a cruel Halloween prank on his pants-hating nephews, the three team-up with Witch Hazel and her broom to teach him a lesson about 'tricks and treats.' As of this writing (2017), this short is now 65 years old. And it holds up 100%, both for its animation and its music. Far too many movies or cartoons become dated, but this one is truly timeless. In a mere eight minutes, Disney found a way to show us the spirit of Halloween, and throw in a real witch just for fun.

If there is anything at all dated about the short (and this is a big maybe), it is the use of the devil costume. Although Halloween has probably gotten more gory and creepy since this cartoon came out, I feel like actual devil imagery has decreased and perhaps become even taboo.

This was a fun bouncy animation in all its Halloween shlock that can only come from Disney during that period and in any other context outside of a Disney Cartoon, would be utterly horrifying. It's a great little story that progresses smoothly with some enjoyable Halloween imagery.

The delightful voice talent of June Foray (the original Granny from Loony Tunes, Cindy Loo Who from The Grinch, Lucifer from Cinderella, and Rocky the Flying Squirrel, just to name a few) who owned the part of Hazel and made this fun character delightfully colorful, was the heart of this little number.

Over all a non-serious goofy little number with some standard fare music, great voice talent, and fun Halloween visuals.

A Walt Disney DONALD DUCK Cartoon.

Donald learns the true meaning of TRICK OR TREAT when he infuriates a wee witch on Halloween.

This funny little film is probably Donald's best cartoon of the 1950's. The animation, music & characterizations are all first rate. June Foray has a fine time voicing Witch Hazel, who unfortunately makes her only appearance in a Disney film here. Clarence Nash provides the unique voices for the Duck and his Nephews.

For the record, Witch Hazel's recipe for the magic brew consists of eye of needle, tongue of shoe, hand of clock, neck of bottle, tail of pout (a type of fish) and whiskers from a billy goat.

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.

It preserves every flavor of childhood from a time when the notion of Halloween was unknown for me , living under ceausescu regime.

But the tenacious, nice - for kids - witch and her solution for help the nephews of greedy Donald Duck works today like in 1952. Because it represents a chain of demonstrations of imagination, a nice story, fair atmosphere, creepy characters in different light and a sadistic Donald , easy to recognize in few old people, living alone, traits.

But, no doubts, the most seductive remains the witch Hazel , scared by pumpkin, full of compasion about bad joke to children and determined to offer satisfaction ( not only for them). So, pure delight.