Donald's Tire Trouble

Donald's Tire Trouble (1943)

*** (out of 4)

Donald is out in the country speeding along in his car when suddenly he gets a flat tire. What should be an easy fix turns into a nightmare.

DONALD'S TIRE TROUBLE isn't what I'd consider a Disney classic but if you're a fan of the little duck then you should have a good time with it. Basically we get a lot of action as poor Donald keeps trying to get the tire fixed only to run into another problem. The short really didn't make me laugh but the animation itself was creative enough to where it kept me entertained throughout the running time. The highlight certainly happens towards the end when Donald has reached his limits and a breakdown follows.

A Walt Disney DONALD DUCK Cartoon.

DONALD'S TIRE TROUBLE starts when the speed demon gets a flat on a lonely mountain road.

There's lots of fun in this little film in watching the Duck deal with inanimate objects which seem bent on destroying him. Younger viewers may not understand Donald's exasperation with retreads, or the significance of rubber patches, but this cartoon was produced during wartime and poked gentle fun at the rubber shortage caused by rationing. Clarence "Ducky" Nash provides Donald with his unique voice.

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 will always pay off.

This is one of my favorite Donald Duck cartoon shorts, where he goes on a joyride in his roofless car. After going faster than a speeding bullet, he blows out a tire. What follows are one hilarious attempt after the other in jacking up the car, getting the tire off, patching the tire, and putting the tire back on the axle.

When you see the insides of the tire, it is noticeable that he has reused it one too many times, as it is patched up with all sorts of different objects such as a rubber glove and duct tape. This is classic Donald in his un-handy but quick thinking skills. And, Donald's expressions and reactions as he get stuck in the tire and gets tape glued to his mouth are priceless.

Overall, a cartoon that would send laughs and tears to everyone!

Grade A

I have always loved Disney and Donald Duck as I have said quite a number of times. Donald's Tire Trouble is another entertaining cartoon, while very funny it also gently pokes fun at the rubber shortage caused by rationing during World War II. The animation is pristine, bursting with colour and beauty. True, the blurring effect with the car is dated but compared to the small amount it is featured it is not so much an issue for me. The music is typically energetic and Donald with impeccable voice work as ever from Clarence Nash is temperamental and likable.

In conclusion, terrific, entertaining cartoon. 10/10 Bethany Cox

When seen today, "Donoald's Tire Trouble" might not make sense to many younger viewers. First, Donald's tire is a mess because during WWII, there was a tire shortage and most folks at home were not allowed to buy new tires or innertubes...hence all the many rubber patched. Second, the anatomy of tires has changed...and innertube-less tires are the norm.

The cartoon is very short and simple. Donald is driving his car like a maniac when he gets a flat. He spends the rest of the film trying, in vain, to fix it. Because the plot is so simple, I would not place it among the better cartoons in the series but like all Donald Duck cartoons, it's still well worth seeing.