Paperino E Il Gorilla

A Walt Disney DONALD DUCK Cartoon.

One spooky night, Donald and his Nephews are menaced by Ajax, the slavering simian.

With a plot that moves fast & furious, DONALD DUCK AND THE GORILLA is a funny little film that still has plenty of thrills as the Ducks are placed in real mortal danger. One wonders why our feathered friends are dwelling in such a decrepit, decaying domicile - which just happens to be furnished with a gorilla costume and tear gas bombs. Clarence Nash provides 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.

If I had to sum up Donald Duck and the Gorilla in one word, I have to say classic. It is a delightful Halloween cartoon, and one of my personal favourite Donald Duck cartoons. One that is both scary and funny.

The animation for back then is of true beauty and the music really adds to the atmosphere. The story moves very fast and is well structured, while the dialogue and sight gags are delightful. In terms of characters, it is Donald's show all the way, voiced by the brilliant Clarence Nash who IS Donald Duck in my opinion, but he is almost upstaged by Ajax the Gorilla.

Overall, a Halloween classic and a must see for fans of the cantankerous duck. 10/10 Bethany Cox

I first saw this cartoon in the Disney special video program, Halloween Treat, and it was a good one for a funny scare. Here, Donald and his nephews hear on the radio that a gorilla has escaped from the zoo and, as a result, they all scare each other with gorilla hands and costumes. This goes on until they all encounter the real gorilla, who has broken into their home.

This cartoon has its creepy moments but it is mostly funny with plenty of gags and laugh-out-loud moments; I especially like the part where after the nephews accidentally burn Donald's tail and he turns around with an angry look - his face turning into a boiling pot kettle.

The cat and mouse chase between the gorilla and Donald in his seemingly humongous house is entertaining from start to finish, with the nephews trying desperately to stop the mad animal.

Overall, it's one of the best cartoon shorts featuring Donald and his nephews.

Grade A

Donald is as funny as ever in this animated short. My favorite part of the cartoon is when Donald and his nephews are tiptoeing around the house with one of Donald's nephews holding a candle right behind Donald. This candles serves as a great comedy prop as hot wax is accidentally poured on Donald's poor tail. Angered, Donald takes the candle only to heat up a doorknob that he later grabs. Ouch!!!

There are other great gags in this cartoon, just proving why Donald is my absolute favorite cartoon character. He never gets a break, even at the end of the cartoon. Although I do wonder why Donald and his nephews had some tear gas in their house. I guess they kept it around for just such an occasion. The only flaws to this short is that it may not be the most original plot or be considered a classic, but it's still hilarious. Way to go, Donald!

My IMDb Rating: 9/10

Like "Lonesome Ghosts" and "Trick or Treat" this is part of the Disney Halloween Cartoon Trilogy. The story is simple as it is for most cartoons: Ajax, the killer gorilla has escaped from the city zoo and is in the area. You can guess where he turns up! Full of laughs!