No Hunting

A Walt Disney DONALD DUCK Cartoon.

The spirit of Donald's pioneer Grandpappy inspires him to get out and shoot some meat for the table.

Nominated for an Academy Award, NO HUNTING is a very funny spoof of the habits & foibles of the American hunter. Bambi and his Mother make a surprise appearance; this was to be Grandpa Duck's only role in a Disney cartoon. Clarence Nash provides Donald with his unique voice.

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 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 childlike simplicity of message and lots of hard work always pay off.

Donald Duck goes hunting in the woods, urged by the spirit of his great-grandfather, who was a hunter back in his days. However, the hunting season is portrayed as a sporting event, with hot dog vendors, fire engines and ambulances. The event is also treated like a all-out war, with the hunters' bazookas and tanks to catch their prey.

It's a beautifully animated, but an unusual cartoon with just lots of chaos. No funny, classic Donald moments here - just lots of endless running around and war-like mayhem. However, the cameo appearance by Bambi and his mother was a nice treat.

Grade C+

This cartoon is one of my all time favourite Donald Duck cartoons, it is a hilarious spoof of habits of the American Hunter. No wonder No Hunting was nominated for an Oscar, for it is a truly brilliant cartoon. It never fails to be short of funny, the final gag with the cow has to be one of the funniest gags ever in a Disney cartoon.

It wasn't just the humour that made No Hunting a true winner. Other aspects were the wonderful animation and the beautiful music. Plus the voice overs of Clarence Nash and Bill Thompson as Donald and Grandpappy. Both men did a splendid job I must say. Also watch out for Bambi and his mother in a surprise appearance. Overall, absolutely brilliant. A must see. 10/10 Bethany Cox

This short was nominated for an Oscar and is actually a very funny cartoon, for a Donald Duck. Donald is so obnoxiousus that its hard sometimes to enjoy the cartoon, but Donald is not the focus here-hunting is. The spoof of hunting here is almost as good as it is in Tex Avery's "Field and Scream" and is the funniest aspect of the short. The final gag with the cow is a scream! This runs periodically on The Ink and Paint Club. Recommended.