Donald chez les ecureuils

Despite the title, this is NOT the first appearance of Chip and Dale in cartoons. Instead, it's their third--and their first starring vehicle.

When the film begins, Donald, ever the jerk, chops down Chip and Dale's tree. Naturally the pair resent this--plus he's stolen their nuts! So the pair go in search of their tree or at least what's left of it. The rest is a battle between the two rodents and Donald and, as you'd expect, they get the better of this grouchy bird throughout the cartoon.

So is this a classic? Perhaps. I liked the cartoon and it's well made but it also lacks the wonderful sadism of Warner Brothers' comparable pair, Hubie and Bert--characters that were far less popular but whose nasty antics make me laugh car more than a Chip and Dale cartoon. Still, well worth seeing.

This is one of my favourite Chip an' Dale cartoons. It is lively and on the whole well animated. The animation is very colourful and vibrant, a couple of stiff movements here and there, but not at all bad. My only other minor criticism is that the story is very routine. The music however is lovely and memorable, and like in Toy Tinkers I loved it that Donald was made the antagonist of the picture. Chip an' Dale are as funny and as cute as ever, and Clarence Nash does a fine job voicing Donald. I may be biased for liking this, but I love Donald Duck, he is such a great character. There are some funny moments, one of my favourites was when Donald sticks his head into the fireplace and Chip an' Dale drop snow onto his head from above. All in all, lively and fun. 8/10 Bethany Cox

'Chip An' Dale (1947)' is one of the earliest shorts featuring its eponymous chipmunks. This time, they find their slumber disturbed by Donald Duck, who chops down their home to use in his fireplace. The pair make various attempts to prevent their house from burning to ashes, irritating the ever-irritable duck in the process. It's almost like a 'Tom and Jerry' cartoon, in some ways. It's a solid short film, with enjoyable animation and a few chuckle-worthy gags. It features a few of the old classics, such as what I'll call the 'extended double-take', and it's typically entertaining. It does lack a proper sense of pacing but that's not a major issue. What is, perhaps, is the fact that you can't really understand any of its dialogue. Even then, the characters are physical enough for this not to be a big problem; you can always understand their intentions. The film isn't quite as engaging or funny as it could have been but it's still a decent effort overall. 6/10.

This is one of the first Disney cartoon featuring Chip N'Dale. Here, they meet Donald Duck, which isn't a pleasurable first meeting as Donald chopped down a small log so he could light a fire in the bitter cold, unaware that the chipmunks were living inside.

Donald is my favorite Disney character, so I don't like him being the brunt of all bad luck all the time. But, he does have some funny moments in this cartoon, especially where the snowball splashes in his face. The chipmunks' fast-talk was hilarious at times. Chip plays the more thoughtful and know-it-all chipmunk, while Dale is the more goofy and clueless one.

I remembered watching this cartoon short as part of a video cartoon short compilation when I was a kid. I've always thought the cartoon shorts were funny when I was a kid, but became a little more partial toward Donald Duck as he became my favorite character and Chip N'Dale became more annoying. But, it's still a fun cartoon for the kids and good for any true fans of the chipmunks.

Grade B-

Chip and Dale are among my favorite Disney cartoon characters, so this was a nice visit. Their design in this official debut wasn't the best of them, but that's my only nit-pick. I love their antics when they fight with Donald Duck and naturally get the better of him.

See it for yourself and you'll hopefully enjoy it even after all these years.