Donald pilote d'essai

This is a rather unpredictable Chip N Dale and Donald Duck cartoon. Donald tests his model airplane but, after it gets stuck in a tree, Dale jumps on it and decides to take it for a fun run. Chip wanted no part of it and wasn't amused at Dale taking parts in the mischief. He even went as far as stopping him from getting into the plane at first, saying it belongs to Donald. That was a refreshing departure.

Not many laughs in this one though, but plenty of slapstick stuff, good animation, and classic Donald expressions.

Grade B-

A Walt Disney DONALD DUCK Cartoon.

TEST PILOT DONALD is appalled to see that his highly expensive toy plane has been appropriated by Chipmunk Dale.

Here is another standard Duck versus Chipmunks film; the plot is routine, but the antagonists are always enjoyable to watch. Notice the subtly animated background behind the title - a very rare effect in a Disney cartoon short. Clarence "Ducky" Nash supplies Donald's 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 always pay off.

Which one is Dale, which one is Chip?

In Test Pilot Donald, a masterfully designed short film structure; Dale and Chip have distinct and not-so-opposite character growth.

Make this short your 1st Chip'n'Dale episode to start watching their other adventures; so you will never confuse who is who.

The premise is in two Acts:

Act-1: Donald remote controls a AN-74 Ferrari inspired jet drone which hits and bogs down on a tree two chipmunks have a home in.

Inciding Incident: Dale jumps on the drone and aims to ride it, while Chip warns him indicating a big white duck (Donald) controls the drone.

Thesis- Dale must take the control of the drone from Donald, by riding it from its pilot seat.

Act-2: Dale takes on the challenge and Chip will need to run for his rescue when Donald captures Dale in a water bottle.

Synthesis- To prove he can handle this trouble on his own, Dale succeeds on messing up with Donald and manages to entrap him tied down to a houseroof while the drone was lapsing around it continuously.

The first Academy award nominated antagonist chipmunks in animation history(1947) have been given distinct character growths; uniquely uncompleting each others' opposite motives. Chip only risks his safety for his shelter or in case he needs food; while Dale is the Daledevil always jumps for any adventures and challenges by heart without making any plans.

After this episode, ever since 1951, in the new Chip'n'Dale adventures Chip always draws up a plan and whispers to Dale's ear ; which will indeed hamper Dale's adventurist initiations. (Accordingly making all the new Chip'n'Dale cartoons predictable with boring endings)

The mastered Duo rule for any unique Comedy Duos: + Do not oppose your dual partner just because he has an opposite character ++ The duo do not have to attempt all challenges together; while they are both still actively involved in the action +++ Out of the duo, decide which one will be on the foreground ; and which one for the background ++++ When the duo do not need to complete each other; their character growths are given free space and the story structure evolves into an unpredictable dynamic (the master rule for all duo-comedy franchises)

I personally enjoy the Donald Duck/Chip 'n' Dale cartoons. Sure, they are not the best cartoons I've ever seen, and most of them including this one are routine story-wise, but I still find them very entertaining. Test Pilot Donald is not one of their best, there are funnier cartoons of theirs out there, though I was amused by the tools being left in the plane engine. However, it is beautifully animated, from the subtle backgrounds, well-drawn characters to the elegant colours, and the music has a very uplifting quality to it. Of the characters, I found the star of the cartoon to be Dale, he is not only cute but he manages to drive Donald crazy and defeat him by himself, while Chip, perhaps the only cartoon where this is the case, has none of it. Clarence Nash does a great job as Donald despite not having much to say. Overall, a fun and amusing cartoon but nothing exceptional at the end of the day. 8/10 Bethany Cox

Donald Duck is testing out his new model airplane in the park, when it's caught in a tree. It's Chip and Dale's tree. While Chip wants to have nothing to do with it, Dale decides to take the chipmunk-sized aircraft out for a spin. It doesn't take long for Donald's temper to get him in trouble; it's a seven-minute cartoon, after all.

What susrprised me about this cartoon is the strong differentiation between the two chipmunks' characters. It shouldn't, I suppose. Disney staff knew their stories were firmly based in character, and here that makes a difference.