Release calendarTop 250 moviesMost popular moviesBrowse movies by genreTop box officeShowtimes & ticketsMovie newsIndia movie spotlight
    What's on TV & streamingTop 250 TV showsMost popular TV showsBrowse TV shows by genreTV news
    What to watchLatest trailersIMDb OriginalsIMDb PicksIMDb SpotlightFamily entertainment guideIMDb Podcasts
    EmmysSuperheroes GuideSan Diego Comic-ConSummer Watch GuideBest Of 2025 So FarDisability Pride MonthSTARmeter AwardsAwards CentralFestival CentralAll events
    Born todayMost popular celebsCelebrity news
    Help centerContributor zonePolls
For industry professionals
  • Language
  • Fully supported
  • English (United States)
    Partially supported
  • Français (Canada)
  • Français (France)
  • Deutsch (Deutschland)
  • हिंदी (भारत)
  • Italiano (Italia)
  • Português (Brasil)
  • Español (España)
  • Español (México)
Watchlist
Sign in
  • Fully supported
  • English (United States)
    Partially supported
  • Français (Canada)
  • Français (France)
  • Deutsch (Deutschland)
  • हिंदी (भारत)
  • Italiano (Italia)
  • Português (Brasil)
  • Español (España)
  • Español (México)
Use app
  • Cast & crew
  • User reviews
  • Trivia
IMDbPro

Donald's Cousin Gus

  • 1939
  • 7m
IMDb RATING
6.7/10
1.2K
YOUR RATING
Donald's Cousin Gus (1939)
AnimationComedyFamilyShort

Donald's cousin Gus Goose arrives unexpectedly. Despite the note from his mother saying "he don't eat much," he's soon eating Donald out of house and home.Donald's cousin Gus Goose arrives unexpectedly. Despite the note from his mother saying "he don't eat much," he's soon eating Donald out of house and home.Donald's cousin Gus Goose arrives unexpectedly. Despite the note from his mother saying "he don't eat much," he's soon eating Donald out of house and home.

  • Director
    • Jack King
  • Writers
    • Carl Barks
    • Jack Hannah
    • Harry Reeves
  • Stars
    • James MacDonald
    • Clarence Nash
  • See production info at IMDbPro
  • IMDb RATING
    6.7/10
    1.2K
    YOUR RATING
    • Director
      • Jack King
    • Writers
      • Carl Barks
      • Jack Hannah
      • Harry Reeves
    • Stars
      • James MacDonald
      • Clarence Nash
    • 10User reviews
    • 1Critic review
  • See production info at IMDbPro
  • See production info at IMDbPro
  • Photos15

    View Poster
    View Poster
    View Poster
    View Poster
    View Poster
    View Poster
    View Poster
    + 8
    View Poster

    Top cast2

    Edit
    James MacDonald
    • Gus Goose
    • (voice)
    • (uncredited)
    Clarence Nash
    Clarence Nash
    • Donald Duck
    • (voice)
    • (uncredited)
    • Director
      • Jack King
    • Writers
      • Carl Barks
      • Jack Hannah
      • Harry Reeves
    • All cast & crew
    • Production, box office & more at IMDbPro

    User reviews10

    6.71.2K
    1
    2
    3
    4
    5
    6
    7
    8
    9
    10

    Featured reviews

    5rbverhoef

    Not that funny

    This Donald Duck cartoon starts with cousin Gus Goose who is visiting Donald Duck. Donald has no idea who he is, but after a note from his aunt he lets the goose inside his house. The note said that Gus does not each much, but as soon as he is in he starts eating all of Donald's food. Gus drives Donald crazy and of course he tries to get rid of the goose.

    The first minute is pretty nice with some good gags and a well animated sequence where Gus is eating everything. But after that it is too much of the same. After a couple of minutes I wanted this cartoon to end. Not a good thing for a Disney cartoon; I normally enjoy them very much.
    6TheLittleSongbird

    Beautifully animated, but lacking for me

    This is a real shame as I love Donald Duck and Disney. But Donald's Cousin Gus just wasn't them at their best for me. It certainly has its good points. The animation is absolutely beautiful, as pretty much always it is nothing to complain about, and I'll say the exact same for the music too. Donald's trademark personality is put to good use, mainly through his priceless reactions to what's going on, though could have been done better in a more inspiredly written situation. Some of the gags at the beginning and a couple of Gus' sly ways with stealing the food especially the one with the cake work very well, and Clarence Nash's Donald voice is impeccable. Sadly, the story gets routine very quickly, and it doesn't help that most of the gags are too more of the same. The barking hot dog gag was an interesting concept and quite an original one, but came across as contrived here instead. Also not helping is that outside of the sly food-stealing Gus doesn't have much of a personality and his playing dumb gets annoying and predictable at the end of the day. Overall, lacking but not bad. 6/10 Bethany Cox
    10Ron Oliver

    Birds Not Of A Feather

    A Walt Disney DONALD DUCK Cartoon.

    DONALD'S COUSIN GUS Goose arrives with his inexhaustible appetite & bottomless maw.

    The Donald finally meets his match in this very funny & well-made cartoon. Clarence `Ducky' Nash supplies Donald's voice. Gus did not prove popular enough with viewers to justify his return as a featured player in further films; when last heard from he was operating a tiny seafood restaurant in Redondo Beach, California.

    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, Bambi, Peter Pan and Mr. Toad. 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.
    5CuriosityKilledShawn

    'This is very, very exasperating.'

    In this cartoon an ungainly and annoying goose called Gus turns up at Donald's house with a note from Aunt Fanny (?) claiming that he is his cousin and is here for a visit. The note also says he doesn't eat much, which turns out to be a total lie since Gus proceeds to eat Donald out of house and home and turn an otherwise peaceful, non-stressful day for Donald into bedlam.

    Gus is an annoying character but thankfully he doesn't say much and only ever makes a honking sound when he wants attention, which he does by squeezing his ass! Much like Donald, I hope to never see Gus again. And this cartoon ain't that great I'm afraid.
    1crosswalkx

    Donald's Cousin Gus has an eating disorder and horded food from poor Donald

    I have seen this Donald Duck cartoon and I was very disappointed in this cartoon. Donald Duck is about to have lunch when his cousin Gus stops by for a visit.

    It made me mad that Cousin Gus just rudely stole the food including corn, peas, loaf of bread and ate the entire cake and he didn't even share with Donald Duck, Donald Duck tried to get him out of the house with a magic sausage but it didn't work and he even broke into Donald's refrigerator to eat more and leave nothing left for Donald Duck.

    I'm very disappointed in this cartoon. His cousin Gus owes Donald Duck an apology for stealing his food without permission. I didn't like the portrayal of a gluttony character with an eating disorder, this episode made me sick to watch, I'm surprised Cousin Gus didn't throw up because this episode made me literally want to throw up. There should be a sequel where Cousin Gus has to pay back Donald Duck for the food he rudely stole from him.

    This is one of the worst Disney cartoons I've ever seen and I would like to forget this Donald Duck episode ever existed. I sure hope this cartoon short doesn't end up on Disney Plus, oh wait it's in the Disneyland episode "The Plausible Impossible" by Walt Disney which is painful to watch. Do yourself a favor and fast forward this cartoon short scene and skip it, it isn't worth your time. But everything else in that episode is worth watching.

    This Donald Duck episode deserves a Razzie Award for worst cartoon short ever.

    More like this

    Donald's Nephews
    6.9
    Donald's Nephews
    Goofy and Wilbur
    6.9
    Goofy and Wilbur
    Beach Picnic
    6.5
    Beach Picnic
    The Flying Jalopy
    6.7
    The Flying Jalopy
    The Hockey Champ
    7.0
    The Hockey Champ
    Barnyard Olympics
    6.7
    Barnyard Olympics
    Old MacDonald Duck
    6.4
    Old MacDonald Duck
    Inferior Decorator
    6.6
    Inferior Decorator
    Donald's Dog Laundry
    6.7
    Donald's Dog Laundry
    Early to Bed
    7.0
    Early to Bed
    Sea Scouts
    6.8
    Sea Scouts
    Chef Donald
    7.1
    Chef Donald

    Storyline

    Edit

    Did you know

    Edit
    • Trivia
      This film was the first prerecorded program ever shown on American television. It aired on NBC on May 3, 1939.
    • Quotes

      Donald Duck: [Donald heard the sound of knocking] All right! All right! I'm comin'.

      [the voice grew stronger]

      Donald Duck: Aw, phooey!

      [got up and went to the door which Gus the Goose hit him repeatedly as Donald screamed]

      Donald Duck: [surprising Gus] What's the big idea? Scram!

      [Gus was about to leave when he handed a letter from his mother to Donald]

      Donald Duck: [surprised] Huh? What is this?

    • Connections
      Edited into Walt Disney Cartoon Classics Limited Gold Edition: Donald (1984)

    Top picks

    Sign in to rate and Watchlist for personalized recommendations
    Sign in

    Details

    Edit
    • Release date
      • May 19, 1939 (United States)
    • Country of origin
      • United States
    • Language
      • English
    • Also known as
      • Kalle Ankas kusin Gus
    • Filming locations
      • Walt Disney Studios, 500 South Buena Vista Street, Burbank, California, USA(Studio)
    • Production company
      • Walt Disney Productions
    • See more company credits at IMDbPro

    Tech specs

    Edit
    • Runtime
      7 minutes
    • Aspect ratio
      • 1.37 : 1

    Contribute to this page

    Suggest an edit or add missing content
    Donald's Cousin Gus (1939)
    Top Gap
    By what name was Donald's Cousin Gus (1939) officially released in Canada in English?
    Answer
    • See more gaps
    • Learn more about contributing
    Edit page

    More to explore

    Recently viewed

    Please enable browser cookies to use this feature. Learn more.
    Get the IMDb App
    Sign in for more accessSign in for more access
    Follow IMDb on social
    Get the IMDb App
    For Android and iOS
    Get the IMDb App
    • Help
    • Site Index
    • IMDbPro
    • Box Office Mojo
    • License IMDb Data
    • Press Room
    • Advertising
    • Jobs
    • Conditions of Use
    • Privacy Policy
    • Your Ads Privacy Choices
    IMDb, an Amazon company

    © 1990-2025 by IMDb.com, Inc.