The Wise Little Hen

If you are looking for this short, try the "Disney Timeless Treasures: Volume 3". It's there along with several other seldom-seen cartoon shorts.

This Silly Symphony cartoon is, like the rest of the series, wonderfully animated--as Disney was the producer of the best looking cartoons of the 1930s...period. However, like many of the films in the series, the story itself wasn't always so hot. Because of that, I can't recommend it to the casual viewer. HOWEVER, to the cinemaniac or Disney-phile it is STILL a must-see for two reasons. The first is that the animation is terrific--just like all the Disney shorts of the 1930s. But a much more important reason is that this film marks the first appearance by Donald Duck--and that is something to celebrate. To those unaware of his evolution, he does look quite different--as he did until the very late 30s.

As far as the story goes, it's the familiar tale of the Little Red Hen--and the lazy farm animals who refuse to help her plant and then harvest her grain. No major surprises here--just some nice animation and Donald.

I had never known that this cartoon was Donald Duck's first appearance, as well as for his voice artist, Clarence "Ducky" Nash. And besides, I love Donald Duck, along with Mickey Mouse, his canine pal Pluto, which is unusual to me because I am a cat lover, and Chip n' Dale. This Silly Symphony is adapted from "The Little Red Hen," and I know that story well. I love it whenever the Wise Little Hen says, "Will you help me plant my corn? Will you help me plant my corn?" And Donald and Peter Pig would say, "Who? Me! Oh no! I've got a belly ache!" I thought that was great rhythmic timing. So anyway, it's a great cartoon.

This is it. The first appearance of Donald Duck. In the short, Donald looks a little different than he does today. He was smaller and had a rounded bill instead of a flat one. Two things, however, have remained constant about Donald Duck: his sailor suit and his short temper.

Unlike ducklings that hatch out of their eggs, the cartoon character Donald Duck evolved. The first version drawn by the Walt Disney staff appeared in England's Mickey Mouse Annual #3 comic book in 1931. In late 1933, Disney liked the looks of the duck so much he had the bird included in the June 1934 release of "The Wise Little Hen," the first time Donald Duck appeared on the movie screen. The cartoon's release date at Radio City Music Hall in New York City, June 7, 1934, is celebrated as Donald's official birthday. Three months preceding his movie debut, Donald, voiced by Clarence Nash, was on the radio as the wise-cracking duck alongside Mickey Mouse. The radio Donald was always interrupting the rodent, serving as a roadmap to his summer's cartoon character.

Walt personally took an interest with Donald after Nash's imitation bowled over the studio president. Disney rounded off the duck's personality after "The Wise Little Hen" by giving him the short temper he became notoriously-known. The first appearance of Donald in the animated cartoon differs from future looks, with his neck and beak much longer and his body fatter than later showings.

In the "The Wise Little Hen," Donald Duck played the lazy neighbor to the mother hen, who asks for his help in planting a field of corn for her chicks. Apparently Donald's allergic to work as he pretends to be laid up with a belly ache and can't help her. He's joined by Peter Pig, who's equally lazy, claiming he's sick and not able to work. When the corn is ready for picking, the two repeat their same excuse of being sick when the Hen asks them for assistance. The joke's eventually on the slackers, however, when the hen cooks an amazing assortment of corn recipes. The Duck and the Pig salivate when they see the feast, only to be handed a bottle of castor oil by the hen.

While watching The Wise Little Hen, I had to keep reminding myself that this short was made in 1934. The animation has held up well over the years and is as good as anything you'll see. The colors paint a bright picture and the attention to detail is amazing. This film is also an important milestone as it marks the first appearance of Donald Duck, it remains one of his best films.