The Hockey Champ

In this Disney cartoon, Donald takes his nephews to a game of hockey, but Donald says that they know nothing about the sport, touting his own champion self. Donald wins the first round with his nephews and then gets a little cocky and blindfolds himself while taking his nephews on a second game. However, the kids get a little to aggravated and hits Donald around like the hockey puck itself.

I first saw this animated short as part of Disney home video collection called "Kids is Kids," which my mom used to rent for me when I was a little kid. Even has a kid, I didn't like this one much as I thought the characters didn't really get a long and were too mean-spirited toward each other. While, the humor might some little kids laugh a lot older kids or adults probably fine this one not-so-entertaining.

Grade D

I'm always partial to the Disney cartoons set in winter with the quaint Victorian looks to the countryside and enchanting atmosphere (such as 1935s 'On Ice'). It looks brilliant here in this cartoon and I'm pleased to say it's one of the more inventive and clever Donald Duck shorts.

This time round the irritable duck is skating around on a frozen lake when his nephews appear for a game of hockey. He shows off to them his hockey trophy (kept in his jacket) and brags about how he's the best hockey player in the world. As you can guess already, he gets too big for his boots (err...webbed feet) and Huey, Duey and Louie play no end of tricks on him.

If only he would keep his big mouth shut once in a while huh?

I noticed one review that complained that 'the characters didn't really get along and were mean-spirited toward each other'. Well, this is very true in "The Hockey Champ"...but also in MOST cartoons featuring Donald and his nephews! I can only assume they haven't seen that many of these Disney shorts.

When the short begins, Donald is skating around the lake--pretending he's the Olympic skating champion, Sonja Henie. Soon, the nephews arrive and Donald tries to show them how a champion hockey player plays the game. Mostly, however, what you see are the nephews tormenting Donald.

To me, this is an average Donald and nephews film...no better, no worse.

Not that it is a bad thing of course! My concluding thoughts after seeing The Hockey Champ.. I liked it! It is rather routine and predictable in terms of story and the pacing isn't always secure, but what does compensate is the lovely atmosphere the animation gives, a very Christmassy and nostalgic atmosphere. The music is also absolutely gorgeous, lyrical, smooth and whimsical. There are some good gags, if nothing particularly groundbreaking. Donald is excellent as usual, and his three nephews are as dastardly as ever. Clarence Nash once again does a stellar job with the voicing.

Overall, pleasant but not a classic! 8/10 Bethany Cox

A Walt Disney DONALD DUCK Cartoon.

Donald, THE HOCKEY CHAMP of Duck Swamp, gets himself into trouble when he brags of his prowess on the ice to his Nephews.

This enjoyable little film boasts fine animation & a funny storyline. Early on, Donald does an impression of Norwegian skating queen Sonja Henie, a big movie star at the time, even replicating her trademark tiptoe ice dancing. Clarence "Ducky" Nash supplies the unique voices of Donald & the Nephews.

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.