Donald Duck and the Gorilla

A Walt Disney DONALD DUCK Cartoon.

One spooky night, Donald and his Nephews are menaced by Ajax, the slavering simian.

With a plot that moves fast & furious, DONALD DUCK AND THE GORILLA is a funny little film that still has plenty of thrills as the Ducks are placed in real mortal danger. One wonders why our feathered friends are dwelling in such a decrepit, decaying domicile - which just happens to be furnished with a gorilla costume and tear gas bombs. Clarence Nash provides the unique voices for the entire Duck clan.

Walt Disney (1901-1966) was always intrigued by pictures & 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 comic 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 storm of naysayers, 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 childlike simplicity of message and lots of hard work always pay off.

I first saw this cartoon in the Disney special video program, Halloween Treat, and it was a good one for a funny scare. Here, Donald and his nephews hear on the radio that a gorilla has escaped from the zoo and, as a result, they all scare each other with gorilla hands and costumes. This goes on until they all encounter the real gorilla, who has broken into their home.

This cartoon has its creepy moments but it is mostly funny with plenty of gags and laugh-out-loud moments; I especially like the part where after the nephews accidentally burn Donald's tail and he turns around with an angry look - his face turning into a boiling pot kettle.

The cat and mouse chase between the gorilla and Donald in his seemingly humongous house is entertaining from start to finish, with the nephews trying desperately to stop the mad animal.

Overall, it's one of the best cartoon shorts featuring Donald and his nephews.

Grade A

Yes, I know that it's easy to view gorillas as big, scary things. But that's a grossly inaccurate representation! Gorillas mostly eat plants, and when they resort to eating animals, it's mostly insects. To my knowledge, there's never been any record of a gorilla trying to eat a human. Quite the opposite: due to hunting and habitat loss, many species of gorilla are critically endangered. Dian Fossey (played by Sigourney Weaver in "Gorillas in the Mist") made it her life's work to show that gorillas are harmless creatures. Indeed, they share 95-99% of their DNA with humans.

The compilation movie "It Came from Hollywood" pokes fun at old B movies. Early in the movie, Gilda Radner's character hears of a gorilla on the radio and freaks out. It then shows scenes from old movies that depicted gorillas attacking humans. "Donald Duck and the Gorilla" is basically that sort of movie. I don't care if this short is supposed to be silly entertainment, it still misrepresents these gentle apes. NOT a good cartoon.

I did like the umbrella gag, though.

If I had to sum up Donald Duck and the Gorilla in one word, I have to say classic. It is a delightful Halloween cartoon, and one of my personal favourite Donald Duck cartoons. One that is both scary and funny.

The animation for back then is of true beauty and the music really adds to the atmosphere. The story moves very fast and is well structured, while the dialogue and sight gags are delightful. In terms of characters, it is Donald's show all the way, voiced by the brilliant Clarence Nash who IS Donald Duck in my opinion, but he is almost upstaged by Ajax the Gorilla.

Overall, a Halloween classic and a must see for fans of the cantankerous duck. 10/10 Bethany Cox

I thought that the characters were really funny and all had great personalities. The animation in My opinion was crisp, clean, and really clear. Not to mention beautiful! Most of the characters in this show are hilarious Looney Tunes characters that we all love. in My opinion these characters are the funnies and talented ever seen. In fact, The things that goes on in this series' cartoons are in My opinion nuts which that is what makes them hilarious! There are so many to like and laugh at and the silly things they do! If you like the original Looney Tunes and animated films then I strongly recommend that you watch this movie today!