Donald Duck is a popular Disney character known for his bad temper and speech. He first appeared in The Wise Little Hen in 1934 and starred in 128 cartoons. He appeared in films alongside Mickey Mouse and won an Academy Award for Der Fuhrer’s Face. He also had his own daily cartoon and comic strips. Saludos Amigos and The Three Caballeros were two notable cartoons featuring live-action. Donald Duck was honored on his 50th birthday in a CBS celebration hosted by Dick Van Dyke.
Donald Duck is a Disney character famous for his bad temper and almost incomprehensible speech. He is a white duck often depicted wearing a shirt and sailor hat but no pants. The original voice of Donald was performed by Clarence “Ducky” Nash. After 50 years as the voice of the fiery duck, Nash trained Tony Anselmo to take the role of speaker.
The character made his first appearance on June 9, 1934 in the Disney cartoon titled The Wise Little Hen. An adaptation of the popular Little Red Hen story, the cartoon featured a hen trying to plant and harvest corn. She seeks help from Donald and a character called Peter Pig, both of whom refuse to help. Consequently, the hen and her chicks take care of all the planting and harvesting operations. When the hen prepares a meal using harvested corn, Donald and Peter are not invited to the festivities.
American audiences quickly fell in love with the cantankerous duck, and by the 1940s, films featuring Donald Duck outnumbered those featuring Mickey Mouse. Donald originally starred in 128 cartoons. His first leading role was in the animated film titled Don Donald. A female duck named Donna appeared with him in the cartoon set in Mexico. The flirtatious Donald played a troubadour who yearned to please Donna, even ditching her donkey in favor of a car.
While he acted in his own animated films, he also appeared in animated films alongside Mickey Mouse, Goofy and Pluto. One particular Donald Duck wartime film won an Academy Award® for Best Animated Cartoon. It was called Der Fuhrer’s Face and it showed Donald living a nightmare in Nazi Germany.
On February 7, 1938, Donald Duck starred in his own daily cartoon. During the late 1930s and 1940s, the original strips were reprinted in comics. Soon new comic strips featuring Donald were created, taking advantage of the popular comic market.
Two notable cartoons featuring Donald Duck also included live-action. These two revolutionary cartoons were Saludos Amigos and The Three Caballeros. In both films, South America played a central role. The cartoons were created as a favor to the US government to express goodwill towards South America.
Donald Duck was honored on his 50th birthday on Nov. 13. CBS aired a celebration hosted by Dick Van Dyke where a host of other celebrities joined him in paying tribute to one of Disney’s most beloved characters. Over the years, Donald has remained a popular Disney character, gracing lunchboxes, T-shirts, and appearing on television and movie screens.
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