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Donald Duck and the Gorilla

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Donald Duck and the Gorilla
Theatrical release poster
Directed byJack King
Story byCarl Barks
Bill Berg
Nick George
Jack Hannah
Jesse Marsh
Frank Tashlin
Roy Williams
Bill de la Torre
Produced byWalt Disney
StarringClarence Nash
James MacDonald
Music byOliver Wallace
Animation byPaul Allen
Jack King
Joshua Meador
George Nicholas
Charles A. Nichols
Judge Whitaker
Marvin Woodward
Layouts byBill Herwig
Backgrounds byMaurice Greenberg
Color processTechnicolor
Production
company
Distributed byRKO Radio Pictures
Release date
  • March 31, 1944 (1944-03-31)
Running time
7 minutes
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish

Donald Duck and the Gorilla is a Donald Duck short adventure horror monster film which was originally released in 1944.[1] It stars Donald Duck along with his three nephews; Huey, Dewey and Louie and Ajax, the killer gorilla. The 1930 Mickey Mouse cartoon The Gorilla Mystery has a similar plot involving a gorilla named Beppo who captures Minnie Mouse.

Plot

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On a stormy night, Donald and his nephews hear a radio announcer report that a gorilla named Ajax has escaped from the city zoo. As a prank, Donald frightens his scared nephews with black gloves that look like gorilla hands. The nephews peer through a keyhole to see a laughing Donald still wearing the gloves. Vowing revenge, they dress up in a gorilla suit to get back at their uncle, and sneak up behind Donald as he reads, taking a bite of Donald's lollipop. Donald, comparing the bite to the gorilla's fangs, runs away in fright.

At the same time, the real Ajax appears in front of the window, breaks into the house, and roars at the nephews who flee. Donald, now aware the nephews tricked him, chases the boys in anger, running right into Ajax. Donald, assuming the gorilla is the nephews in disguise, tries to take the mask off but then discovers that there are two gorillas. Trembling, Donald opens Ajax’s mouth and calls for the nephews, only hearing his echo, before Ajax roars at him. The announcer advises listeners to master wild animals by looking them straight in the eye. Taking the advice, Donald stares into the gorilla's eyes where he sees a tombstone destined for him, shoves an umbrella into Ajax’s mouth as he was about to bite Donald, and flees.

Donald and his nephews sneak through the house, but the nephews first spill melted wax on Donald's tail before accidentally burning his rear. Donald, boiling with rage, sends the triplets away, and grumbles as he rubs his rear, unaware that he was placing the candle underneath the doorknob, causing him to burn his hand on the superheated knob.

Donald searches for Ajax, who is swinging from the rafters. After a stare-down, and at the urging of his tail, Donald runs away and hides behind a door. Ajax tries to open the door with Donald pulling it back, causing part of it to break off with Donald still holding onto the knob. As Ajax looks for Donald through the hole shaped like Donald’s body and puts the broken off part back, it falls, causing Donald to be seen and beginning a chase. Donald briefly triumphs by tricking Ajax up a ladder, where he crashes through several floors of the house, ending in the attic. Ajax resumes the chase, with Donald using the ladder as stilts.

Ajax swipes the stilts from Donald, causing Donald to slide all the way down the dining room table and meeting Ajax at the end. Donald tries to run away but causes damage to the table and some of the wooden boards to fly into Ajax’s hands. Soon he falls between two halves of the damaged table and Ajax slides the smaller half to flatten Donald and tries to bite his tail off only for it to poke Ajax in the eyes. At the suggestion of the radio announcer, the nephews use tear gas in an attempt to stop Ajax, who begins to cry. As Donald laughs at Ajax, he breathes the gas too, and Ajax and Donald close the short by consoling each other.

Voice cast

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Home media

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The short was released on December 6, 2005 on Walt Disney Treasures: The Chronological Donald, Volume Two: 1942-1946.[2]

Additional releases include:

VHS

Laserdisc

  • Cartoon Classics: Scary Tales
  • Donald's Scary Tales
  • Halloween Haunts

VCD

  • Cartoon Classics: Birdbrain Donald (Malaysian release)

Television

  • The Ink and Paint Club, episode 34: "Donald's Nephews"

In other media

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The short is part of the stories that the characters see during the plot of the 2001 direct-to-video film Mickey's House of Villains.

See also

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References

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  1. ^ Lenburg, Jeff (1999). The Encyclopedia of Animated Cartoons. Checkmark Books. pp. 74–76. ISBN 0-8160-3831-7. Retrieved June 6, 2020.
  2. ^ "The Chronological Donald Volume 2 DVD Review". DVD Dizzy. Retrieved February 13, 2021.
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