The Three Caballeros is Released

On this day in 1945, the United States and Donald Duck became amigos with Brazilian parrot José Carioca and Mexican charro rooster Panchito, when The Three Caballeros was released in theaters. The film features four short films about Latin America and sequences with Donald, Panchito, and José tying it all together. And while it’s been …

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Donald holding his nephews in the Disney film Donald's Day Off

Donald’s Off Day is Released

Everybody has an off day sometimes, but for poor Donald Duck it seems to be EVERY day. In Donald’s Day Off, his day starts out swimmingly as he enjoys a hearty breakfast and then heads out for a game of golf. But as soon as he steps outside, the rain pours down, keeping the irritable …

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still from cartoon How to Play Football featuring Goofy

How to Play Football is Released

For someone who is the world’s most famous goof, Goofy showed the world how to . . .  well, how to just about everything. The first time Goofy showed us “how to” was in “How to Ride a Horse,” a sequence in the 1941 feature The Reluctant Dragon. He continued to educate right up until …

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Donald Duck and the Gorilla

Donald Duck and the Gorilla is Released

Donald and the nephews are spending a cozy night together listening to the radio when news that a gorilla has escaped breaks the familial bliss in Donald Duck and the Gorilla, released on this day in 1944. Donald and the nephews, of course, seize the opportunity to scare the wits out of each other with …

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Donald Duck in Home Defense

Home Defense is Released

This classic seven-minute Donald Duck cartoon, released on this day in 1946, opens with a drowsy Donald drifting into dreamland as he sits at his wartime post of aircraft spotter. The gun crew, which happens to be comprised of Donald’s nephews—Huey, Dewey, and Louie—notice their uncle’s sleepy state and seize the opportunity to spook him. …

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Reason and Emotion is Released

During World War II, Walt Disney Productions published “Dispatch From Disney’s” for Disney employees in the military. In the first issue, Walt wrote, “Here is news of our effort to back you up, along with glimpses of familiar faces and happenings.” He explained how Disney’s animated war film work, on behalf of U.S. forces, was …

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Bill Walsh

Disney Legend Bill Walsh Joins Disney as Writer for Mickey Mouse

Disney trivia question: Besides all being Disney productions, what do Mary Poppins, The Mickey Mouse Club, Davy Crockett, The Shaggy Dog, Bedknobs and Broomsticks, and The Love Bug all have in common? Answer: They were all produced by Disney Legend Bill Walsh who started with Disney on this day in 1943. Although he started as …

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Donald Duck in military uniform

Fall Out—Fall In is Released

For such a dark period in American history, World War II inspired memorable music, motion picture features, and even cartoon shorts. In 1942, Disney released its first war-themed featurette—about Donald Duck getting drafted—and in subsequent stories audiences got to revisit with the duckbilled draftee to share a laugh at his Army antics, including the short …

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Pluto in Private Pluto

Private Pluto is Released

In this landmark Disney short, Pluto plays a private who’s been assigned to guard an Army pillbox. But as his guard dog duties begin, two chipmunks using the pillbox’s cannon to store their acorns harry poor Pluto. The short marks the first time Chip and Dale — yet unnamed at the time of this cartoon …

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Pluto and Mickey Mouse in Pluto and the Armadillo

Pluto and the Armadillo is Released

“Down where the mighty Amazon winds its way through the heart of Brazil, we meet the playful armadillo… ” as the narrator explains in the Mickey Mouse cartoon short Pluto and the Armadillo, which rolled into theaters on this day in 1943. “Another strange creature often found in this region is the turista Americana, or …

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