![Walt Disney Mini Classics: Donald in Mathmagic Land [VHS]](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/21E8F11N13L.__AC_QL70_ML2_.jpg)
I last saw this movie in 1980 in school - during the Science Fair in 6th grade no less! I loved it as a child and am proud to own it now.
"Donald in Mathmagic Land", a 1959 Disney short movie (27 mins), is narrated by Paul Frees, the voice at Disney World's famous Haunted Mansion.
Donald, on a hunting trip, wanders unknowingly into the dark and mysterious Mathmagic Land. Numbers float along the stream. A bird in a tree quotes the digits of Pi out to several decimal places. A pencil invites Donald to a game of tic-tac-toe.
The narrator (the spirit of adventure) attempts to convince Donald that mathematics is not just for eggheads. Donald learns from the ancient Greeks that music is based on math. He discovers the golden proportion ([...]) and how it permeates architecture and nature. From games like three-cushion billiards, he uncovers the practical use of math.
Donald sees how modern inventions (as in 1959 modern) like the microscope and airplane propellors are based on mathematical shapes.
At the end of Donald's journey through Mathmagic Land, he has learned to appreciate math and how it has enriched our lives. The movie ends with a quote from Galileo: "Mathematics is the language with which God has written the universe."
PROS
- Great for kids!
- Presents timeless concepts in an easy and fun manner
CONS
- Could this be MORE dated? "Modern" equipment like the searchlight and modern music like big bands... (it's fun to watch these classics from the past though)
THINGS YOU MIGHT MISS
Look for:
- the numbers in the stream. They will change. When a number floats down the river and encounters a rock in the stream, it divides itself into two smaller numbers to go around the rock.
- the roots of the trees. The roots come out of the ground in a square shape, looking very peculiar. Donald states, "Look! Square roots!"
Top reviews from the United States
There was a problem filtering reviews right now. Please try again later.
Reviewed in the United States on April 5, 2006
Reviewed in the United States on March 29, 2006
Reviewed in the United States on October 5, 2017
Reviewed in the United States on June 28, 2010
Reviewed in the United States on December 25, 2008
