![Classic Cartoon Favorites, Vol. 2 - Starring Donald [DVD]](https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/514KJZNEG1L._AC_UL160_SR160,160_.jpg)
One of the last four theatrical Donald Duck cartoons, Donald in Mathmagic Land didn't get the Academy Award for 1959, which went to John Hubley's Moonbird, but it was nominated for "Best Documentary Short". In retrospect, it's probably not only the best educational short of that year, but one of the best of any year. Hamilton Luske directed this lavish featurette, which despite clocking in at only 27 minutes, is filled with modernistic late '50s style art, dense and lavish color, and our favorite, irascible duck.
Teachers loved to project this film for their classes, as it was so far above the host of now decently buried educational films of the time. This DVD opens with a montage trailer of scenes from the "Wonderful World of Disney" releases, which have the characteristic look of the four color Technicolor of the '60s, and that places this film in its rightful millieu. In his biography, former NBC head, Pat Weaver recalls that Disney offered NBC its film and TV catalog in the mid- '50s if NBC would buy a fourth of the then fledgling Disneyland Park. David Sarnoff, president of RCA, which owned NBC, flatly refused. The Disneyland TV show therefore continued on ABC, with a title change in the 1959 season to "Walt Disney Presents". Due to the runaway success of Davey Crockett, however, ABC wanted Walt to keep cranking out westerns, so in 1961, the program moved to NBC, with a new name many viewers remember, "The Wonderful World of Color".
"General" Sarnoff had made clear that RCA's one goal was to sell color TV sets, since most homes still had black and white, and "Donald Duck in Mathmagic Land" aired on its new network as part of an hour show hosted by a new character, Ludwig Von Drake, called "An Adventure in Color". I very much wish that had been included on this DVD, as not only is the program interesting in its own right, as well as a favorite of Von Drake fans, but it's a fascinating snapshot of the early days of color TV, as the mallard professor talks about color, with continual asides like "you people with black and white sets will have to imagine what this looks like". Then there's the theme song, "The world is a carousel of color, color, color. Wonderful, wonderful color." The accompanying slow motion nature shots made for an unforgettable, captivating entrance to the show, which segued to the magic paintbrush, the famous trademark of Disney educational films. Even in the days of black and white sets, Disney had farsightedly chosen to film in color.
An early VHS release for video stores included the entire show, but so far, the other part hasn't made it to DVD. This shorter featurette, however, stands alone, and has far outlived most of the other animated shorts from the show. It's also on The Chronological Donald Volume Four. Some reviewers have noted that ten bucks might be a bit high for an under half hour show, and it would be nice to have some extras like interviews with animators or commentary on the short. However, anyone who's ever seen this film will probably just be happy to find it on DVD. There's also an "enhanced" teacher's edition for about $50. That may seem steep, but you get a "printable teachers' guide" and public performance license to show it in class, not unlike when educators of an earlier era would rush to rent the film reel from distributors, and it probably ranked as the most checked out educational film.
The math in this film has been criticized, and some of it seems a bit of a stretch, but anyone interested in the Golden Section or Divine Proportion, as it is variously termed, or patterns in nature, or basic principles of how a guitar works likely first got the bug watching this show. Someone might even have hit the billiard hall armed with tricky shots from the film. Some of the chessboard and geometric shapes parts might seem more like an excuse to make some animation, but they are still entertaining, and this is not the only wildly speculative Disney film. If a few bits seem somewhat dated, that's all part of the fun of a period film, and for animation lovers, this one is a treasure trove. So in many ways, this bare-bones, budget edition is the best of all worlds, and will likely entice new viewers to join old fans on the well-trod path with Donald in Mathmagic Land.
Customers who viewed this item also viewed
Page 1 of 1 Start overPage 1 of 1
Reviews with images
Submit a report
A few common reasons customers report reviews:
- Harassment, profanity
- Spam, advertisement, promotions
- Given in exchange for cash, discounts
When we get your report, we'll check if the review meets our Community guidelines. If it doesn't, we'll remove it.
Sorry, there was an error
Please try again later.Top reviews from the United States
There was a problem filtering reviews right now. Please try again later.
Reviewed in the United States on August 21, 2009
Reviewed in the United States on May 12, 2023
Reviewed in the United States on February 17, 2023
Reviewed in the United States on March 10, 2018
Reviewed in the United States on May 16, 2013
Reviewed in the United States on April 18, 2011
Top reviews from other countries
Chris Wilson
Brings back memories.
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on April 29, 2013
