Donald's Happy Birthday (1949)

"Donald's Happy Birthday" is an American cartoon from 1949, so it is almost 70 years old now and the name Donald tells you of course that here we got another Disney short film that runs for approximately 6-7 minutes. Voice actor is Clarence Nash, but there's also several well-known names, even by today's standards, working on this one outside the acting parts. It's Donald's birthday soon and the kids are ready to give him a box of cigars. Wait what? Smoking ducks? That's right. And you have seen nothing yet. Without the humanization, this film would be highly disturbing. Then ahain, it still is somewhat with Donald shoving dozens of cigars into his boy's mouths eventually before he finally realizes what's going on and sinks and shrinks in the most hilarious manner. Another interesting aspect here is of course the use of cigars and how harmless they were considered back then while today smoking in film is almost a bigger no-go than nudity/sexuality. But completely aside from this contemporary part about society, this is also a really entertaining watch with the comedy and how the film goes over the top in pretty hilarious ways, especially in the second half. So there is not too much else to add I believe. This is one of the best cartoons of the year from a time that is unmatched until today I guess in terms of excellent animation, at least quantity wise, maybe quality-wise too. I highly recommend checking it out. A must-see if you love old cartoons.

Huey, Duey and Louie wants to get their hands on their allowance, kept in a little bank by Donald Duck, so they could go buy a cigar box for their uncle's birthday. But, when Donald catches them, he thinks they are out smoking them for themselves.It has its funny moments, especially when Donald catches his nephews' hands on the bank and tells them to put it back. Very comical but it does show Donald being a bit of a jerk, as he jumps to conclusions and didn't realize the surprise gift his nephews are planning for them. But, of course, only Donald Duck is stuck with the bad luck.Not the best Donald cartoon, but still a little funny.Grade B-

There are funnier Donald and nephews shorts around, and more crisply paced ones. But these don't stop Donald's Happy Birthday from being an interesting short. I don't think Donald's Happy Birthday is all that routine. Most Donald and nephews shorts have the theme of the nephews causing trouble or playing cruel tricks on Donald getting him frustrated easily. Here Donald's nephews Huey, Dewey and Louie had good intentions and Donald is a jerk while feeling guilty when it's not all what it seems(though I do think he loves his nephews and has their interests at heart but doesn't go about it the right way). The very end I did find somewhat dark and touching. The animation is wonderful, very crisp and colourful, and the music is beautifully orchestrated and paced in a characterful manner as ever. All the characters are on top form even with the change of pace, and Clarence Nash's voice work is impeccable. All in all, a very good short. 8/10 Bethany Cox

This is a VERY unusual Disney cartoon because it's apparently accidentally slipped into the public domain and can be downloaded for free from archive.org. It's especially surprising because it's one of the better Donald Duck cartoons.Huey, Dewey and Louie want to buy a gift for Uncle Donald for his birthday. They decide to buy him a box of cigars but need money. So, they go to Donald to collect payment for all the chores they've been doing. He pays them but then insists they put it in the piggy bank. Later, they sneak the money. Donald finds out...and finds out they bought a box of cigars. He stupidly thinks the boys are smoking and instead of asking about the cigars, he decides to punish them by making them smoke them. Later, he discovers why they bought them and he feels like a total jerk.My guess is that the smoking theme is why Disney didn't renew the copyright on this one. Kids buying cigars and smoking them, while a great plot for 1949, became unacceptable in the more health-conscious 60s and 70s and especially today. Still, I think the film is well worth seeing as it's unusually sweet and poignant for a Donald Duck cartoon.