Donald Duck made his cartoon debut in “The Wise Little Hen” back in the summer 1934. He didn’t meet Mickey Mouse until his second appearance in “Orphan’s Benefit” later that year. From there, it wasn’t long before Daisy Duck and his nephews Huey, Dewey, and Louie were introduced. In spite of their superior diction, they weren’t able to steal the spotlight from Donald. You can’t replace his grumpy, nearly incomprehensible charm, and it’s why the Donald has been in more movies (200+) than any Disney character.
More or less starting off as a comic-book character, he remains the most published non-superhero ever. Such is his popularity that Donald Duck is a national hero in Finland!
With his signature blue sailor suit (no pants), Donald Duck has appeared in more short films and feature films than any other Disney character. Walt Disney conjured up the idea for Donald Duck to introduce an edgier character to balance out the goody-goody jolly Mickey Mouse.
Another defining feature of Donald Duck is his voice. Clarence Nash, the original voice actor for Donald, created a distinct voice achieved by ‘buccal speech,’ a form of vocalization that utilizes the inner cheek to create sound instead of the larynx. Nash first discovered this while trying to mimic his pet goat.
In the 1940s, Donald Duck overtook Mickey Mouse with over 128 independent short animations. This was truly the decade of the Donald, as he soared to popularity faster than any other Disney figure. During World War II, despite having to halt most of its production, Donald Duck was featured in several American propaganda films. One of these animations earned Disney an Academy Award for Best Short Film. Other than his success in films, Donald also got his own comic in the 1940s that branched into an entire series of independent Donald Duck comics, which are circulated and enjoyed by adults and children until today.
JUNE 10: NATIONAL BALL POINT PEN DAY