SoTrumpBelieve Must See Movie...

Hadrina The movie's neither hopeful in contrived ways, nor hopeless in different contrived ways. Somehow it manages to be wonderful

Lachlan Coulson This is a gorgeous movie made by a gorgeous spirit.

Geraldine The story, direction, characters, and writing/dialogue is akin to taking a tranquilizer shot to the neck, but everything else was so well done.

Horst in Translation (filmreviews@web.de) "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.

TheLittleSongbird 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

ExplorerDS6789 It's March 13, Donald Duck's birthday. His nephews Huey, Dewey and Louie want to get him a box of cigars, which only costs $2.98 (the good ol' days), but when they checked their pockets, they found they had nada. They decide to earn the money by doing yard work. They trimmed the hedges, mowed the lawn, raked the leaves, watered the plants, emptied the trash, all at break-neck speed. Afterwards they go to Donald for their allowance. He gives them $3.00 in quarters, which he immediately makes them put into a musical savings bank. The boys conspire to rob the bank, but are caught the first time. Next, they try to land it with a fishing pole atop the stairs, while Donald was taking a nap at the same time guarding the savings bank. They successfully snare the bank, get the money and race off to the cigar store. Donald spots them by telescope, and assumes they used their money to buy cigars for themselves. Well, when Huey, Dewey and Louie return to their treehouse with the box of cigars, Donald catches them and makes them smoke each cigar in the box. He felt the boys were getting a painful, but much-needed lesson...until he saw a note inside the cigar box that said "To Uncle Donald, Happy Birthday". It would seem the one receiving the painful, much-needed lesson was Donald himself, who literally felt very small after what he had done.Donald's Happy Birthday, another classic Donald Duck cartoon! Donald thinks his nephews are buying cigars for themselves then he makes them smoke them, which is a great punishment for kids who want to smoke, but in this case it was unnecessary. That big ol' box of Cubans was a birthday present for Uncle Donald. And to think, this whole mess could've been avoided if Huey, Dewey and Louie had simply told Donald they were going to use their money to buy him a birthday present. But then, we wouldn't have had a cartoon. And what kind of store sells cigars to kids? Maybe kids were more trustworthy back then. Anyway, to all you Donald Duck fans, I recommend Donald's Happy Birthday from 1949. Donald's famous theme song is in the opening. "Who get's stuck with all the bad luck? No one, but Donald Duck". Great song.

Ron Oliver A Walt Disney DONALD DUCK Cartoon.In order to ensure DONALD'S HAPPY BIRTHDAY, Huey, Dewey & Louie must first scheme a way to get the money to buy a gift.This is very much a routine Donald versus the Nephews cartoon, but it's pleasant enough. It is in this film that we learn that Donald's birthday is March 13th. Notice that Louie's name is misspelled `Luey' on the birthday card. Clarence Nash provided the voices for the entire Duck clan.Walt Disney (1901-1966) was always intrigued by pictures & drawings. As a lad in Marceline, Missouri, he sketched farm animals on scraps of paper; later, as an ambulance driver in France during the First World War, he drew comic figures on the sides of his vehicle. Back in Kansas City, along with artist Ub Iwerks, Walt developed a primitive animation studio that provided animated commercials and tiny cartoons for the local movie theaters. Always the innovator, his ALICE IN CARTOONLAND series broke ground in placing a live figure in a cartoon universe. Business reversals sent Disney & Iwerks to Hollywood in 1923, where Walt's older brother Roy became his lifelong business manager & counselor. When a mildly successful series with Oswald The Lucky Rabbit was snatched away by the distributor, the character of Mickey Mouse sprung into Walt's imagination, ensuring Disney's immortality. The happy arrival of sound technology made Mickey's screen debut, STEAMBOAT WILLIE (1928), a tremendous audience success with its use of synchronized music. The SILLY SYMPHONIES soon appeared, and Walt's growing crew of marvelously talented animators were quickly conquering new territory with full color, illusions of depth and radical advancements in personality development, an arena in which Walt's genius was unbeatable. Mickey's feisty, naughty behavior had captured millions of fans, but he was soon to be joined by other animated companions: temperamental Donald Duck, intellectually-challenged Goofy and energetic Pluto. All this was in preparation for Walt's grandest dream - feature length animated films. Against a storm of naysayers, Walt persevered and over the next decades delighted children of all ages with the adventures of Snow White, Pinocchio, Dumbo, Bambi & Peter Pan. Walt never forgot that his fortunes were all started by a mouse, or that childlike simplicity of message and lots of hard work always pay off.