User reviews

In this Disney cartoon, Donald Duck has a miniature scale set of a suburb built in his backyard, with a train set running through the perimeters. Donald takes great lengths to make sure that every structural piece of the model is down to scale. However, there is one thing that is out of scale - a tree (large by the scale set's standards) sitting in the middle of everything and it is the home of Chip 'n' Dale. After Donald moves the tree, the chipmunks find themselves a new home in one of the models.

This cartoon is not the usual Chip 'n' Dale vs. Donald Duck story, as they form more of a mutual relationship, with Donald helping the chipmunks settle into their new home (but Donald does later play tricks on them). But, it's nice to see them at least getting along most of the time and Donald doesn't get the brunt of all the bad luck or gets humiliated a lot in this cartoon short, which is a breath of fresh air.

Some funny moments in and there and one of the better Chip 'n' Dale and Donald Duck cartoons out there.

Grade B+

A Walt Disney DONALD DUCK Cartoon.

Donald wants nothing OUT OF SCALE in his elaborate backyard model railroad and town - including Chip 'n' Dale and their tree.

Here is another typical Duck versus Chipmunks film - fun & fast-moving, but no classic. The cartoon is rare in that amity reigns over all at the conclusion. Clarence Nash provides Donald with his unique voice; the Chipmunks are largely unintelligible.

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 blizzard of doomsayers, 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.

Not one of my favourite Donald Duck/Chip 'n' Dale cartoons of all time, but it is still a great cartoon and one of their most fascinating. I loved the story, structurally it wasn't hugely surprising, but it completely engaged and interested me and it was paced to Disney's usual crisp standard. This was also the cartoon that got my brother interested in miniatures and inventions, and no wonder seeing as both are shown here in a very intriguing way especially the miniatures. The animation is beautiful with all three characters well-drawn and the backgrounds fluid, and the music is suitably jaunty. The sight gags are amusing and Donald and the chipmunks really shine here, especially Donald. All in all, very fascinating and highly recommendable cartoon. 10/10 Bethany Cox