Mr. Duck Steps Out (1940)

It's funny watching the elements come together in this complicated scam. On one hand, the set-up isn't quite as complex as it seems, but there's an easy sense of fun in every exchange.

Clever, believable, and super fun to watch. It totally has replay value.

It isn't all that great, actually. Really cheesy and very predicable of how certain scenes are gonna turn play out. However, I guess that's the charm of it all, because I would consider this one of my guilty pleasures.

Let me be very fair here, this is not the best movie in my opinion. But, this movie is fun, it has purpose and is very enjoyable to watch.

"Mr. Duck Steps Out" is another Disney cartoon as the name makes obvious very quickly and this one is from 1940, the days of World War II. Director is the pretty prolific Jack King here and his work fot this one will soon have its 80th anniversary. Donald is out to meet Daisy at her place, but the nephews want some fun too. Sadly, they are the only ones getting it, the audience not so much. I must say I found the comedy here really mediocre compared to other Donald cartoons from this era. Physically, with the color and looks in general, it is fine, but nothing stands out compared to most other Disney (and some WB) cartoons from back then. There is major focus on sound and music in here, especially in the second half, but also from that perspective, it was really very generic in my opinion. Stuff like having frogs take the part of music instruments are simply not good, smart or funny enough. Donald was a weaker version of himself with the material he had, but still more interesting than the nephews who very genuinely unspectacular this time, almost annoying, and also than Daisy who was basically a female version of Donald channeling his looks and basically plays almost no important part here at all in terms of the story. Also this is one of the rare occasions where I am not too fond of Clarence Nash's effort as honestly Daisy sounds just like Donald the entire time. The ending with these kisses is kinda cute, but it cannot make me forget about all the mediocrity from before that. Gotta give this one a thumbs-down. Not recommended.

Donald Duck has a date with Daisy but his nephews Huey, Dewey, and Louie keep getting in the way. He arrives at her house only to be preceded by them. In the end, they pop an ear of corn which leads to some outrageous dancing from Donald with Daisy.I am surprised by the suggestive tail wagging from Daisy. Otherwise, it's a fun little family friendly cartoon short with Donald. The nephews are less annoying than usual since they eventually get Donald together with Daisy for a happy ending. It's not one of the icons but it's very solid.

Donald Duck is heading out for a date night with Daisy, but he didn't anticipate that his nephews, Huey, Dewey and Louie, will be going along on the date as well. The nephews beat Donald to get to Daisy's house first. Donald sends the kids off to get ice-cream while he and Daisy do some off-the-chart dancing, set to the background of wonderfully jazz and bandstand-type music. It was really clever how the cartoon writers were able to incorporate the music and sound effects into the characters - such as the sounds of drums to popcorn popping.The popcorn popping in Donald's tummy, causing him to dance wildly with Daisy while the nephews play on instruments is definitely the highlight of the cartoon. There's toe-tapping music and non-stop dancing from start to finish - great fun here! Grade A

Mr Duck Steps Out has to be one of my favourite Donald Duck cartoons ever. As an avid Disney and Donald fan, I thought choosing absolute favourite would be difficult, but Mr Duck Steps Out I've always loved and sure is one of them. The animation is as colourful and smooth as some of the best animation of the best cartoons of the 30s and 40s, the music is some of the catchiest ever I've heard for any cartoon and the dancing is full of energy, reminding one fondly of the dancing of that particular era. The gags are fun and very imaginative, the gag where Donald's nephews Huey Duey and Louie put an ear of corn on the stove and knock it into Donald which causes him to shake uncontrollably and throw popcorn everywhere is hilarious especially and has endless and timeless replay value. The story is a very light-hearted one in tone, yet delicately balances also Donald's frustration, and the characters from the temperamental but likable Donald, lovely Daisy to the cheeky yet cute rascals that are Huey, Duey and Louie. Clarence Nash's vocals for all five characters are bravura in every sense of the word. In conclusion, fantastic, a must-watch. 10/10 Bethany Cox