Poster

Chip an' Dale

A Donald Duck Cartoon

Release Date : November 28, 1947

Running Time : 6:47

Synopsis

Chip 'n' Dale's house is being chopped down by a snowbound Donald for firewood, along with their store of nuts!

Characters

Donald Duck
Chip 'n' Dale

Credits

Director
Jack Hannah
Animation
Bill Justice
Volus Jones
Murray McClellan
Jack Boyd
Backgrounds
Ralph Hullet
Layout
Yale Gracey
Story
Dick Kinney
Bob North
Music
Oliver Wallace

Awards

Nominated for an Academy Award (Short Subjects - Cartoons)

Milestones

Although they appeared in two previous shorts, this is the first short in which the two chipmunks are referred to by name.

Bloopers

At the end of the short, Dale is seen holding up one end of a piece of wood, and the wood is straight as if someone is holding up the other end. However in the next scene, when we see him walking away with it, he is in the middle of the piece of wood, holding it by himself.

Cut Scenes

A scene showing Donald lighting the log fire has been cut from some showings of this short.

Video

United States
Cartoon Classics : First Series : Volume 1 : Chip 'n' Dale with Donald Duck
Germany
Donalds Größte Hits
Donald Ich bin der Grösste
Das Große Micky Maus Festival
Donald und die Entenbande
Bum, Bum, Bumerang
France
Tic et Tac
Le Meilleur de Donald
Disney Parade 2
Italy
I Capolavori di Paperino
Cartoon Festival 3
Cartoons Disney 3

CED

United States
Cartoon Classics - Chip 'n' Dale

Laserdiscs

Chip n' Dale with Donald Duck
Japan
Donald's Greatest Hits
Donald Duck and his Duckling Gang
Donald Duck : A Star is Born
Disney Cartoon Festival 2

DVD

United States
Disney Treasures : Wave 7 : The Chronological Donald Volume 3
Classic Cartoon Favorites : Volume 4 : Starring Chip 'n' Dale
Germany
Disney Treasures : Wave 7 : The Chronological Donald Volume 3
Chip 'n' Chap : Volume 1 : Lusitige Streiche
France
Tout le Monde aime Tic & Tac Volume 1
Canada
Classic Cartoon Favorites : Volume 4 : Starring Chip 'n' Dale
Sweden
Piff & Puff : Volume 1 : Galen i Piff och Puff
United Kingdom
Chip 'n' Dale : Volume 1 : Here Comes Trouble

Television

The Ink and Paint Club: Episode 5: Chip 'n' Dale
Mickey's Mouse Tracks: Episode 76
Donald's Quack Attack: Episode 58

Technical Specification

Color Type: Technicolor
Animation Type: Standard animation
Sound Mix: Mono
Aspect Ratio: 1.37 : 1
Negative Format: 35mm
Print Format: 35mm
Cinematographic Process: Spherical
Original Language: English

Released by RKO Radio Pictures, Inc.

Comments

From Ryan Kilpatrick at The Disney Film Project : The best short of 1947 is one that follows a familiar formula, but brings two little known characters to the forefront. Chip An’ Dale brings the chipmunks who have appeared in previous shorts to the front of the title card, right after Donald Duck. It’s an obvious attempt to establish the two as new characters in the Disney pantheon. As such an effort, it’s pretty darn successful.

It should be noted that the Chip and Dale in this short are not entirely the same as they will appear in later shorts. Dale does not have his trademark brownish red nose, and the voices are a little harder to understand than they will be in the future. But he basics are there, and that’s a strong foundation to start from.

Donald Duck is the antagonist in this short, which is a role that suits him very well. After all, as we all know, Donald works best when he’s getting irritated or frustrated and his anger builds. We don’t see a slow burn here, because the short focuses so much on the chipmunks, but the interaction that Donald has with them is quality every single time.

What I loved about Chip An’ Dale was the fact that both Donald and the chipmunks had a decent point of view. It was perfectly reasonable that Donald chopped down their tree, because after all, how would he know there were chipmunks living there? And of course, the chipmunks are just protecting their home, which is also very reasonable. The way that both parties go about their business, and the gags that result are really well done.

My favorite gag was the fight in the snow, where Donald peeps out of the chimney and throws the chimpunks off the roof, but there were many more. Dale’s determined efforts to kick Donald in the behind are also a highlight. It’s no wonder that this short reignited the Disney tradition of competing for Academy Awards, as it was nominated but did not win in 1948. Still, a fantastic achievement for Disney that established Chip and Dale as new characters for the company.

From Baruch Weiss : I have this cartoon on videocassette with 6 other Donald VS Chip an Dale shorts. I'm not too crazy for this one, or any of the others on the video for that matter, except for Out of Scale I think Donald should have just selected another tree for firewood instead!
From Bryan Hensley : I've been a fan of Disney all my life! (No joke) I've known my daddy to be a fan of Chip 'n' Dale long before I've been collecting classic Disney shorts on hour-long Disney DVDs. Volume 4 of Disney's Classic Cartoon Favorites collection is all about Chip 'n' Dale. This particular short is their first one with Donald Duck, as far as I can tell. Throughout the short, I never heard Dale speak. He did laugh at one time after Chip pantomimes the snowballs they send down on Donald from the top of the chimney. In the end of the short, when Donald was trapped within a snowball, Dale kicked him in the bottom and went with Chip to take their old home back. They've been with Donald until 1956, in the short Chips Ahoy (Theatrically at least). I don't know why lots of folks put Chip 'n' Dale down, but my daddy loves them and so do I. Even though they usually talk quickly, that's what DVD subtitles are for; to clear up any uncertainty!
From Mike : Chip 'n' Dale have always been funny. This short is no exception of how humorous they are. There are lots of funny scenes including when Dale squirts Chip in the face with water, or when they throw the big snowball down Donald's chimney. Even the ending scene brings on a couple chuckles. A pretty Donald, Chip 'n' Dale cartoon.

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