The Wise Little Hen
The Wise Little Hen
NR | 08 June 1934 (USA)
The Wise Little Hen Trailers

Join Donald Duck in his debut in the classic animated short The Wise Little Hen. The Little Hen is planting corn and would like to have help from Peter Pig and Donald Duck, but they refuse stating they each have a "tummy ache." When it comes time to harvest the corn, Peter Pig and Donald still refuse to help the Hen, so she and her chicks do the harvest by themselves. Finally, the hen cooks the corn and offers some to Donald and Peter Pig, but when they look more carefully they discover a surprise.

Reviews
Foreverisacastironmess

To me the structure of this short verges on repetitive and the music is a little sappy, but overall it's just very sweet and the tune is bound to stick around in your head for a wee while afterwards! It has a good homely rhythm to it and the animation is bright and beautiful, with the corn-centric feast at the end looking so rich and good that you could eat it! I remember being read "The Little Red Hen" when I was a kid and it's a good little moral, never gets old. It makes me laugh every time that the mother hen asks for help with her corn farming and bukaws in the middle of the word corn, so that "Would you help me plant the corn?" comes out sounding more like "Would you help me pluck the cow!?" Absolutely hysterical voice-work, in fact a fun thing about this short is that it has three very distinct and funny voice performances to enjoy. I loved the little cadre of chicks who helped the hen with all the dirty work, it's so impossibly cute when they're riding their watering can with their little Chicky boots on! It's a rather odd and innocuous first ever appearance of the great Disney icon Donald Duck in a bit part in this yarn of going hungry if you fail to help out with the harvest.. I like the weird first design of him, looking more like a goose than a duck and having a longer beak and eyes and a hat that are white. He was a bit of a sly sneak right from the start. But he was not cranky just yet! Good old fashioned wholesome stuff, it's a lovely short and I for one think that it holds up just splendidly.

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tavm

Just watched on YouTube this Disney Silly Symphony that's important for one reason and one reason only: It's the debut of Donald Duck and that of his creator, Clarance Nash. In this one, it's the musical version of the moral fable "The Wise Little Hen" with Florence Gil voicing the one who asks Donald and his friend Peter Pig (Pinto Colvig) for help in first planting the corn and then harvesting them. The both fake bellyaches and when it comes time to eat the results...well, watch the short. Both entertaining and educational, The Wise Little Hen is highly recommend for fans of Disney and animation and especially that lovable short tempered duck! And it's all because of Mr. Nash that we owe a heap of thanks so thank you, Clarance, wherever you are!

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kelsey-willingham

"The Wise Little Hen," this cartoon from 1938 is a very good carton for being so early in our time. It is a very short film, but for being so short it is really catchy in many ways. From it bringing back your childhood days to the music that is played is really addicting you can not stop watching it. The story is actually a really good story and also can be put in to now day's perspective very easily. This short film is not the best that I have ever seen but if you look at it; it is one of the best cartoons I feel I have ever watched. The first thing to bring up is the sound that is in this short film, and how it goes along with the short film very well. The music is very catchy and after you hear it you can not get it out of your head. The music is very up beat and goes along with what is going on in the film. When the little hen is walking with her babies and looking for someone to help the words are very uplifting and happy. But when the hen asks the pig and the duck for some help and she realizes that they are not going to help the voice of the singer goes into a deeper more depressing tone. After that though when the hen keeps walking the music goes straight to back to being happy. When she is done asking them if they can help her and them telling her no her and her babies go to the field and start planning. This part of the story the beat gets really catchy when the baby hens go up and down and move they move along with the beat. This is an important part of the film and is the reason I think that you can not stop watching it. It is just like a song most people like songs that have a good beat and the words go along real well with the beat. It is the same way with a movie, but instead of the words being with the beat it is what you're seeing that is in beat with the music. The last part about the music is when the pig and duck find out that the hen did not really give them any corn to eat the beat is kind of funny and goes along with the disappointment that they are feeling.The plot to this short film is another big reason that you can really comprehend this story, and put it into things that have happened to you. Every one that I know has gone through what the hen goes through at least once in their life. You always think that you have friends and they will be there for you, but the truth is they are always just looking out for there selves. This is the same thing that the hen goes through; every time she asked the pig and duck to help her they did not want to because they thought it would not help them out at all. Then when the hen comes and asks them if they could help her eat her corn instead of planting it they were more than welcome to. Before though when they saw that the hen was starting to walk towards them they starting acting sick again because they thought that she was going to ask them to help her do something. But when they find out that she is going to feed them they starting acting all nice to her. What the hen does next is what most people should do when they face this situation, she puts a prank on the pig and duck. When they open up the bowl that the hen had gave them, which they thought was going to be corn, they find out that it is only stomach medicine. I think just about every person can put this into perspective about a time in their life. That is why I think this is such a good short film and also a very addictive one. Most might say it is just because of the music but I promise if they really sit down and think about it that they will understand that this is a big reason too.Overall though this a great short film and it is also a little bit funny, especially when the hen says the simple word "corn" in her very hen-like voice. Behind all of that though the main reasons I liked this film and thought that is was addicting was mostly because of the music and the story line. The music being very up beat and catchy, and then the story line really fitting into what I have gone through in life. If you have never watched this short film I suggest you do so but be careful it is kind of addicting, and you might want to watch it a couple more times. Last, though this film will make you laugh a little bit and it will also bring back the younger side of your life.

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dimadick

Donald Duck had been mentionened as an idea since 1931 but this was his first actual appearance.I was introduced to the character mainly by the comicbooks and at a lesser extents by some great shorts as "Commando Duck".Donald is obviously the most interesting character in this short.According to comics continuity he was 14 years old.Not bad for a teen-ager.But this short introduces as to his voice actor"Clarence"Ducky"Nash.Why should Donald's speaking be almost incomprehensible?I usualy hate hearing it.Since his name is Donald a slight Scottish accent would be more acceptable.A nice short but Clarence ruins it for me.I greately preferred Scrooge's voice in Ducktales.

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