''No Hunting'' is a 1955 American

animated Animation is a method by which still figures are manipulated to appear as moving images. In traditional animation, images are drawn or painted by hand on transparent celluloid sheets to be photographed and exhibited on film. Today, most ani ...

short film A short film is any motion picture that is short enough in running time not to be considered a feature film. The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences defines a short film as "an original motion picture that has a running time of 40 minutes ...

produced by

Walt Disney Productions The Walt Disney Company, commonly known as Disney (), is an American multinational mass media and entertainment conglomerate headquartered at the Walt Disney Studios complex in Burbank, California. Disney was originally founded on October 1 ...

and released by

RKO Radio Pictures RKO Radio Pictures Inc., commonly known as RKO Pictures or simply RKO, was an American film production and distribution company, one of the "Big Five" film studios of Hollywood's Golden Age. The business was formed after the Keith-Albee-Orph ...

. The cartoon features Donald Duck participating in an overly-dramatic hunting trip after being inspired by his pioneer ancestor. The film was directed by

Jack Hannah John Frederick Hannah (January 5, 1913 – June 11, 1994) was an American animator, writer and director of animated shorts. Biography Hannah was born on January 5, 1913, in Nogales, Arizona. He moved to Los Angeles in 1931 to study at the Art ...

and features original music by

Oliver Wallace Oliver George Wallace (August 6, 1887 – September 15, 1963) was an English composer and conductor.''Home Front Heroes: A Biographical Dictionary of Americans During Wartime'', Volume 3, ed. Benjamin F. Shearer (Westport, CT: Greenwood Press, 200 ...

. It was produced in widescreen CinemaScope. ''No Hunting'' was nominated for an

Academy Award for Best Animated Short Film The Academy Award for Best Animated Short Film is an award given by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS) as part of the annual Academy Awards, or Oscars, since the 5th Academy Awards (with different names), covering the year 1 ...

at the

28th Academy Awards The 28th Academy Awards were held on March 21, 1956 to honor the films of 1955, at the RKO Pantages Theatre in Los Angeles, California. At just 90 minutes, '' Marty'' became the shortest film to win Best Picture, as well as the second to hav ...

, held in 1955, but lost to the '' Merrie Melodies'' film ''

Speedy Gonzales Speedy Gonzales is an animated cartoon character in the Warner Bros. ''Looney Tunes'' and ''Merrie Melodies'' series of cartoons. He is portrayed as "The Fastest Mouse in all Mexico" with his major traits being the ability to run extremely fas ...

''. It was the ninth and final such nomination received by the ''Donald Duck'' film series.

Plot

Donald Duck is enjoying a luxurious meal under a large portrait of his pioneering grandfather. The narrator notes that Donald's life is significantly easier than his ancestor who had to hunt in order to survive. Donald then sees that

hunting season A hunting season is the designated time in which certain game animals can be killed in certain designated areas. In the United States, each state determines and sets its own specific dates to hunt the certain game animal, such as California, in ...

begins the next day and, possessed by the spirit of his grandfather, decides to participate. When Donald arrives at the hunting grounds that evening, he finds it extremely overcrowded. Local residents go into hiding as vendors set up shop; the deer in the forest, represented by a cameo of

Bambi ''Bambi'' is a 1942 American animated drama film directed by David Hand (supervising a team of sequence directors), produced by Walt Disney and based on the 1923 book ''Bambi, a Life in the Woods'' by Austrian author and hunter Felix Salten ...

and his mother, leave the area after seeing loads of litter wash downstream. The precise opening of hunting season that night unfolds in dramatic fashion. The scenes evoke stereotypical war films, depicting

trench A trench is a type of excavation or in the ground that is generally deeper than it is wide (as opposed to a wider gully, or ditch), and narrow compared with its length (as opposed to a simple hole or pit). In geology, trenches result from ero ...

and

tank warfare Armoured warfare or armored warfare (mechanized forces, armoured forces or armored forces) (American English; see spelling differences), is the use of armored fighting vehicles in modern warfare. It is a major component of modern methods of ...

, amphibious landing craft, and hunters parachuting into the forest. At the end of the day, the discouraged hunters trudge home across a war-torn landscape. Yet the narrator notes that the day was "not without game", as Donald's grandfather presents a cow, taken from a local farm, which had the word "cow" painted on it so the hunters would not confuse it for a deer.

Comparing CinemaScope and flat versions

This short also has a comparison between the versions of CinemaScope and flat versions. In the CinemaScope version, three bullet holes appear on the sign with sound effects of gunfire at the title card. This does not happen in the flat version.

Voice cast

*Narrator:

Robert C. Bruce Robert Cameron Bruce Jr. (October 6, 1914 – August 24, 2003) was an American voice actor and the son of Robert Cameron Bruce (1887–1948) who was a cinematographer and documentary producer. He was the narrator for a number of Warner Bros. ca ...

* Donald Duck:

Clarence Nash Clarence Charles "Ducky" Nash (December 7, 1904 – February 20, 1985) was an American voice actor. He was best known as the original voice of the Disney cartoon character Donald Duck. He was born in the rural community of Watonga, Oklahoma, and ...

*Donald's ancestor/Radio operator/Ranger Jenkins: Bill Thompson *

Moose The moose (in North America) or elk (in Eurasia) (''Alces alces'') is a member of the New World deer subfamily and is the only species in the genus ''Alces''. It is the largest and heaviest extant species in the deer family. Most adult ma ...

Director Jack Hannah recorded several voice overs for the cartoon according to one interview. These included a moose who says "Hmm, you're a cute one." According to Hannah, animator John Sibley who worked on the scene enjoyed the way Hannah spoke the line, and Hannah decided to record it himself. It is not known specifically which other voices Hannah recorded, yet several minor roles are uncredited."Grab You're Shootin' Iron, Son! "We're Goin' Huntin'!"
at 2719 Hyperion; January 6, 2009.

Background

The film's satirical presentation of recreational hunting was inspired by director Jack Hannah's own experiences as a child. He once said "I used to go hunting with my dad when I was a kid and this short was a great takeoff on these hunters and fishermen. They really are this way. They are as dangerous to themselves as to the game they're hunting. I’ve heard there are more hunters shot on opening day than deer.

Home media

The short was remastered and also released on November 11, 2008 on '' Walt Disney Treasures: The Chronological Donald, Volume Four: 1951-1961''.

References

External links

''No Hunting''
at The Encyclopedia of Animated Disney Shorts {{Donald Duck 1955 films 1955 animated films Donald Duck short films 1950s Disney animated short films CinemaScope films Films directed by Jack Hannah Films produced by Walt Disney Films about hunters Films scored by Oliver Wallace 1950s English-language films 1950s American films