''A Knight for a Day'' is a 1946

Disney 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 ...

short film starring

Goofy Goofy is a cartoon character created by The Walt Disney Company. He is a tall, Anthropomorphism, anthropomorphic dog who typically wears a turtle neck and vest, with pants, shoes, white gloves, and a tall hat originally designed as a rumpled f ...

, which is loosely based on the novel ''

A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court ''A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court'' is an 1889 novel by American humorist and writer Mark Twain. The book was originally titled ''A Yankee in King Arthur's Court''. Some early editions are titled ''A Yankee at the Court of King Arth ...

''. 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 ...

, this 7-minute animated comedy short was scripted by

Bill Peet William Bartlett Peet (''né'' Peed; January 29, 1915 – May 11, 2002) was an American children's book illustrator and a story writer and animator for Walt Disney Animation Studios. Peet joined Disney in 1937 and worked first on ''Snow Wh ...

. While classified as a

cartoon, Goofy himself is not used in this film, but his appearance is used as the basis for all the characters.

Plot

The story takes place at a stadium in

medieval In the history of Europe, the Middle Ages or medieval period lasted approximately from the late 5th to the late 15th centuries, similar to the post-classical period of global history. It began with the fall of the Western Roman Empire a ...

Canterbury Canterbury (, ) is a cathedral city and UNESCO World Heritage Site, situated in the heart of the City of Canterbury local government district of Kent, England. It lies on the River Stour. The Archbishop of Canterbury is the primate of t ...

(which is later incorrectly indicated to be in the

British Empire The British Empire was composed of the dominions, colonies, protectorates, mandates, and other territories ruled or administered by the United Kingdom and its predecessor states. It began with the overseas possessions and trading posts e ...

), and features a jousting competition between Sir Loinsteak and Sir Cumference, who is a

black knight The black knight is a literary stock character who masks his identity and that of his liege by not displaying heraldry. Black knights are usually portrayed as villainous figures who use this anonymity for misdeeds. They are often contrasted with t ...

and the current champion, with a sportscaster-like announcer calling the action of the battle. The prize for the contest is the right to marry Princess Esmeralda. Due to a pre-bout accident, Sir Loinsteak is knocked out, leaving his loyal and humble

squire In the Middle Ages, a squire was the shield- or armour-bearer of a knight. Use of the term evolved over time. Initially, a squire served as a knight's apprentice. Later, a village leader or a lord of the manor might come to be known as ...

Cedric to take his place in the tournament. While Sir Cumference dominates the inexperienced simpleton early on, Cedric's unorthodox improvisations gradually begin to tip the scales in his favor. Finally, after launching assaults with his lance, sword, mace, and (surprisingly) a jackhammer, Sir Cumference collapses from exhaustion. Cedric wins by default and is crowned the new champion. Princess Esmeralda leaps down to her new fiancé with glee, while a

serf Serfdom was the status of many peasants under feudalism, specifically relating to manorialism, and similar systems. It was a condition of debt bondage and indentured servitude with similarities to and differences from slavery, which developed ...

nonchalantly pushes Sir Cumference from the field in a scoop shovel.

Voice cast

* Hawkers, misc.:

Jack Mather John Eugene Mather (September 7, 1907 – August 16, 1966) was an American radio and television actor, best known for playing The Cisco Kid on radio and for being the original voice of Wally Walrus. Early life and career Mather was born on a f ...

, Arch Denison * Narrator: John Brown

Home media

This short is included on the VHS releases of '' Here's Goofy'' and '' The Sword in the Stone'' and the DVD releases of ''Volume 3: The Prince & The Pauper'' and ''The Sword in the Stone''.

References

External links

* 1946 animated films 1946 films 1940s Disney animated short films Films directed by Jack Hannah Films produced by Walt Disney Films set in Kent Films set in the Middle Ages Goofy (Disney) short films Films scored by Oliver Wallace Films based on A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court {{Disney-animation-film-stub