Tuesday, February 01, 2011

Freeze Frame! - Donald in Wonderland


 . . . or even possibly Alice in Mathmagic Land?

Relating to our Alice in Wonderland media review also published today, we thought it would be fun to take a look at a slightly more unconventional Disney interpretation of Lewis Carroll material.  It was rare indeed that a Disney character had the opportunity to cross-dress in the manner of say, Bugs Bunny.  But Donald Duck was drafted for just such a moment, in of all things, the 1959 educational cartoon Donald in Mathmagic Land.  Donald assumes the role of Alice, outfit and all, in a demonstration of how mathematics relates to the game of chess.   Charles Dodgson, aka Lewis Carroll, was after all a well know Oxford mathematician, as the cartoon's narrator is quick to point out.

Posted by Jeffrey Pepper
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2 comments:

FZ said...

That is a great animated short. As a kid I always watched it when it came on the Disney Channel and waited for it when I knew it was coming on.

And as I youngster I was not good at and hated math! That should tell you how entertaining and effective it was as an educational short.

(Also, interesting tidbit about Lewis Carroll. Apparently he was such a big math junkie that he would recite mathematical formulas and equations to help him relax when he needed to!)

2/03/2011 1:13 PM
Anonymous said...

The original Disney movie "Alice in Wonderland" is one of my very favorites! Now that Donald is DRESSED like her, I can't stop watching it on youtube! I also like that it's a game instead of the original story, still referencing Alice! Classic Disney!

4/04/2011 9:55 PM

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