Working for Peanuts
| Working for Peanuts | |
|---|---|
 Theatrical release poster | |
| Directed by | Jack Hannah |
| Story by | Nick George Roy Williams |
| Produced by | Walt Disney |
| Starring | Clarence Nash James MacDonald Dessie Flynn |
| Music by | Oliver Wallace |
| Animation by | Volus Jones Bill Justice George Kreisl Dan MacManus (effects) |
| Layouts by | Yale Gracey |
| Backgrounds by | Eyvind Earle |
| Color process | Technicolor |
Production company | |
| Distributed by | RKO Radio Pictures |
Release date |
|
Running time | 6:40 |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
Working for Peanuts is a 1953 animated short produced by Walt Disney, featuring Donald Duck and Chip 'n' Dale.[1] It is notable for being one of their first shorts filmed in 3D (the first being Adventures in Music: Melody, which was released several months before). The tagline of the film is "Walt Disney's Donald Duck & Chip 'N Dale in their first laugh riot in 3-Dimension".
In 2006, it was remastered for digital 3D purposes and rereleased in 2007 along with the Disney Digital 3-D version of the Walt Disney Animation Studios film Meet the Robinsons.
Working for Peanuts was also showcased a number of times at the Disney theme parks and was used as a teaser 3D cartoon at Walt Disney World's Magic Kingdom, which showcased a 3D film, Magic Journeys, that was sponsored by Kodak.
The title "Working for Peanuts", which is a common expression to indicate earning low wages, is used to allude to the development in the story related to the elephant's peanuts.
Plot
While collecting acorns, Chip and Dale discover a peanut that had been thrown from the nearby zoo. The duo sample the peanut and enjoy its taste. They suddenly notice a crowd throwing peanuts at Dolores the Elephant, who is being cared for by Donald Duck.
The chipmunks attempt to steal peanuts while Donald is away, but Dolores discovers Dale and stops him. Dale offers Dolores some peanuts, but runs off while her eyes are closed. In response, Dolores tricks Dale into throwing his load of peanuts into her mouth by using her trunk as a "branch". Dolores then sucks the remaining peanuts out of the chipmunks' tree and walks off. The chipmunks retaliate by pulling back a branch on their tree and striking Dolores in the rear.
Dolores runs back to the zoo and alerts Donald. Once he notices the chipmunks in the act of theft, Donald uses Dolores' trunk like a vacuum to suck up the stolen peanuts. He then fires the peanuts at the duo like a machine gun, but the "gun" jams after only a few shots. The chipmunks imitate the scene and laugh, and Donald rushes towards them, but collides with their tree and is left dazed. The chipmunks observe other animals receiving peanuts, and Dale attempts to gather some more by imitating a sea lion. A fish gets thrown at him instead, and Chip laughs at him. Unamused, Dale slaps Chip with the fish.
Later, Dolores notices Donald and snaps him out of his stupor. The two then find the chipmunks dancing in exchange for peanuts. Donald furiously tries to chase the chipmunks out of the zoo. While trying to escape from Donald, Dale trips in a bucket of white paint, covering himself in it. Chip gets an idea, and grabs the paintbrush. The two cover themselves in the white paint and put themselves in a box, posing as albino chipmunks and instructing Donald to only feed them peanuts.
Donald creates an albino chipmunk exhibit and fills it with peanuts, while Dolores provides the chipmunks with a miniature swimming pool. Dale attempts to cannonball in. Chip stops Dale, but not before he inadvertently washes the paint off the bottom half of his body. Dolores notices this and alerts Donald, who immediately becomes suspicious. Dale draws two lines across his body, imitating a pair of suspenders. Donald buys the ruse and he and Dolores walk away. Chip says "We sure fooled him!", to which Dale responds "Yep! Sure did!" and pulls back on his now-real suspenders. Chip looks at the camera and shrugs as the short concludes.
Voice cast
- Donald Duck: Clarence Nash
- Chip: Jimmy MacDonald
- Dale: Dessie Flynn
Releases
- 1953 - theatrical release
- 1956 - as part of "3D Jamboree" (Disneyland).
- 1960 - Walt Disney Presents, episode #6.23: "This Is Your Life, Donald Duck" (TV)
- c. 1983 - Good Morning, Mickey!, episode #8 (TV)
- 1987 - preshow for "Magic Journeys" at Walt Disney World's Magic Kingdom (theme park).
- c. 1992 - Donald's Quack Attack, episode #44 (TV)
- 1998 - The Ink and Paint Club, episode #1.42: "Goin' to the Zoo" (TV)
- 2006 - as part of the World 3D Film Expo II.[2]
- 2007 - reissued with 3D version of Meet the Robinsons (theatrical).
Home media
The short was released on November 11, 2008 on Walt Disney Treasures: The Chronological Donald, Volume Four: 1951-1961.[3]
Additional releases include:
- 1981 - Mickey Mouse and Donald Duck Cartoon Collections Volume Three (VHS)
- 1987 - Cartoon Classics: Starring Chip 'n Dale (VHS)
- 2005 - Classic Cartoon Favorites: Starring Chip 'n Dale (DVD)
Also, in 2010, Walt Disney Home Entertainment partnered with Mitsubishi Electric to bring the Disney Digital 3D Showcase Disc to homes across the country. The disc is a full HD 1080P Blu-ray 3D disc and requires a 3D-capable HDTV, 3D-capable Blu-ray player and compatible glasses to enjoy. The disc is 22 minutes long and includes the short film "Working For Peanuts" in Full HD 3D, along with previews and clips in 3D from Toy Story 3, Alice in Wonderland, A Christmas Carol and Tim Burton's The Nightmare Before Christmas. The disc was unreleased for general retail and was only available as a part of Mitsubishi's 3D Starter Kit.
References
- ^ Lenburg, Jeff (1999). The Encyclopedia of Animated Cartoons. Checkmark Books. pp. 74–76. ISBN 0-8160-3831-7. Retrieved 6 June 2020.
- ^ "Working For Peanuts (1953) World 3-D Film Expo II presented by SabuCat Productions". Retrieved 2007-04-09.
- ^ "The Chronological Donald Volume 4 DVD Review". DVD Dizzy. Retrieved 13 February 2021.
