No Hunting
Encyclopedia
No Hunting is a 1955
American animated
short film produced by Walt Disney Productions and released by RKO Radio Pictures
. 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
and features original music by Oliver Wallace
. It was produced in widescreen CinemaScope
.
No Hunting was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Animated Short Film in 1956
, but lost to the Merrie Melodies
film Speedy Gonzales
. It was the ninth and final such nomination received by the Donald Duck film series.
is enjoying a luxurious meal under a large portrait of his pioneering
grandfather. The narrator notes that Donald's life is significantly easier than that of his ancestor who had to hunt in order to survive. Donald then sees that hunting season
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 forrest, represented by a cameo of Bambi
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
and tank warfare
, amphibious landing craft
, and hunters parachuting into the forrest. 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.
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.
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.
1955 in film
The year 1955 in film involved some significant events.-Events:* November 3 - The musical Guys and Dolls, starring Marlon Brando and Frank Sinatra, debuts.* June 27 - The last ever Republic serial, King of the Carnival, is released....
American animated
Animated cartoon
An animated cartoon is a short, hand-drawn film for the cinema, television or computer screen, featuring some kind of story or plot...
short film produced by Walt Disney Productions and released by RKO Radio Pictures
RKO Pictures
RKO Pictures is an American film production and distribution company. As RKO Radio Pictures Inc., it was one of the Big Five studios of Hollywood's Golden Age. The business was formed after the Keith-Albee-Orpheum theater chains and Joseph P...
. The cartoon features Donald Duck
Donald Duck
Donald Fauntleroy Duck is a cartoon character created in 1934 at Walt Disney Productions and licensed by The Walt Disney Company. Donald is an anthropomorphic white duck with a yellow-orange bill, legs, and feet. He typically wears a sailor suit with a cap and a black or red bow tie. Donald is most...
participating in an overly-dramatic hunting trip after being inspired by his pioneer ancestor. The film was directed by Jack Hannah
Jack Hannah
Jack Hannah was an animator, writer and director of animated shorts.Hannah was born January 15, 1913, in Nogales, Arizona. He moved to Los Angeles in 1931 to study at the Art Guild Academy. One of his first jobs was designing movie posters for Hollywood theaters...
and features original music by Oliver Wallace
Oliver Wallace
Oliver George Wallace was a British composer and conductor. He was especially known for his film music compositions, which were written for many animation, documentary, and feature films from Walt Disney Studios....
. It was produced in widescreen CinemaScope
CinemaScope
CinemaScope was an anamorphic lens series used for shooting wide screen movies from 1953 to 1967. Its creation in 1953, by the president of 20th Century-Fox, marked the beginning of the modern anamorphic format in both principal photography and movie projection.The anamorphic lenses theoretically...
.
No Hunting was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Animated Short Film in 1956
28th Academy Awards
The 28th Academy Awards were presented at the RKO Pantages Theatre in Los Angeles, California. Marty, a simple and low-budget film usually uncharacteristic of Best Picture awardees, became the shortest film to win the top honor.This year also was notable for having only 2 of the best picture...
, but lost to the Merrie Melodies
Merrie Melodies
Merrie Melodies is the name of a series of animated cartoons distributed by Warner Bros. Pictures between 1931 and 1969.Originally produced by Harman-Ising Pictures, Merrie Melodies were produced by Leon Schlesinger Productions from 1933 to 1944. Schlesinger sold his studio to Warner Bros. in 1944,...
film Speedy Gonzales
Speedy Gonzales (film)
Speedy Gonzales is a 1955 Merrie Melodies animated short directed by Friz Freleng from a story by Warren Foster. It is the second cartoon to feature the title character, but the first one to feature Speedy in his current design...
. It was the ninth and final such nomination received by the Donald Duck film series.
Plot
Donald DuckDonald Duck
Donald Fauntleroy Duck is a cartoon character created in 1934 at Walt Disney Productions and licensed by The Walt Disney Company. Donald is an anthropomorphic white duck with a yellow-orange bill, legs, and feet. He typically wears a sailor suit with a cap and a black or red bow tie. Donald is most...
is enjoying a luxurious meal under a large portrait of his pioneering
American pioneer
American pioneers are any of the people in American history who migrated west to join in settling and developing new areas. The term especially refers to those who were going to settle any territory which had previously not been settled or developed by European or American society, although the...
grandfather. The narrator notes that Donald's life is significantly easier than that of his ancestor who had to hunt in order to survive. Donald then sees that hunting season
Hunting season
A hunting season is the time when it is legal to hunt and kill a particular species.In the United States, each state has primary responsibility and authority over the hunting of wildlife that resides within state boundaries. State wildlife agencies that sell hunting licenses are the best source of...
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 forrest, represented by a cameo of Bambi
Bambi (character)
Bambi, a young roe deer, is the main character in Felix Salten's Bambi, A Life in the Woods and in the Disney films based on the book. Bambi has starred in two movies, Bambi and Bambi II, has had cameos in several Disney cartoons, and has been parodied on occasion by other animation companies...
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
Trench warfare
Trench warfare is a form of occupied fighting lines, consisting largely of trenches, in which troops are largely immune to the enemy's small arms fire and are substantially sheltered from artillery...
and tank warfare
Armoured warfare
Armoured warfare or tank warfare is the use of armoured fighting vehicles in modern warfare. It is a major component of modern methods of war....
, amphibious landing craft
Landing craft
Landing craft are boats and seagoing vessels used to convey a landing force from the sea to the shore during an amphibious assault. Most renowned are those used to storm the beaches of Normandy, the Mediterranean, and many Pacific islands during WWII...
, and hunters parachuting into the forrest. 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.
Cast
- Narrator: uncredited
- Donald DuckDonald DuckDonald Fauntleroy Duck is a cartoon character created in 1934 at Walt Disney Productions and licensed by The Walt Disney Company. Donald is an anthropomorphic white duck with a yellow-orange bill, legs, and feet. He typically wears a sailor suit with a cap and a black or red bow tie. Donald is most...
: Clarence NashClarence NashClarence Charles "Ducky" Nash was an American voice actor, best known for providing the voice of Donald Duck for the Walt Disney Studios... - Donald's ancestor: Bill ThompsonBill Thompson (voice actor)Bill Thompson was an American radio actor and voice actor whose career stretched from the 1930s until his death.-Early career:...
- Moose: Jack HannahJack HannahJack Hannah was an animator, writer and director of animated shorts.Hannah was born January 15, 1913, in Nogales, Arizona. He moved to Los Angeles in 1931 to study at the Art Guild Academy. One of his first jobs was designing movie posters for Hollywood theaters...
- Radio operator: Bill Thompson
- Ranger Jenkins: Bill Thompson
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.
Background
The film's satirical presentation of recreational hunting was inspired by director Jack Hannah'sJack Hannah
Jack Hannah was an animator, writer and director of animated shorts.Hannah was born January 15, 1913, in Nogales, Arizona. He moved to Los Angeles in 1931 to study at the Art Guild Academy. One of his first jobs was designing movie posters for Hollywood theaters...
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.
External links
- No Hunting at The Encyclopedia of Animated Disney Shorts