Toy Tinkers
Encyclopedia
Toy Tinkers is an animated
short film produced in Technicolor
by Walt Disney Productions
and released to theaters on December 16, 1949 by RKO Radio Pictures. Set during Christmas time, the film shows Chip 'n' Dale trying to steal nuts from Donald Duck's
home using toy weapons. The film was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Animated Short Film in 1950 but ultimately lost to Warner Bros'.
For Scent-imental Reasons
, a Pepé Le Pew
Looney Tunes film.
Toy Tinkers was directed by Jack Hannah
and features original and adapted music by Paul J. Smith
which includes the song "Jingle Bells
" and Schubert's
Marche Militaire
. The voice cast includes Clarence Nash
as Donald and Jimmy MacDonald
and Dessie Flynn as Chip and Dale respectively.
in the forest and take it inside. They see nuts and candy through a window and decide to try to take them. They slip in through the mail slot and load the nuts into a toy truck.
But Donald sees them stealing the nuts and uses the toys to foil them. When Chip 'n' Dale catch on, Donald next dresses as Father Christmas
and gives Chip a much larger present than Dale making him jealous and start fighting with Chip. The plan initially works and Donald traps and crashes the chipmunks in a toy paddy wagon. Donald then loads a pop gun with nuts and the chipmunks retaliate.
At last the confrontation escalates into full out combat. Donald sets up a fort of presents on one side of the living room while Chip 'n' Dale bombard him from across the room with the toy cannon. Dale covertly sneaks a candlestick phone
into Donald's fort which Chip uses to transmit direct cannon fire.
After the chipmunks have neutralized Donald's means to resist, they march back to their tree, and in a scene reminiscent of The Spirit of '76, employ the help up the mechanical toys to transport the hoard of nuts.
entitled "Donald Duck's Christmas Tree." In this version the Christmas tree which Donald chops down is Chip 'n' Dale's home. Pluto
also appears in the story. The book was republished in 1991.
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 in Technicolor
Technicolor
Technicolor is a color motion picture process invented in 1916 and improved over several decades.It was the second major process, after Britain's Kinemacolor, and the most widely used color process in Hollywood from 1922 to 1952...
by Walt Disney Productions
The Walt Disney Company
The Walt Disney Company is the largest media conglomerate in the world in terms of revenue. Founded on October 16, 1923, by Walt and Roy Disney as the Disney Brothers Cartoon Studio, Walt Disney Productions established itself as a leader in the American animation industry before diversifying into...
and released to theaters on December 16, 1949 by RKO Radio Pictures. Set during Christmas time, the film shows Chip 'n' Dale trying to steal nuts from Donald Duck's
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...
home using toy weapons. The film was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Animated Short Film in 1950 but ultimately lost to Warner Bros'.
Warner Bros.
Warner Bros. Entertainment, Inc., also known as Warner Bros. Pictures or simply Warner Bros. , is an American producer of film and television entertainment.One of the major film studios, it is a subsidiary of Time Warner, with its headquarters in Burbank,...
For Scent-imental Reasons
For Scent-imental Reasons
For Scent-imental Reasons is a Warner Bros. Looney Tunes short released in 1949. It was directed by Chuck Jones, written by Michael Maltese, and featured the characters Pepe Le Pew and Penelope Pussycat . It won the Academy Award for Best Animated Short Film...
, a Pepé Le Pew
Pepé Le Pew
Pepé Le Pew is a fictional character in the Warner Bros. Looney Tunes and Merrie Melodies series of cartoons, first introduced in 1945. A French skunk that always strolls around in Paris in the springtime, when everyone's thoughts are of "love", Pepé is constantly seeking "l'amour" of his own...
Looney Tunes film.
Toy Tinkers 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 and adapted music by Paul J. Smith
Paul Smith (composer)
Paul J. Smith was an Academy Award-winning American music composer. He was born in Calumet, Michigan. Smith spent much of his life working at Disney as composer for many of its films' scores, animated and live-action alike, movie and television alike...
which includes the song "Jingle Bells
Jingle Bells
"Jingle Bells" is one of the best-known and commonly sung winter songs in the world. It was written by James Lord Pierpont and published under the title "One Horse Open Sleigh" in the autumn of 1857...
" and Schubert's
Franz Schubert
Franz Peter Schubert was an Austrian composer.Although he died at an early age, Schubert was tremendously prolific. He wrote some 600 Lieder, nine symphonies , liturgical music, operas, some incidental music, and a large body of chamber and solo piano music...
Marche Militaire
Three Marches militaires (Schubert)
The Three Marches Militaires, Op. 51, D. 733, are pieces in march form written for piano 4-hands by Franz Schubert.The first of the three is far more famous than the others...
. The voice cast includes Clarence Nash
Clarence Nash
Clarence Charles "Ducky" Nash was an American voice actor, best known for providing the voice of Donald Duck for the Walt Disney Studios...
as Donald and Jimmy MacDonald
Jimmy MacDonald (sound effects artist)
John James "Jimmy" MacDonald was a Scottish voice actor and the original head of the Disney sound effects department, and the voice of Mickey Mouse from 1946 to 1977.-Career and sound effects:...
and Dessie Flynn as Chip and Dale respectively.
Synopsis
Chip 'n' Dale's curiosity leads them into Donald's home after they see him chop down a Christmas treeChristmas tree
The Christmas tree is a decorated evergreen coniferous tree, real or artificial, and a tradition associated with the celebration of Christmas. The tradition of decorating an evergreen tree at Christmas started in Livonia and Germany in the 16th century...
in the forest and take it inside. They see nuts and candy through a window and decide to try to take them. They slip in through the mail slot and load the nuts into a toy truck.
But Donald sees them stealing the nuts and uses the toys to foil them. When Chip 'n' Dale catch on, Donald next dresses as Father Christmas
Father Christmas
Father Christmas is the name used in many English-speaking countries for a figure associated with Christmas. A similar figure with the same name exists in several other countries, including France , Spain , Brazil , Portugal , Italy , Armenia , India...
and gives Chip a much larger present than Dale making him jealous and start fighting with Chip. The plan initially works and Donald traps and crashes the chipmunks in a toy paddy wagon. Donald then loads a pop gun with nuts and the chipmunks retaliate.
At last the confrontation escalates into full out combat. Donald sets up a fort of presents on one side of the living room while Chip 'n' Dale bombard him from across the room with the toy cannon. Dale covertly sneaks a candlestick phone
Candlestick telephone
The candlestick telephone is a style of telephone that was common from the late 1890s to the 1930s.-History:Also known as a desk stand, upright, or a stick phone, it came with or without a rotary dial, and with a ringer box...
into Donald's fort which Chip uses to transmit direct cannon fire.
After the chipmunks have neutralized Donald's means to resist, they march back to their tree, and in a scene reminiscent of The Spirit of '76, employ the help up the mechanical toys to transport the hoard of nuts.
Adaptations
The plot of Toy Tinkers is similar to a 1954 Little Golden BookLittle Golden Books
Little Golden Books is a popular series of children's books. The first 12 titles were published on October 1, 1942:#Three Little Kittens#Bedtime Stories#Mother Goose#Prayers for Children#The Little Red Hen#Nursery Songs...
entitled "Donald Duck's Christmas Tree." In this version the Christmas tree which Donald chops down is Chip 'n' Dale's home. Pluto
Pluto (Disney)
Pluto, also called Pluto the Pup, is a cartoon character created in 1930 by Walt Disney Productions. He is a light brown , medium-sized, short-haired dog. Unlike Goofy, Pluto is not anthropomorphic beyond some characteristics such as facial expression...
also appears in the story. The book was republished in 1991.
Releases
- 1949 – Theatrical release
- c. 1960 (Super8)
- 1993 – "Jimminy Cricket's Christmas" (VHS)
- 2005 – "Holiday Celebration with Mickey and PalsWalt Disney's Classic Cartoon FavoritesWalt Disney's Classic Cartoon Favorites is a series of DVDs by Walt Disney Home Video. Each release would feature around one-hour of Disney animated short films, grouped by a starring character or a theme. As opposed to the chronological nature of the Walt Disney Treasures line, each release would...
" - 2007 – "The Chronological Donald, Volume Three" (DVD)