Two Weeks Vacation
Encyclopedia
Two Weeks Vacation is a 1952 American animated short film produced by Walt Disney Productions and released by RKO Radio Pictures
. The cartoon follows Goofy
on an ill-fated vacation trip traveling cross country. It was directed by Jack Kinney
and features the voices of Pinto Colvig
as Goofy and Alan Reed
as the narrator and a hitchhiker.
, sunrise in the Rockies
, basking on the beach, dude ranching, golfing, boating, and hunting in the North Woods."
As soon as the clock strikes 12 noon, Goofy races outside the office building to his car and heads out on the highway. From this point the film follows a series of vignettes
showing Goofy's many travel problems, all accompanied by sarcastic comments from the narrator. The first problem Goofy faces is getting stuck behind a slow-moving travel trailer
which he can't seem to pass. The same trailer continues to follow Goofy, yet always remains one step ahead of him and causes most of his problems.
Goofy is eventually able to pass the trailer, but is alarmed to see no one driving the car. He speeds away to avoid the car and trailer which is running out of control. Goofy is then arrested for speeding and is finally seen in jail, but happy for having found the "perfect haven for rest and relaxation."
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 follows Goofy
Goofy
Goofy is a cartoon character created in 1932 at Walt Disney Productions. Goofy is a tall, anthropomorphic dog, and typically wears a turtle neck and vest, with pants, shoes, white gloves, and a tall hat originally designed as a rumpled fedora. Goofy is a close friend of Mickey Mouse and Donald Duck...
on an ill-fated vacation trip traveling cross country. It was directed by Jack Kinney
Jack Kinney
Jack Ryan Kinney was an American animator, director and producer of animated shorts.Jack Kinney attended John Muir Junior High School in Los Angeles, California , and attended John C. Fremont High School there with Roy Williams...
and features the voices of Pinto Colvig
Pinto Colvig
Vance DeBar "Pinto" Colvig was an American vaudeville actor, radio actor, newspaper cartoonist, prolific movie voice actor, and circus performer whose schtick was playing clarinet off-key while mugging....
as Goofy and Alan Reed
Alan Reed
Alan Reed was an American actor and voice actor, best known as the original voice of Fred Flintstone on The Flintstones and various spinoff series...
as the narrator and a hitchhiker.
Plot
Goofy is seen in a crowded office dreaming about his coming paid vacation. He plans "fishing at Fond du LacFond du Lac, Wisconsin
Fond du Lac is a city in Fond du Lac County, Wisconsin, United States. The name is French for bottom of the lake, for it is located at the bottom of Lake Winnebago. The population was 42,203 at the 2000 census...
, sunrise in the Rockies
Rocky Mountains
The Rocky Mountains are a major mountain range in western North America. The Rocky Mountains stretch more than from the northernmost part of British Columbia, in western Canada, to New Mexico, in the southwestern United States...
, basking on the beach, dude ranching, golfing, boating, and hunting in the North Woods."
As soon as the clock strikes 12 noon, Goofy races outside the office building to his car and heads out on the highway. From this point the film follows a series of vignettes
Vignette (literature)
In theatrical script writing, sketch stories, and poetry, a vignette is a short impressionistic scene that focuses on one moment or gives a trenchant impression about a character, an idea, or a setting and sometimes an object...
showing Goofy's many travel problems, all accompanied by sarcastic comments from the narrator. The first problem Goofy faces is getting stuck behind a slow-moving travel trailer
Travel trailer
A travel trailer or caravan is towed behind a road vehicle to provide a place to sleep which is more comfortable and protected than a tent . It provides the means for people to have their own home on a journey or a vacation, without relying on a motel or hotel, and enables them to stay in places...
which he can't seem to pass. The same trailer continues to follow Goofy, yet always remains one step ahead of him and causes most of his problems.
Goofy is eventually able to pass the trailer, but is alarmed to see no one driving the car. He speeds away to avoid the car and trailer which is running out of control. Goofy is then arrested for speeding and is finally seen in jail, but happy for having found the "perfect haven for rest and relaxation."
Releases
- 1952 – Original theatrical release
- 1957 – Walt Disney Presents, episode #4.11 "How to Relax" (TV)
- 1984 – "Sport Goofy's VacationWalt Disney Cartoon ClassicsWalt Disney Cartoon Classics was a series of cartoon compilations from Disney. It was their first attempt to put cartoons on home video. The first 14 volumes, from 1983–1986, came with 6 or 7 cartoons and ran from 30–60 minutes...
" (VHS) - 1992 – "Happy Summer Days" (VHS)
- 1998 – Ink & Paint Club, episode #1.43 "On Vacation" (TV)
- 2002 – "Walt Disney Treasures: The Complete Goofy" (DVD)
- 2005 – "Extreme Adventure Fun (DVD)
External links
- Two Weeks Vacation at The Encyclopedia of Animated Disney Shorts
- Roadside Disney: Trailer Tales from 2719 Hyperion, essay on the topic of travel trailers in Disney films; May 6, 2008