The Wise Little Hen

The Wise Little Hen is a Donald Duck 1934 short released on June 9. It marks the debut of Donald Duck and is based on the fairy tale The Little Red Hen.

Plot

The Wise Little Hen lived with her chicks. They were running low on food and she was worried, so she decided to plant some corn. So they set off to Peter Pig's house. She asked him if he would help her plant corn, but sadly Peter complained of having a belly ache and snorted off. The Hen realized that he would not help her, so she skipped off to Donald Duck's house. Donald did not help her either, as he also faked a belly ache and quacked off. The Hen decided to plant the corn herself. As soon as the corn had grown, the Hen asked Peter and Donald again if they would help her. They faked belly aches again and went into the club house they owned. Peter banged the door so hard the wall broke, but the Pig and the Duck were shaking hands without noticing the wall at all. The Hen saw through their trick and agreed with her chicks to not let them eat any corn when it's done. So they harvested and cooked the corn themselves for their dinner. When they were done, the Hen decided to ask Peter and Donald if they wanted corn. They agreed and came rushing over to grab the basket full of corn. They fought over it but then decided to dig in. To their surprise, it was castor oil for belly aches! The Hen and the chicks enjoyed their meal, while Peter and Donald kicked each other in the rear for the rest of the day.

Characters

• Donald Duck (voiced by Clarence Nash)
• The Wise Little Hen (voiced by Florence Gill)
• Peter Pig (voiced by Clarence Nash)
• Chicks

Trivia

• All of the characters' speeches are hard to interpret due to mixing in animal sounds.
  • This was what led to Donald to have his trademark quack-like speech.

Goofs

• Peter's leg outline was pink in one scene.

Releases

Television

• The Mickey Mouse Club, October 6, 1955
• The Mickey Mouse Club, March 25, 1958
• Donald's Quack Attack, episode #81
• Sing Me a Story with Belle: "Reap What You Sow"
• The Ink and Paint Club, episode #1.4: "Disney Firsts"
• The Ink and Paint Club, episode #1.14: "Early Donald"

Home video releases

VHS

• Walt Disney Cartoon Classics: Donald Duck's First 50 Years
• Mickey and Company

DVD

• Walt Disney Treasures: Silly Symphonies
• Walt Disney Treasures: The Chronological Donald, Volume 1
• Walt Disney's Timeless Tales: Volume 3
• Walt Disney Animation Collection: Classic Short Films: Volume 5: Wind in the Willows

Gallery

v - e - d

1929 The Skeleton Dance • El Terrible Toreador • Springtime • Hell's Bells • The Merry Dwarfs 1930 Summer • Autumn • Cannibal Capers • Frolicking Fish • Arctic Antics • Midnight in a Toy Shop • Night • Monkey Melodies • Winter • Playful Pan 1931 Birds of a Feather • Mother Goose Melodies • The China Plate • The Busy Beavers • The Cat's Out • Egyptian Melodies • The Clock Store • The Spider and the Fly • The Fox Hunt • The Ugly Duckling 1932 The Bird Store • The Bears and Bees • Just Dogs • Flowers and Trees • King Neptune • Bugs in Love • Babes in the Woods • Santa's Workshop 1933 Birds in the Spring • Father Noah's Ark • The Three Little Pigs • Old King Cole • Lullaby Land • The Pied Piper • The Night Before Christmas 1934 The China Shop • The Grasshopper and the Ants • Funny Little Bunnies • The Big Bad Wolf • The Wise Little Hen • The Flying Mouse • Peculiar Penguins • The Goddess of Spring 1935 The Tortoise and the Hare • The Golden Touch • The Robber Kitten • Water Babies • The Cookie Carnival • Who Killed Cock Robin? • Music Land • Three Orphan Kittens • Cock o' the Walk • Broken Toys 1936 Elmer Elephant • Three Little Wolves • Toby Tortoise Returns • Three Blind Mouseketeers • The Country Cousin • Mother Pluto • More Kittens 1937 Woodland Café • Little Hiawatha • The Old Mill 1938 The Moth and the Flame • Wynken, Blynken and Nod • Farmyard Symphony • Merbabies • Mother Goose Goes Hollywood 1939 The Practical Pig • The Ugly Duckling