Terrible acting, screenplay and direction.

good back-story, and good acting

Great example of an old-fashioned, pure-at-heart escapist event movie that doesn't pretend to be anything that it's not and has boat loads of fun being its own ludicrous self.

There are moments that feel comical, some horrific, and some downright inspiring but the tonal shifts hardly matter as the end results come to a film that's perfect for this time.

To me the structure of this short verges on repetitive and the music is a little sappy, but overall it's just very sweet and the tune is bound to stick around in your head for a wee while afterwards! It has a good homely rhythm to it and the animation is bright and beautiful, with the corn-centric feast at the end looking so rich and good that you could eat it! I remember being read "The Little Red Hen" when I was a kid and it's a good little moral, never gets old. It makes me laugh every time that the mother hen asks for help with her corn farming and bukaws in the middle of the word corn, so that "Would you help me plant the corn?" comes out sounding more like "Would you help me pluck the cow!?" Absolutely hysterical voice-work, in fact a fun thing about this short is that it has three very distinct and funny voice performances to enjoy. I loved the little cadre of chicks who helped the hen with all the dirty work, it's so impossibly cute when they're riding their watering can with their little Chicky boots on! It's a rather odd and innocuous first ever appearance of the great Disney icon Donald Duck in a bit part in this yarn of going hungry if you fail to help out with the harvest.. I like the weird first design of him, looking more like a goose than a duck and having a longer beak and eyes and a hat that are white. He was a bit of a sly sneak right from the start. But he was not cranky just yet! Good old fashioned wholesome stuff, it's a lovely short and I for one think that it holds up just splendidly.

This is a gem. The animation is beautiful, with lovely colourful backgrounds and the character animation is very good. The music was brilliant, very playful and jolly, and the theme tune somewhat reminds me of that for Peculiar Penguins. The characters are engaging, with the exception of Peter Pig, whose presence seemed unnecessary at times. The hen of the title is fun, the chicks are ADORABLE(I know I keep using this word, but most of the silly symphonies are), but what makes this short for me is the presence of Donald Duck, voiced by the one and only Ducky Nash. Everything else was fine, but my favourite duck's presence elevates this gem to a greater level.Two words for this- wonderful gem! 9.5/10 Bethany Cox

The last three days I've probably watched this thing 13 times. Not because I liked it, but because its highly addictive. Its one of those things that is so stupid, but at the same time so catchy you just can't not stop playing it. What I kind of like about it is how every sound and every movement in this Disney short seems to be going alone in a tune, with verses and all. And the singing along with it... Argh. Its annoying, but its, well, catchy. Everything. Especially the little hen. God, its like a caressing nightmare. This is Donalds first appearance ever yeah. He's basically a little tw*t, but yeah, compared to Peter Pig he's a bit funny.. and you can probably see why he got a second chance, and finally grew to be one of Disney's biggest characters. What is a bit interesting though is that he lives on a boat, so his costume for once makes a bit sense. The little hen and her little slave chickens steals the show though. God I hope she never turns up ever again! Her presence in this 8 minute short is more than enough for a whole eternity. The horror!

While watching The Wise Little Hen, I had to keep reminding myself that this short was made in 1934. The animation has held up well over the years and is as good as anything you'll see. The colors paint a bright picture and the attention to detail is amazing. This film is also an important milestone as it marks the first appearance of Donald Duck, it remains one of his best films.