Better Late Then Never

This is a tender, generous movie that likes its characters and presents them as real people, full of flaws and strengths.

Although I seem to have had higher expectations than I thought, the movie is super entertaining.

This is one of the best movies I’ve seen in a very long time. You have to go and see this on the big screen.

This is a Christmas-themed Disney short starring Donald Duck, where he is seen decorating his cabin with ornaments and a Christmas tree. However, the chipmunks Chip 'n' Dale spot acorns and nuts inside the cabin and decides to steal some. This results in an all-out war with toy canons and bazookas between the characters as Chip 'n' Dale try to make away with the loot and Donald trying to defend his turf.There were some laugh-out-loud moments, especially during the parts where tomatoes get slapped onto Donald's face and when things blow up in Donald's ear after he answers the phone. But, it's obvious Chip 'n' Dale got away with murder as they got the upper hand with Donald, as usual, and it's unfair to poor Donald because the rodents were the one who snuck into the house and stole his stuff.It's a laughable Christmas cartoon, but I don't like how Donald always end up losing to those conniving rodents! Grade C

Toy Tinkers (1949) *** (out of 4) Donald goes into the forest and cuts down a Christmas tree, which is witnessed by Chip and Dale who in return sneak into Donald's house to steal some walnuts. After they're caught the two sides battle with various ornaments and toys. This film has a lot in common with DONALD'S SNOW FIGHT, which featured Donald doing battle with his two nephews and I think you can also see that this film had an influence on PLUTO'S Christmas TREE, which had Pluto doing battle with Chip and Dale after they got into his home. This middle film isn't nearly as great as the other two but I think there's enough here to keep people entertained. I think the highlight of the movie is a sequence where the chipmunks are on a train and have to try and steal the walnuts from Donald who has a few tricks of his own. Throughout the film the animation is top-notch and there's no question that there's enough action for two movies.

A Walt Disney DONALD DUCK Cartoon.Chip 'n' Dale become TOY TINKERS after discovering the treasures spread out under Donald's Christmas tree.Although enjoyable, this little Oscar nominated Duck versus Chipmunks Holiday film is unremarkable as far as animation & storyline are concerned. Clarence "Ducky" Nash supplies Donald's unique voice; the Chipmunks are largely unintelligible.Walt Disney (1901-1966) was always intrigued by drawings. As a lad in Marceline, Missouri, he sketched farm animals on scraps of paper; later, as an ambulance driver in France during the First World War, he drew figures on the sides of his vehicle. Back in Kansas City, along with artist Ub Iwerks, Walt developed a primitive animation studio that provided animated commercials and tiny cartoons for the local movie theaters. Always the innovator, his ALICE IN CARTOONLAND series broke ground in placing a live figure in a cartoon universe. Business reversals sent Disney & Iwerks to Hollywood in 1923, where Walt's older brother Roy became his lifelong business manager & counselor. When a mildly successful series with Oswald The Lucky Rabbit was snatched away by the distributor, the character of Mickey Mouse sprung into Walt's imagination, ensuring Disney's immortality. The happy arrival of sound technology made Mickey's screen debut, STEAMBOAT WILLIE (1928), a tremendous audience success with its use of synchronized music. The SILLY SYMPHONIES soon appeared, and Walt's growing crew of marvelously talented animators were quickly conquering new territory with full color, illusions of depth and radical advancements in personality development, an arena in which Walt's genius was unbeatable. Mickey's feisty, naughty behavior had captured millions of fans, but he was soon to be joined by other animated companions: temperamental Donald Duck, intellectually-challenged Goofy and energetic Pluto. All this was in preparation for Walt's grandest dream - feature length animated films. Against a blizzard of doomsayers, Walt persevered and over the next decades delighted children of all ages with the adventures of Snow White, Pinocchio, Dumbo, Bambi & Peter Pan. Walt never forgot that his fortunes were all started by a mouse, or that simplicity of message and lots of hard work always pay off.

This is actually a very good short. All too often both Donald and Chip n' Dale get on my nerves after a very short period of time and, paired together, they're like fingernails on a chalkboard. This one works for some unfathomable reason. Good story, I guess. Nominated for an Academy Award and is a very good cartoon. Well worth looking for. Recommended.