| Donald in Mathmagic Land | |
|---|---|
 1988 VHS cover | |
| Directed by | Hamilton Luske (supervising) Wolfgang Reitherman Les Clark Joshua Meador (sequences) |
| Story by | Milt Banta Bill Berg Heinz Haber |
| Produced by | Walt Disney |
| Starring | Clarence Nash Paul Frees |
| Narrated by | Paul Frees |
| Cinematography | Edward Colman |
| Edited by | Lloyd L. Richardson |
| Music by | Buddy Baker |
Production company | |
| Distributed by | Buena Vista Film Distribution |
Release date |
|
Running time | 27:35 |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
Donald in Mathmagic Land is an Americanlive-action animatedfeaturette produced byWalt Disney Productions and featuringDonald Duck. The short was directed byHamilton Luske (withWolfgang Reitherman,Les Clark, andJoshua Meador as sequence directors) and was released on June 26, 1959.[1] It was nominated for anAcademy Award forBest Documentary (Short Subject) at the32nd Academy Awards,[2] and became a widely viewededucational film in American schools of the 1960s and beyond.[3]
The film begins withDonald Duck, holding a hunting rifle, as he passes through a doorway to find he has entered Mathmagic Land. This "mighty strange" fantasy land contains trees withsquare roots, a stream flowing withnumbers, and a walking pencil that playstic-tac-toe. A geometric bird recites (almost perfectly) the first 15 digits ofpi. Donald soon hears the voice of the unseen "True Spirit of Adventure" (Paul Frees), who will guide him on his journey through "the wonderland of mathematics".
Donald is initially not interested in exploring this foreign land, believing that mathematics is just for "eggheads" until "Mr. Spirit" suggests a fascinating connection between math and music. Intrigued, Donald discovers the relationships betweenoctaves and string length which form themusical scale of today. Next, Donald finds himself inancient Greece, wherePythagoras and his contemporaries are discovering these same relationships. Pythagoras (on theharp), aflute player, and adouble bass player hold a "jam session" which Donald joins after a few moments using avase as abongo drum. Pythagoras' mathematical discoveries are, as the Spirit explains, the basis of today's music, and that no type of music could have ever existed without "eggheads." The segment ends with a sequence oflive-action musicians playing bothjazz andclassical music and Pythagoras' acquaintances magically disappearing.
After shaking hands with Pythagoras, who then vanishes, Donald finds on his hand apentagram, the symbol of the secretPythagorean society. The Spirit then shows Donald how the mysteriousgolden section appears in this ancient magic star. Next, the star itself is shown to contain the pattern for constructing golden rectangles many times over. According to the Spirit, thegolden rectangle has influenced both ancient and modern cultures in many ways. Donald then learns how the golden rectangle appears in many ancient buildings, such as theParthenon and theNotre Dame cathedral. Paintings such as theMona Lisa and various sculptures such as theVenus de Milo contain several golden rectangles. The use of the golden rectangle is found in modern architecture, such as theUnited Nations building inNew York City. Modern painters have also rediscovered the infinite mathematical magic of stars and golden rectangles.
The Spirit shows Donald how the golden rectangle and pentagram are even related to the human body and nature themselves. The human body itself contains the "ideal proportions" of the golden section. However, Donald, overinterpreting the Spirit's advice, tries to make his own body fit such a proportion, but his efforts are to no avail; he ends up "all pent up in apentagon". The pentagram and pentagon are then shown to be found in many flowers and animals, such as thepetunia, thestar jasmine, thestarfish, thewaxflower. Then, with the help of the inside of anautilus shell, the Spirit explains that the magic proportions of the golden section are often found in thespirals of nature's designs, quoting Pythagoras: "Everything is arranged according to number and mathematical shape."
Donald then learns that mathematics applies not only to nature, architecture, and music, but also to games that are played on geometrical surfaces, includingchess,baseball,American football,basketball,hopscotch, andthree-cushion billiard. Inchess, Donald suggests the gamecheckers, but the Spirit does not pursue this option. Donald even volunteers the gameTiddlywinks, but the Spirit also rejects this option. Instead, the Spirit challenges Donald Duck to the ancient and challenging game of chess, as made famous by Lewis Carroll's 1871 novelThrough the Looking-Glass. In this exciting and imaginative scene, Carroll is portrayed as both a writer and amathematician. Then, the extendedbilliards scene features a non-speaking live actor shows the calculations involved in the game's "diamond system", and Donald eventually learns how to do the right calculations to hit ten cushions all while needlessly making it tough for himself.
The Spirit then asks Donald to play a mental game, but he finds Donald's mind to be too cluttered with "Antiquated Ideas", "Bungling", "False Concepts", "Superstitions", and "Confusion". After some mental housecleaning, Donald plays with acircle and atriangle in his mind. He is then able to transform them into asphere and acone, and he proceeds to rediscover some of man's most useful past inventions, such as thewheel,train,magnifying glass,drill,spring,propeller, andtelescope. Donald then discovers that pentagrams can be drawn inside each other indefinitely, almost as if by magic. In the end, he learns that numbers provide an avenue to consider the concept ofinfinity itself. The Spirit states that scientific knowledge and technological advances are unlimited, and the key to unlocking the doors of the future is mathematics. By the end of the film, Donald understands and appreciates the value of mathematics and the boundless powers of human imagination and invention. The film closes with a beautiful and inspiring quotation fromGalileo Galilei: "Mathematics is the alphabet with which God has written the universe."
The film was directed byHamilton Luske. Contributors includedDisney artists John Hench and Art Riley, voice talentPaul Frees, and scientific expertHeinz Haber, who had worked on the Disney space shows. It was released on a bill withDarby O'Gill and the Little People. In 1959, it was nominated for anAcademy Award for (Best Documentary – Short Subjects).[4] In 1961, two years after its release, it was shown as part of thefirst program ofWalt Disney's Wonderful World of Color with an introduction byLudwig Von Drake.
The film was made available to schools and became one of the most populareducational films ever made by Disney. AsWalt Disney himself explained: "The cartoon is a good medium to stimulate interest. We have recently explained mathematics in a film and in that way excited public interest in this very important subject."[5]
The short was released on November 11, 2008 onWalt Disney Treasures: The Chronological Donald, Volume Four: 1951-1961.[6]
Additional releases include:
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| Silly Symphony short films |
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| Donald Duck and Donald & Goofy short films |
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