On Ice: A Classic Mess of Skates and Ducks

Is it worth your time?

If you have seven minutes and want to see 1930s animation firing on all cylinders, sure. It’s perfect for people who like their slapstick loud and their ducks perpetually angry. If you’re looking for something with a bit more gravity like The Rights of Man: A Story of War's Red Blotch, you are definitely in the wrong place.

The whole thing kicks off with Mickey and Minnie looking like they’re in a ballroom dance competition on ice. It is smooth. Maybe too smooth? It lacks the grit you might see in something like Fifty Fathoms Deep, but that’s fine. I don't need a cartoon to be gritty.

Then there is Donald. He is just itching to cause problems.

The kite situation

Donald finds a kite and decides he’s going to be the main character of the afternoon. It goes about as well as you’d expect for a duck who refuses to learn his lesson. He gets tangled up, the wind picks up, and suddenly he is basically a feathered missile aimed at the nearest waterfall. Classic.

• The way Pluto tries to help but just makes everything more slippery is honestly the highlight.
• The sound of the ice cracking is weirdly satisfying.
• Donald’s squawking. It never gets old, even after 90 years.

It’s not as intense as the drama you’d find in The Combat, but it has heart. It’s just nice to see them all out there having a day, even if that day ends in near-death by freezing water. The physics of the skating are all over the place, but who cares? It’s a cartoon. 🧊🦆

I caught myself wondering how they keep their skates sharp in the middle of a river. Then I remembered they’re drawings. Anyway, it’s a good little watch. Don't overthink it.