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6.9/10
Senior Film Conservator
A definitive 6.9/10 rating for a film that redefined the boundaries of cult cinema. The Wise Little Hen remains a cornerstone of transgressive art.
If you're a animation nerd or just really curious about where Donald Duck started, yeah, definitely. It’s barely eight minutes long. Don't go in expecting some grand narrative arc. It’s basically a PSA about how being a deadbeat makes everyone hate you.
Honestly, the pacing is frantic in a way that feels like a sugar rush. The Wise Little Hen is out there working her tail off in the dirt. Meanwhile, Donald and Peter Pig are just pretending to have stomach aches to get out of yard work. We’ve all been there, right? The fake 'ow my tummy hurts' bit is honestly kind of timeless.
There is this one moment where the hen is trying to get help, and the two of them just flop on the ground in total synchronicity. It’s painfully lazy. You can almost hear the animators having a laugh while drawing it.
The corn harvest part feels weirdly industrial for a cartoon about a chicken. It’s like, one minute she’s planting seeds, the next there's a whole production line going on. It doesn't really track, but whatever. It’s not like I was looking for a realistic documentary on agriculture.
Donald’s voice is already there, that signature quack-scream that sounds like a kazoo being strangled. It’s iconic, even if he’s a total villain in this specific short. He’s not the lovable grump we know later on; he’s just a straight-up leech.
I couldn't help but think about how different this is from something like The Shindig. That one has its own energy, but here, the focus is strictly on the payoff. The ending is so petty it’s actually hilarious.
It’s not a masterpiece, but it’s a neat little time capsule. Just don't expect the characters to grow or learn a lesson. They just get fed, get mad, and move on. 🌽