Donald in Mathmagic Landis an Americanlive-action animatedfeaturetteproduced byWalt Disney Productionsand featuringDonald Duck.The short was directed byHamilton Luske(withWolfgang Reitherman,Les Clark,andJoshua Meadoras sequence directors) and was released on June 26, 1959.[1]It was nominated for anAcademy AwardforBest Documentary (Short Subject)at the32nd Academy Awards,[2]and became a widely viewededucational filmin American schools of the 1960s and beyond.[3]
| Donald in Mathmagic Land | |
|---|---|
 1988 VHS cover | |
| Directed by | Hamilton Luske (supervising) Wolfgang Reitherman Les Clark Joshua Meador (sequences) |
| Written 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 |
Plot
edit1: Very Strange
editThe film begins withDonald Duck,holding a hunting rifle, passing through a doorway to find that 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".
2: The Time Of Pythagoras
editDonald is initially not interested in exploring Mathmagic Land, believing that math is just for "eggheads".When" Mr. Spirit "suggests a connection between math and music, though, Donald is intrigued. First, Donald discovers the relationships betweenoctavesand string length which develop themusical scaleof today. Next, Donald finds himself inancient Greece,wherePythagorasand his contemporaries are discovering these same relationships. Pythagoras (on theharp), afluteplayer, and adouble bassplayer hold a "jam session"which Donald joins after a few moments using avaseas abongo drum.Pythagoras' mathematical discoveries are, as the Spirit explains, the basis of today's music, and that music would not exist without "eggheads". The segment ends with a sequence oflive actionmusicians playing bothjazzandclassical musicand Pythagoras' pals fading away.
3: The Golden Rectangle
editAfter 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 sectionappears in the pentagram. Next, the pentagram is shown to contain the pattern for constructing golden rectangles many times over. According to the Spirit, thegolden rectanglehas influenced both ancient and modern cultures in many ways. Donald then learns how the golden rectangle appears in many ancient buildings, such as theParthenonand theNotre Dame cathedral.Paintings such as theMona Lisaand various sculptures such as theVenus de Milocontain several golden rectangles. The use of the golden rectangle is found in modern architecture, such as theUnited Nations buildinginNew York City.Modern painters have also rediscovered the magic of the golden rectangles.
4: Mathematical Forms In Nature
editThe Spirit shows Donald how the golden rectangle and pentagram are related to the human body and nature, respectively. The human body contains the "ideal proportions" of the golden section; 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,and with the help of the inside of anautilusshell, the Spirit explains that the magic proportions of the golden section are often found in thespiralsof nature's designs, quoting Pythagoras: "Everything is arranged according to number and mathematical shape."
5: Mathematics in Games
editDonald 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,except Donald volunteerscheckers.Donald even volunteers the gameTiddlywinks,but the Spirit does not pursue this option. Themes of Lewis Carroll's 1871 novelThrough the Looking-Glassare scattered throughout the chess scene; Carroll himself was both a writer and amathematician.The extendedbilliardsscene, which features a non-speaking live actor, shows the calculations involved in the game's "diamond system", and Donald finally learns how to do the calculations, though he ends up making it tough for himself, spectacularly hitting ten cushions in a single shot nonetheless.
6: Mathematical Thinking
editThe 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 house-cleaning, Donald plays with acircleand atrianglein his mind, he spins them to make them respectively into asphereand acone,and then he discovers useful inventions such as thewheel,train,magnifying glass,drill,spring,propeller,andtelescope.Donald then discovers that pentagrams can be drawn inside each other indefinitely. Therefore, numbers provide an avenue to consider theinfinite.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. The film closes with a quotation fromGalileo Galilei:"Mathematics is the Alpha bet with which God has written the universe."
Cast
edit- Clarence NashasDonald Duck(voice)
- Paul Freesas The True Spirit of Adventure / Narrator (voice), and the Pi creature (voice)
- June Forayas theChess Queen(voice)
- Daws Butleras theChess King(voice)
- Roman Yanez as The Billiards Player
Production
editThe film was directed byHamilton Luske.Contributors includedDisneyartists 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 Awardfor (Best Documentary – Short Subjects).[4]In 1961, two years after its release, it was shown as part of thefirst programofWalt Disney's Wonderful World of Colorwith an introduction byLudwig Von Drake.
The film was made available to schools and became one of the most populareducational filmsever made by Disney. AsWalt Disneyhimself 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]
Releases
edit- 1959 - theatrical release
- 1961 -Walt Disney's Wonderful World of Color,episode #8.1: "An Adventure in Color/Mathmagicland"(TV)
Home media
editThe short was released on November 11, 2008 onWalt Disney Treasures: The Chronological Donald, Volume Four: 1951-1961.[6]
Additional releases include:
- 1988 -Walt Disney Mini Classics: Donald in Mathmagic Land(VHS)
- 2007 -Donald in Mathmagic Land(DVD exclusive to the Disney Movie Club)
- 2009 -Donald in Mathmagic Land(DVD)
In other media
edit- Acomic bookadaptation was made, scripted byDon R. Christensen,pencilled byTony Strobl,and inked by Steve Steere. This version differs in some ways from the original film version, providing a better context for Donald's excursion into Mathmagic Land.[7]
- TheFigmentcomic book miniseries fromMarvel Comicshas the outcast sound sprite Fye mention Mathmagic Land as one of the other countries in the Realm of Imagination.
- TheHouse of Mouseepisode "Gone Goofy" features an advertisement for Mathmagic Land at the end.
- In the 2023Ted Lassoepisode "Sunflowers",Lasso consumes what he believes to be psychedelic drugs and begins to hallucinate about the geometry of triangles. The style of animated hallucination sequence is visually similar to that ofDonald in Mathmagic Land,and Lasso also hears the voice of The True Spirit of Adventure (voiced byCorey Burton) explaining the significance of the triangle.
References
edit- ^Lenburg, Jeff (1999).The Encyclopedia of Animated Cartoons.Checkmark Books. pp. 74–76.ISBN0-8160-3831-7.Retrieved6 June2020.
- ^"The 32nd Academy Awards (1960) Nominees and Winners".oscars.org.Archivedfrom the original on 6 July 2011.RetrievedMay 20,2019.
- ^"Mathematical Treasure: Donald in Mathmagic Land | Mathematical Association of America".maa.org.Retrieved2022-02-23.
- ^"NY Times: Donald in Mathmagic Land".Movies & TV Dept.The New York Times.2012. Archived fromthe originalon April 7, 2012.RetrievedJanuary 2,2019.
- ^Smith, Dave (2006).Disney A to Z: The Official Encyclopedia(3 ed.). Disney Editions. p. 198.ISBN0-7868-4919-3.
- ^"The Chronological Donald Volume 4 DVD Review".DVD Dizzy.Retrieved13 February2021.
- ^Riper, A. Bowdoin Van (2011).Learning from Mickey, Donald and Walt: Essays on Disney's Edutainment Films.McFarland. p. 120.ISBN978-0-7864-8475-1.Retrieved13 May2018– via Google Books.
External links
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