5 DISNEY CARTOONS FOR WINTER

As a polar vortex sweeps the Northeast, I’m bunkering inside and watching some winter-themed Disney cartoons. These 5 currently stream on Disney+.

On Ice is one of only two theatrically released shorts to feature Mickey, Minnie, Donald, Goofy, and Pluto all together. One of the most recognizable Disney shorts, it’s frequently replayed on TV (especially House of Mouse) and added into most winter-themed compilations. On Ice follows the gang through various misadventures while ice skating on a frozen river. 

Before DuckTales turned Huey, Dewey, and Louie into icons in their own rights, they served mainly as provokers of their “Unca” Donald’s ire. In The Hockey Champ, Donald attempts to teach his nephews a few of his trophy-winning hockey moves, but the boys want to show him a thing or two. 

Another short involving winter sports is The Art of Skiing. An important entry in Goofy’s filmography, this helped touch off a whole series of “How to..” shorts. In these, a deep-voiced and supercilious narrator would describe the facets of different sports, while Goofy would ineptly demonstrate. The Art of Skiing finds Goofy on the ski slopes and features the first appearance of the “Goofy holler”.  

The other dog in the Disney crown is Pluto, a challenging character for animators when he first debuted. Unlike the verbal Mickey and Donald, animators needed to convey Pluto’s emotions entirely through the pup’s facial and bodily expressions. Indeed, most Pluto cartoons play like silent movies, focused heavily on physical humor. You will find a couple winter-themed Pluto shorts on Disney+, but I’m recommending Mail Dog. Pluto must brave the arctic terrain to deliver a mail sack to a secluded outpost. 

Being a product of the Disney Afternoon and Chip n’ Dale Rescue Rangers, the chipmunks are probably my two favorite “classic” Disney characters (after Donald Duck). Chip ’n’ Dale only appeared in 23 theatrically released shorts, arriving on the scene long after their co-stars. Like Pluto, Chip ’n’ Dale starred in several snowbound stories. I like Corn Chips, wherein the chipmunks battle Donald over shoveled snow and popcorn. 

If you don’t subscribe to Disney+, you can likely find these titles on YouTube and other such places.

-T.Z.