Donald and the Wheel

Donald and the Wheel is a Disney animated short released in 1961.

Story

Two "spirits of progress" are observing the potential inventor of the wheel. These spirits are never seen aside from their auras. One of these spirits is an adult (voiced by Thurl Ravenscroft) and is accompanied by his beatnik-talking son (voiced by Max Smith). The elder is trying to explain the importance of the wheel to his son. They observe a caveman (portrayed by Donald Duck) trying to haul his supply sled up a hill and into a cave. Donald is then chased out of the cave by a tiger. He gets away, but the tiger tumbles down a hill wrapped around a rock. The spirits tell Donald that this should be the inspiration for his invention of the wheel.

The cartoon then goes into the evolution of uses for the wheel, including those used by the Ancient Egyptians, Ancient Greeks, and Ancient Romans, leading up to the horse drawn vehicles of the Middle Ages until the 19th century. They also explain all the various devices that use wheel-based parts. The last few segments enter the twentieth century and the rise of factories and the automobile, including an explanation of how gears work, until finally reaching the present, wrapping up with satellites and a space station prototype. They also explain that the world itself is a wheel, and that the sun, The Moon, and orbits are wheels. After seeing his future, Donald decides against inventing the wheel, claiming that it is "too much trouble". The Spirits of Progress accept that Donald may not be the true inventor of the wheel, but that "somebody did".

Music

The music was composed by Buddy Baker, who also composed Donald in Mathmagic Land.

External links

• Donald and the Wheel at the Internet Movie Database