Witch Hazel (Disney)

Witch Hazel is a fictional character appearing in productions of The Walt Disney Company. She first appeared in the Donald Duck cartoon "Trick or Treat" in 1952, voiced by June Foray, where she helps Huey, Dewey and Louie get candy from Donald. She also appeared in the Carl Barks's comic book adaptation and two sequels to that story, "Too Late for Christmas" in "Donald Duck Adventures" (Gladstone Series) #30 in December 1994 and "The Poorest Duck in Duckburg" in "Donald Duck Adventures" (Gladstone Series) #35 in October 1995.

Witch Hazel has a broom named Beelzebub which acts as both her servant and her mode of transport. In Disney comics she appeared as working with other Disney witches such as Magica De Spell and Mad Madam Mim.

Witch Hazel is also seen in some Italian Disney comics, notably those by Luciano Bottaro.

Her name, a pun on the name of the North American shrub and the herbal medicine derived from it, witch hazel, has been commonly used for the names of cartoon witches; Warner Bros., MGM, Famous Studios, and the "Little Lulu" comic book also had characters named "Witch Hazel," and Rembrandt Films had one named "Hazel Witch." Animator Chuck Jones, of his own admission, got the idea of Looney Tunes' Witch Hazel from the Disney short, creating a different character but again using June Foray for the voice.

The Disney Witch Hazel had a very different appearance from her Looney Tunes counterpart. She is short, has a hairy, warty chin and a large red nose with green eyes. She has long blonde hair (although occasionally it is grey), dresses in archetypal black witches clothes, and her hat is very tall. She is also far more benevolent than the Looney Tunes version.

The Disney Witch Hazel never became as popular as Magica De Spell or Mad Madam Mim. This may be because she was essentially a good witch, but it's also possible that the popularity of the Looney Tunes version affected hers.

However, in italian Disney comics, she has been for a long time an oft-used and well-liked character. Usually, her stories show her interactions not with the Duck Clan, but with Goofy. This is due to her irritation of the fact that Goofy staunchly refuses to believe in magic or witches of any sort, believing instead that real magic is the same as regular trick magic, and that those claiming to be magicians (including Hazel) are crazy. This leads to several amusing adventures where Hazel uses every spell in the book to try to convince Goofy of the existence of "real" magic, despite continued failure. She also appears to be the first boss of the NES game Mickey Mousecapade.

Witch Hazel appeared as a guest in House of Mouse.