Donald's Better Self

Donald's Better Self is a Disney cartoon featuring Donald Duck. This 8 minute short premiered in January 1938, and it was distributed by RKO Radio.

Film Daily called it "hugely entertaining", and gave it the following synopsis:

"Raucous Donald Duck reaches a new ingratiating high in this most recent of his vehicles, which is filmed entirely in Technicolor. Further, the reel is one of the best, and certainly one of the most amusing, ever made by Walt Disney. It is the type of short that is immensely human, and, as a consequence, will score heavily. Opening sequence shows Donald awakening in his bedroom, urged to promptness in dressing and treking off to school by his Better Self, -an ectoplasmic, withal a material, delineation Donald. The Better Self has a long white robe, wings and a sparkling halo. Naturally, Donals has a corresponding Evil Self which is depicted as a young devil, speak-tailed, horned and clad in a red cape. The Evil Self influences Donald to stay in bed, but finally he gets up, dresses, grabs his school books and heads for the classroom. But en route, along the rural highway, out of a letter-box pops the Evil Self who promppts him to go swimming, and even to smoke a corncob piple. Eventually Good prevails, and Donald reluctanctly arrives at the schooolhouse. Entire conception of this short is uncannily clever." (Film Daily, Vol. 73, No. 40, 2/18/38, p.8)

The cartoon deals with the differences between right and wrong. Donald Duck is faced with both his good and bad personalities and must choose which one to follow.

The cartoon begins with Donald fast asleep in his bed. As he turns in his sleep, his Better Self takes a form of its own beside him. She looks exactly like Donald, but wears a white robe and a golden halo. She also has a woman's voice, allowing her to appear kinder and sound gentler than Donald.

Donald's Better Self tries to get Donald up and out of bed so he won't be late for school, but Donald's Worse Self appears to keep Donald in bed. He also has a different voice than Donald's and wears a devil's outfit with horns. He easily convinces Donald to stay in bed, but in the end Donald's Better Self wins out. The two leave for school.

On the way to school, Donald is tempted by his Worse Self to skip out on school and go fishing instead. At the fishing hole, Donald is pressured by his Worse Self to smoke a pipe, which causes him to get sick.

Soon Donald's Better Self arrives looking for Donald. She finds him sick and sorry, and she proceeds to beat up Donald's Worse Self to teach him a lesson. In the end, Donald is taught to do the right thing and go to school rather than give in to temptation.

Trivia

• This short was one of the many featured in Donald Duck's 50th Birthday, however the short is shown in Japanese to illustrate Donald's global appeal.
• A clip of this cartoon can be seen on Flubber.
• This cartoon was shown in the 1960 Disney Special "This is Your Life, Donald Duck".

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