by David Gerstein and J.B. Kaufman, edited by Daniel Kothenschulte
Following the publication of Walt Disney’s Mickey Mouse: The Ultimate History, Taschen, the distinguished European publisher, releases another huge, luxurious art book celebrating the career of a beloved Disney character. Donald Duck, launched in 1934 as a feathered, ill-tempered supporting player, squawked his way into the hearts of audiences everywhere and rapidly became one of the all-time animated Disney stars. Today, nine decades later, he remains more treasured than ever. Here, captured between two covers and lavishly illustrated with a wealth of rare art and photos, is the full, exhaustively researched history of Donald’s adventures on the screen, in the comics, on television, and more.
Chapters
1. The Wise Little Duck: Donald as costar
Introduced to the screen in 1934, Donald Duck is cast as a supporting player in Mickey Mouse cartoons but quickly commands attention with his distinctive voice and vivid personality. Within two years he has gained an international popularity all his own.
2. Misadventures for Sale: early comics, storybooks & merchandise
Reflecting Donald’s overnight popularity on the screen, he soon begins to appear in Disney comic strips and storybooks, and is featured in licensed character merchandise.
3. The Taliaferro Style: the golden age of the newspaper strip
Al Taliaferro, a top artist in the Disney comic-strip department, develops a special fondness for Donald. At his urging, the studio launches a daily Donald Duck comic strip in 1938, with Taliaferro as the primary artist.
4. Starring Donald Duck: Donald gets his own series
After laboring as a supporting player to Mickey Mouse for three years, Donald gets a starring series of his own in 1937. A special “Duck unit” is established at the Disney studio and ushers in Donald’s peak years, producing some of his all-time classics between 1937 and 1941.
5. Donald Gets Drafted: films of the war years
With the U.S. entry into World War II, many movie stars are pictured joining the armed forces, and Donald is no exception. For the duration of hostilities, in between his accustomed home-front adventures, Donald is seen as a hapless GI in a series of service comedies.
6. Saludos Donald: feature films of the Forties
Irrepressible Donald bursts the bounds of the one-reel short subject and begins to show up in feature-length Disney films. Between 1941 and 1948 he appears in no fewer than five features, examined here in detail.
7. Hidden Treasures: early unproduced films
As the Disney story department ramps up its activities in the 1930s, it begins to generate such a wealth of ideas that only a fraction of them actually reach the screen. This chapter offers a fascinating look at the many Duck stories that were proposed, developed—sometimes in great detail—and then not produced, between 1935 and 1943.
8. Enter Carl Barks: the comic rise of the Duck Man
He started working at the Disney studio in 1935, quickly gravitated to the story department, then left the studio in 1942—but Carl Barks’ Disney career was only beginning. This chapter chronicles Barks’ legendary Donald Duck comic-book work throughout the 1940s and into the ’50s.
9. Donald’s Dilemmas: the postwar cartoons
With the end of World War II, Donald’s service comedies disappear from the screen, but his domestic adventures continue to appear, often with a sardonic adult slant. This chapter follows his postwar career, and the two Disney directors who supervised it.
10. The Carl Barks School: Duckburg, USA
Carl Barks’ supremacy in the world of Disney comic books, established in the 1940s, is reinforced in the 1950s and ’60s. His signature creation, Scrooge McDuck, solidifies Barks’ worldwide reputation with fans.
11. Grin and Bear It: midcentury adventures
The 1950s bring a new wave of changes to the Disney studio—live-action films, television, Disneyland—and through it all, Donald’s cartoons remain a popular favorite. They also provide a vehicle for experimenting with new technologies like 3-D and CinemaScope.
12. Bad Luck Duck: more unproduced cartoons
As production of the Donald Duck shorts continues, the story department is still generating such a wealth of ideas that some go unproduced. This chapter details the many Duck stories, from the 1940s on, that were started and never completed.
13. Goin’ Quackers: media & merchandise 1960s–1980s
With the passing of Walt Disney, the studio presses on. Donald is still a vital part of Disney’s activities and maintains a presence on records, video, video games, and other developing media.
14. Global Donald: comics culture around the world
By the 1970s Donald is well established as an international comics favorite, and continues to delight fans around the world well into the 21st century. This chapter details some of his adventures in the comics of other lands.
15. Beyond Nostalgia: Donald in modern films & television
As the 21st century rolls on, Donald keeps pace with it, continuing to appear in new TV series, video games, and other media. Long since established in the hearts of fans, he continues his journey alongside ours.
