Donald in Mathmagic Land
Tags: psychedelic

Plot synopsis:
=== Entrance ===
Donald Duck, holding a hunting rifle, passes through a doorway to find that he has entered Mathmagic Land. This "mighty strange" fantasy land contains trees with square roots, a stream flowing with numbers, and a walking pencil that plays tic-tac-toe. A geometric bird recites (almost perfectly) the first 15 digits of pi. Donald soon hears the voice of the "True Spirit of Adventure" (Paul Frees), who will guide him on his journey through "the wonderland of mathematics".
=== Pythagoras and music ===
Donald is initially not interested in exploring Mathmagic Land, believing that math is for "eggheads". When "Mr. Spirit" suggests a connection between math and music, Donald is intrigued. First, Donald discovers the relationships between octaves and string length which develop the musical scale of today. Next, Donald finds himself in ancient Greece, where Pythagoras and his contemporaries are discovering these same relationships. Pythagoras (on the harp), a flute player, and a double bass player hold a "jam session" which Donald joins after a few moments using a vase as a bongo drum. Pythagoras' music is, as the Spirit explains, the basis of today's music, and that music would not exist without "eggheads". The segment ends with a sequence of live action musicians playing both jazz and classical music and Pythagoras' pals fading away.
=== Pentagram, golden section, and golden rectangle ===
After shaking hands with Pythagoras, who then vanishes, Donald finds on his hand a pentagram, the symbol of the secret Pythagorean society. The Spirit then shows Donald how the mysterious golden section appears in the pentagram. Next, the pentagram is shown to contain the pattern for constructing golden rectangles many times over. According to the Spirit, the golden rectangle has influenced both ancient and modern cultures in many ways. Many have speculated that the pentagram used by the Pythagoreanism society is allegory to the secret society commonly known as the Illuminati while the pentagram has been compared to either an Eye of Providence or a satanic symbol, this symbol has questioned Disney's motives in child programs.
=== Architecture and art ===
Donald learns how the golden rectangle appears in many ancient buildings, such as the Parthenon and the Notre Dame cathedral. Paintings such as the Mona Lisa and various sculptures such as the Venus de Milo contain several golden rectangles. The use of the golden rectangle is found in modern architecture, such as the United Nations building in New York City. Modern painters have also rediscovered the magic of the golden rectangles.
=== Human body and nature ===
The Spirit shows Donald how the golden rectangle and pentagram are related to the human body and nature, respectively. The human body contains the "ideal proportions" of the golden section; Donald, overinterpreting the Spirit's advice, tries to make his own body fit such a proportion, but his efforts are to no avail; he ends up "all pent up in a pentagon". The pentagram and pentagon are then shown to be found in many flowers and animals, such as the petunia, the star jasmine, the starfish, the waxflower, and with the help of the inside of a nautilus shell, the Spirit explains that the magic proportions of the golden section are often found in the spirals of nature's designs, quoting Pythagoras: "Everything is arranged according to number and mathematical shape".
=== Games ===
Donald learns that mathematics applies not only to nature, architecture, and music, but also to games that are played on geometrical surfaces, including chess, baseball, football, basketball, hopscotch, and three-cushion billiards. Donald even volunteers the game Tiddlywinks, but the Spirit does not pursue this option. Themes of Lewis Carroll's Through the Looking-Glass are scattered throughout the chess scene; Carroll himself was both a writer and a mathematician. The extended billiards scene, which features a non-speaking live actor, shows the calculations involved in the game's "diamond system", and Donald finally learns how to do the calculations, spectacularly hitting ten cushions in a single shot.
=== Mental exercises ===
The Spirit then asks Donald to play a mental game, but he finds Donald's mind to be too cluttered with "Antiquated Ideas", "Bungling", "False Concepts", "Superstitions", and "Confusion". After some mental house-cleaning, Donald plays with a circle and a triangle in his mind, he spins them to make them respectively into a sphere and a cone, and then he discovers useful inventions such as the wheel, train, magnifying glass, drill, spring, propeller, and telescope.
=== Infinity and the future ===
Donald discovers that pentagrams can be drawn inside each other indefinitely. Therefore, numbers provide an avenue to consider the infinite. The Spirit states that scientific knowledge and technological advances are unlimited, and the key to unlocking the doors of the future is mathematics. By the end of the film, Donald understands and appreciates the value of mathematics. The film closes with a quote from Galileo: "Mathematics is the alphabet with which God has written the universe".

Review: I'm going to claim this is relevant for two reasons: one, that this cartoon is based upon some deep and beautiful mathematics; that this material can open up into deeper study for any student, from junior high to postgraduate.
Even as an adult, I still find it entertaining, but would be something I would give to any kid I cared about to expose him to the art behind math.
Considering I was never in the same school district twice in a row, it was fascinating to see what grade level each district thought it was for.It gives a clear and understandable approach to the question of "What is math (arithmatic) good for anyway?" Fun, musically diverse, and perhaps a bit silly, it stands the test of time.
Paul Frees' outstanding narration allows the youngers to enjoy the fun of the movie, and the olders to understand the concepts.It also explained how to calculate a bank shot on a billiard (or pool) table using the spots.
I am not going to say that this is Donald's absolute best, being a fan of his, as there are so many cartoons of his that are real gems, but Donald in Mathmagic Land has been a personal favourite of mine for a while now.
But what I do love about Donald in Mathmagic Land is that it is different, it is unique, it is educational for kids and it is really enjoyable.
In fact it actually makes maths fun, and I do confess maths was one of my least favourite subjects at school, for example I never got my head completely around algebra.
Even if there are minor flaws with the story and ending there is so much that compensates.There is some stunning art work that is somewhat inventive, and I think it has held up well over 40+ years, there is a fun music score, there are some funny moments such as Donald's quibbling with the omniscient narrator and there is outstanding vocal work from Paul Frees and Clarence "Ducky" Nash.
Overall, if you love Disney and you love Donald Duck, plus if you want something educational even if you don't like the subject, just put Donald in Mathmagic Land on.
This animated documentary was an excellent combination of entertainment and education and is a real feather in Disney's cap.
Donald in Mathmagicland is the Alice in Wonderland of educational cartoons.
If you're into some strong story telling, this is not for you, but if you want an entertaining and educational Disney flick, than this one is for you.Donald Duck is transported to Mathmagicland.
In this land, various happenings in normal life are explained through math, and an ominous voice talks to Donald, voiced by Paul Frees.
Donald learns how instrument strings are mathematically designed, and how the game of chess in a math process, how the game of pool can be mathematically calculated, and much more.This is not much of a story.
The scene where they teach how to calculate pool is the most interesting in the movie, and the mixture of live action pool and Donald Duck looks excellent, and is a nice throwback to techniques used in Donald's earlier picture "The Three Caballeros".Paul Frees is an excellent narrator, and Donald Duck is the perfect character to send to this inexplicable math land.
The animation is great, and this educational Disney film is brilliantly animated and very informative.My rating: *** 1/2 out of ****.
In this one, Donald Duck with his whiny squawk and lack of discipline, bemoans the "fact" that he finds mathematics boring.
But in steps the disembodied voice of Paul Frees (Boris Badenov) who leads Donald to Mathmagicland where he can see all the benefits of learning about numbers and geometric concepts.
In a strange and gloomy place, a giant shadow breaks into the darkness, a reassuring presence: it's our old friend Donald Duck, with a shotgun and a safari hat, seems like he's ready for a wilderness trip.
This is Paul Frees, the narrator of this glorious journey in the world of Mathematics.But Donald is immediately turned off; this is eggheads' stuff, which shows the lucidity of the writers regarding the reception the film would get, especially among schools' pupils.
This is one of the greatest lessons of "Donald in Mathmagic Land", math is everywhere, and those who don't feel too hot about it might underestimate how daily exposed their line of works is to numbers and geometry.So, Donald couldn't have been more wrong, and without asking for permission, the voice takes him to Ancient Greece, when Pythagoras invented music through a simple use of divisions applied to a string, obtaining a different sound depending on the portion you plunk, the genesis of the scale of music we're all familiar with.
Then the film transitions from Pythagoras to the pentagram, the sign of recognition he used with his disciples, a form that contains great applications in Arts and architecture.
The film turns to a more playful tone, with a few insights on the use of math in games, sport and geometric forms in the real world.
Finally, the conclusion acknowledges that math hasn't revealed all their secrets, and the boundlessness of human mind might welcome new discoveries.Indeed, while I was checking on Youtube comments, I was fascinated by the way everyone seems to have a story with "Donald in Mathmagic Land".
Some had their first encounter with the film from a school (old-school) projector, others had it in a low quality VHS, a few vaguely remember a weird Donald Duck cartoon full of geometric forms, documentary footage and some stuff about music and games.
They were overwhelmed by a nostalgic feeling when finally rediscovering the short film on a device that relies on binary programming, math again, and for such a magical (nostalgia-inducing) feeling mathmagic, indeed.Still, I read some comments on IMDb complaining that the film failed to deliver its premise and betrayed a sort of intellectual pretension from Disney studios.
Well, I don't think of any cartoon that took the same challenge after this one, and the film is so didactic and pedagogical that it's very likely to raise an interest on math, so what's the problem?
And speaking of my personal experience, although I had this film recorded at the age of 8 (it was the Disney Channel and the program was always closing with a longer feature), as I was growing up, my passion for mathematics grew and so did my interest for this short.I was not just good at math, math made me curious and playful.
There was something fascinating in that flawless universe where certitudes were absolute, a world of real application, yet all made of abstractions, the greatest challenge human intelligence ever had, one that shaped our universe, our history in its most appealing forms: nature, music, sports, beauty and progress.
Esthetically, the film finds the perfect pedagogical note, swinging back and forth between real-life footage, cartoons, and schematic explanations.
I didn't notice it back then, because I didn't much care for the times of release, but now in 2016, I can't help but feel a weird sadness watching these images, because they were meant as contemporary illustrations, but now, the movie itself has become a past relic of its own present, dated because it ended before the greatest revolution mathematics would provide: computer's binary programs with all their 0 and 1.But to his credit, the narrator tells us that the applications of math are infinite, you can't confine them in a chamber or a limited space, let alone a short cartoon, only the mind is boundless enough to contain all the possible knowledge.
The film is much aware on that, and therefore closes on this note with this great quote from Galileo: "Mathematics is the alphabet with which God has written the universe".
So, as long as there will be a universe, there will be this universal language, and people from all over the world enriching our civilization on the field of Arts and Sciences.And with his limited screen-time, Walt Disney studios wrote the greatest tribute to mathematics, a marvel of edutainment that certainly encouraged many vocations, as sure as eggheads are eggheads..
A Walt Disney DONALD DUCK Cartoon.While looking for true adventure, DONALD IN MATHMAGIC LAND learns a great deal about the vital importance of mathematics in the Universe.Loosely based on Lewis Carroll's ALICE books, this short film uses fun & fancy to teach some pertinent facts about the wonder of mathematics.
The voice of Paul Frees as the Spirit of Adventure makes a fine counterpoint to Clarence Nash's vocalization of the Duck.Walt Disney (1901-1966) was always intrigued by pictures & drawings.
Back in Kansas City, along with artist Ub Iwerks, Walt developed a primitive animation studio that provided animated commercials and tiny cartoons for the local movie theaters.
Mickey's feisty, naughty behavior had captured millions of fans, but he was soon to be joined by other animated companions: temperamental Donald Duck, intellectually-challenged Goofy and energetic Pluto.
If I'd seen this as a kid, I probably wouldn't have flunked geometry in high school.
It may have a cute, animated Donald Duck on the cover.
What is most impressive about this IMPORTANT piece of entertainment is the ability to converge entertainment with education to create something children, high school students, and professional mathematicians alike see the value of this excellent little film.
This is good old fashioned egghead mathematics in the most joyful, silly, absorbing way possible.
It is a marvel.If you are a math teacher, PLEASE buy a DVD copy of this and show it annually to your classes, no matter what grade - 1st-12th -- even university-level would find it invigorating.
My 19yo son was an honors math student through high school.
Great for use in schools...but otherwise it's a bit of a bore..
"Donald in Mathmagic Land" is the sort of cartoon that math teachers have been showing their students for years.
It's a case of bait and switch, as important scientific and mathematics concepts of contained here...and it looks like fun since it stars Donald Duck.
While this does make the material more palatable, it still is a well made but rather dry film.When it all begins, Donald wanders into an odd land where there are lots of numbers and symbols.
Suddenly, the narrator (Paul Frees*) begins talking about Pythagoras and geometry.
Donald, inexplicably, finds this all very fascinating and this isn't completely surprising as the concepts are explained in ways that normal folks could understand--such as the use of geometry in games such as football and billiards.
By the end of the film, Donald has been thoroughly convinced how swell math is and the viewer, hopefully, is still awake.I am a bit cynical about this one.
But it's STILL a relatively dry topic and kids hoping to see Donald up to his usual antics will no doubt feel a bit let down by it all.
Not a bad film at all...and one that was nominated for an Oscar, by the way.*Frees is also the voice of the narrator in Disney's Haunted Mansion at Disneyland and Disneyworld.
Donald Duck (and the audience) is given a tour of how mathematics have changed the world and impact our everyday life.
It's a cute cartoon (with a few live-action scenes), and I'd love to give it 10 stars - the only reason I rate it a bit lower is that this film doesn't seem to have a good target audience.
The math discussed is far beyond the comprehension of the child who would normally watch Disney cartoons, and it's too childish for someone old enough to know what the various concepts are.
Having said that, this is an admirable and creative way to demonstrate how math is relevant to children who might otherwise despise the subject and it was fun and humorous.
When I was a freshmen student at the start of high school in 1967 my math teacher brought this film to class to wake up the lethargy and the lack of interest for math in the class.
Everybody laughed when he was setting up the projector since it was a cartoon with Donald Duck.
That film breathed new life and interest into the world of mathematics for all of us in that class.
Our teacher was a great instructor and I guess he had similar experiences with that film in his other classes as well.
That film woke up an interest in me that stayed with me through high school and college and even now to this day.
This is a magically educational cartoon short starring Donald Duck where he delves into an adventure of numbers, points and charts in showing us how mathematics works in real life and how math can sometimes be magical.I have seen this short a number of times in elementary and middle schools, particularly during the time when math is taught.
Though it is not the typical funny cartoon where we see Donald and his misadventures, this short is actually pretty neat and engaging, showing us how shapes, charts, numbers and math gadgets work in a clever way, utilizing that special Disney touch.
The animation is vibrant and brilliantly done and it is fun seeing Donald take on a more unique role in getting kids to learn, while retaining his lovably frustrated personality.
Overall, a pretty good cartoon that can both be fun and educational.Grade B.
This interesting failure shows us how Disney, never content with being an entertainer and businessman, had intellectual pretensions--sometimes magnificently realized (as in Fantasia), rather less well here.I say this as a great fan of this puzzling but lovable attempted documentary in cartoon form.
The pool table sequence goes on for far too long, and contains very little actual math (the same could be said of the whole movie).
And there is always Donald, our favorite everyman, who learns that math isn't just for eggheads, after all..
...he or she could put on Donald in Mathmagic land, an entertaining and trippy cartoon with as much educational value as a "duck and cover" nuclear safety filmstrip.The entirety of the educational content is:Geometry is a branch of math;
At one point, to prove that the Golden Rectangle has influenced art, the movie shows famous paintings with a bunch of half-empty rectangles drawn over them seemingly at random.To convince fifth-graders that math is indeed super-cool, the movie links it to all of the things young people like best, such as the Parthenon, classical music, and competitive billiards.This is a fun case study in the sleight of hand involved in smuggling advertising into schools.
Don't get me wrong, there are some Disney films that I like, but to be honest I didn't dig Mickey Mouse and Co.
A good case in point is "Donald in Mathmagic Land." Growing up, I saw it every year and enjoyed it more and more.Donald isn't a math fan.
A voice tells and shows him that math is an integral part of our life (Chess, Billards and Shapes).
You have your typical Disney humor in it, but it teaches you a valuable lesson: no matter what someone tells you, math IS important in every aspect of our lives and that you can never escape it.It's a great way to get your kids to understand the magic of math..
There's More To Math Than Two Times Two. One of the greatest films of all time.
well, maybe one of the greatest educational films of all time.
Disney could always make educational films fun and entertaining, and next to his 'Man in Space' series, this is his best.
only problem is, this is so entertaining you just kick back and watch the cool retro animation and forget to take in the math lesson.Donald Duck quacks,squeaks and squawks his adorable little self through a succession of colorfully presented math lessons ending with a quote from Galileo that's intended to inspire awe and make us ponder the universe.
Oh, why didn't I use this educational math film before?
This cartoon is much too great, for one thing, it used the cantakerous Donald Duck and the seemingly "bored" math to mix together, so, it made more fun and great knowledge that everybody, even the adults, will approved it, too bad, why didn't I use this before?This film used lots of math knowledge, like golden ratio and golden rectangle, Pi, full of laughs and fun, I did like the episode when Donald try to fix himeslf in a golden rectangle shape, but to no avail, bad luck!
It simply proved that Donald weren't perfect, too.Pythagoras in the film also great, gags and maths, together created a wonderful educational film for Disney and Donald Duck himself, for sure, it seens like Disney staff have different creative ideas, too!
Especially put Donald Duck inside, and at last, with the help of The True Spirit of Adventure, Donald finally understood have math great are, and me too!I learned a lot from this film.
Overall, it's one of the best Disney and educational film I ever seen..
Disney on mathematics.
"Donald in Mathmagic Land" is a 27-minute short film which explores basic mathematic references in everyday life.
27 minutes may be long for cartoons from that era, but it's really short given the fact that there were no less than 4 directors and 3 writers working on it.
I am sort of interested in maths and I've always liked Donald, but still somehow I did not find this one particularly interesting or funny.
Then again I am not really big on Disney's works who take themselves seriously as an educational movie.
Another mathematics meets cartoon idea won the Oscar, namely "The Dot and the Line: A Romance in Lower Mathematics": if you enjoyed Donald's take here, you may want to check that one out as well.
This one here is already over 55 years old and yet it is far from being one of the early Donald cartoons.