Touches You

Beautiful, moving film.

It's hard to see any effort in the film. There's no comedy to speak of, no real drama and, worst of all.

It's funny, it's tense, it features two great performances from two actors and the director expertly creates a web of odd tension where you actually don't know what is happening for the majority of the run time.

"The Flying Squirrel" is an American cartoon from 1954, so this one will soon have its 65th anniversary and the director and two writers are all pretty experienced Disney filmmakers, but when you see the name Clarence Nash, then you know immediately of course that this is another Donald Duck cartoon, not one of the most known, but it should be as it is fun how Donald doesn't go against the Nephews this time or Chip & Dale, but the very playful title character. I'd have loved to see the squirrel in other works too, but seems it was a one-time occasion only sadly. But hey better than nothing. There are many funny moments in here, many smart moments and the popcorn cannon scene near the end is a perfect example how animation action can bring fun too and many other films, probably more by WB than Disney did not succeed to that regard. Also of course this is still the Golden Age of Animation and the film's looks are really all you could hope for. The antagonist, if you want to call the squirrel that even, is very likable and Donald is fun to watch as always. By the way the first half here reminded me a bit of the Pied Piper of Hamelin story, but maybe that's just me. I don't know which associations will come to you while watching these 6.5 fun minutes, but some certainly will and they may be entirely different compared to mine. Go check this one out and make it a bit less criminally underseen. It is one of the best cartoons from its year and I highly recommend seeing it.

Donald Duck is selling peanuts and other snacks in the park, and he is spotted by a flying squirrel. He asked the squirrel to help him put up a banner in exchange for one peanut. However, the peanut Donald gave the squirrel was a dud, and he didn't want to give it a new one. So, as usual, it's the back and forth fight between Donald and the animal again - nothing new and nothing too funny.Donald really had it coming when he wouldn't let the squirrel have one extra peanut, instead, goes to an all-out war with the rodent. All this quarreling really has gotten old and all the bad luck Donald Duck endures is really repeated stuff. Even the flying squirrel was annoying - reminded me too much of the pesky Chip N' Dale.Grade D---

I do love Donald Duck, and he was my main reason for watching The Flying Squirrel, as well as my love for Disney and animation. The Flying Squirrel is a little predictable perhaps, but the animation is beautiful, with a lot of colour and vibrancy, and the music is typically energetic as you would expect. The Flying Squirrel manages to be reasonably amusing, like with Donald in the peanut shell, but above all very cute. Donald is great, cantankerous, greedy yet very funny, and the squirrel is one of the most adorable(and clever) little animals I've ever seen in a cartoon. All in all, unremarkable perhaps in the story, but it is worth a look and recommended. 8/10 Bethany Cox

A Walt Disney DONALD DUCK Cartoon.Peanut vendor Donald tries to cheat THE FLYING SQUIRREL who helps him in a park - with predictable results.This little film is unremarkable, but still enjoyable. The title character is undeniably cute, but would not return for any subsequent Disney cartoons. Clarence "Ducky" Nash supplies Donald's voice.Walt Disney (1901-1966) was always intrigued by drawings. As a lad in Marceline, Missouri, he sketched farm animals on scraps of paper; later, as an ambulance driver in France during the First World War, he drew figures on the sides of his vehicle. 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. Always the innovator, his ALICE IN CARTOONLAND series broke ground in placing a live figure in a cartoon universe. Business reversals sent Disney & Iwerks to Hollywood in 1923, where Walt's older brother Roy became his lifelong business manager & counselor. When a mildly successful series with Oswald The Lucky Rabbit was snatched away by the distributor, the character of Mickey Mouse sprung into Walt's imagination, ensuring Disney's immortality. The happy arrival of sound technology made Mickey's screen debut, STEAMBOAT WILLIE (1928), a tremendous audience success with its use of synchronized music. The SILLY SYMPHONIES soon appeared, and Walt's growing crew of marvelously talented animators were quickly conquering new territory with full color, illusions of depth and radical advancements in personality development, an arena in which Walt's genius was unbeatable. 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. All this was in preparation for Walt's grandest dream - feature length animated films. Against a blizzard of doomsayers, Walt persevered and over the next decades delighted children of all ages with the adventures of Snow White, Pinocchio, Bambi, Peter Pan and Mr. Toad. Walt never forgot that his fortunes were all started by a mouse, or that simplicity of message and lots of hard work always pay off.