Donald's Dream Voice (1948) Poster

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8/10
Dream on, Donald!
OllieSuave-00723 July 2017
Donald Duck attempts to sell brushes door to door, but because nobody understands his voice, rebukes him. This results in some funny slapstick moments, especially the part where a woman slaps poor Donald after she thought he was mouthing her off. As a result, Donald bought some "voice pills," which turned his quacky voice in a suave one. So, Donald was able to sell enough brushes to use the money to buy Daisy an engagement ring. But, as with bad-luck-prone Donald, things sometimes doesn't go according to plan. However, it's a fun cartoon to see and Donald does bask in some good moments once in a while. The parts where his suave voice suddenly reverts back to his old voice are funny, as is the part where he disguises as a woman to fool a gruff man.

Grade B
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8/10
Liked it overall, but made me ask a lot of questions
TheLittleSongbird1 July 2012
Warning: Spoilers
I, as I've said many times already, absolutely love Donald Duck and most of his cartoons. Donald's Dream Voice I did like very much, but it is not one of my favourites. The music has energy and character, but there are a few parts in Donald's Dream Voice where it is so loud that you can't hear what the characters are saying. The cartoon also made me ask a lot of questions, such as how would the neighbours know he was a brush salesman if they didn't understand him, why Donald didn't think ahead and get more pills, and why the construction worker was so friendly all of a sudden after saying that he hated people. However though, I did like the idea and thought it worked well overall. The ending was cute, I loved the beginning with Donald dancing down the street to the music from Mr Duck Steps Out, and of the gags the one with the cow was hilarious. The animation is vibrant and fluid as you would expect, Donald is likable throughout even with his temperament and Daisy makes a pleasing cameo appearance. I also love Donald's dapper new voice. On the whole, a nice and well done cartoon but not one of the greats for me. 8/10 Bethany Cox
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6/10
Not a Disney classic!
JohnHowardReid18 March 2018
Warning: Spoilers
PLAYERS: "Donald Duck" (voiced by Clarence Nash), "Daisy Duck", a street peddler and various misanthropists.

Director: JACK KING. Story: Roy Williams. Animation: Ed Aardal, Paul Allen, Emery Hawkins, Frank McSavage. Lay-outs: Don Griffith. Backgrounds: Merle Cox. Music: Oliver Wallace. Color by Technicolor. RCA Sound System. Executive producer: Walt Disney.

Copyright 23 July 1947 (sic) by Walt Disney Productions. A Walt Disney "Donald Duck" cartoon, released through RKO Pictures: 21 May 1948. 1 reel. 7 minutes.

COMMENT: Donald's efforts at selling brushes are hampered by his impenetrable voice. So he buys some super-special pills and now his voice comes out like Ronald Colman's. But, alas, a catastrophe!~ Donald drops the magic pills and manages to save but one. This one remaining pill also slips through Donald's butter-feather fingers and ends up in the hat-crown of a bulky sewer-worker. Donald's attempts to retrieve the pill from this misanthropist form the bulk of the action. And then it all ends abruptly when this final pill is swallowed by a bull.

My conclusion: Moderately entertaining.
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6/10
It Made Me Feel Sad
Hitchcoc2 April 2019
Donald had to face the reality that no matter what he did, he couldn't get people to accept him seriously because of his voice. How fortunate for him when he finds a street vendor selling voice pills. He has a good thing going but never thinks ahead enough to keep things going. But overall, I was annoyed at the lack of compassion.
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7/10
Just like infamous Bible-peddler Bill Graham . . .
pixrox13 May 2022
Warning: Spoilers
. . . actor Dennis Q-u-a-i-d and mug shot Pee Wee Herman, Don Duck becomes a Fuller Brush Man during DONALD'S DREAM VOICE. Founded in 1906 by the eponymous Alfred Carl F., Fuller always has been notorious for coddling American dudes likely to fail in any other field. That's why when a U. S. cop says "Round up the usual suspects," what he's REALLY saying is "Find me anyone with a briefcase full of Fuller brushes." DONALD'S DREAM VOICE concludes with the cow chiding Don Duck for felony trespassing. Enough said.
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10/10
A Mighty Big Change For Mr. Duck
Ron Oliver18 June 2003
A Walt Disney DONALD DUCK Cartoon.

DONALD'S DREAM VOICE - and all of its benefits - comes from a precious box of little red pills.

There are a lot of laughs in this little film, especially as Donald frantically tries to retrieve the last of his pills. The Duck's splendid new voice is an obvious spoof of velvety-toned English actor Ronald Colman. The story was written by Roy Williams, later to be an important adult member of television's MICKEY MOUSE CLUB in the 1950's. Clarence Nash provides Donald with his ordinary voice.

Walt Disney (1901-1966) was always intrigued by pictures & 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 comic 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, Dumbo, Bambi & Peter Pan. Walt never forgot that his fortunes were all started by a mouse, or that childlike simplicity of message and lots of hard work always pay off.
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2/10
Poorly Written In the Wrong Direction.
thejcowboy2214 March 2016
Warning: Spoilers
Your watching and rooting for Donald to fix his problem but to have him lose the pills down the sewer is a cop-out of a story. I would have gone in a different direction where he was chemically dependent with unlimited dosages complete with side effects and dealer issues. Ultimately realizing that the voice doesn't make the duck but his Mind and Heart count for much more. I'm sorry the Late Walt didn't hire me for writing this animated short but this story could have been more interesting if Donald had a bigger supply. This short could have been a life lesson for children. Too frustrating to watch with a predictable ending where were right back were we started from. POOR DONALD!
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