User Reviews

This short takes a basic premise used often by Disney and others-someone has something another character wants and the rest of the short consists of comical attempts to take away and/or keep said possession. In the hands of Tex Avery, this simple plot can produce The Legend of Rockabye Point, which is a masterpiece. Then there's this cartoon, far more representative of the norm-an average cartoon, humorous in spots, entertaining but not terribly special in and of itself. Which proves the point that it's not the idea that matters, but how it is used. Worth watching at least once.

A Walt Disney DONALD DUCK Cartoon.

A mangy Mountain Lion and his cub try to scrounge Donald's good looking catch of fish.

It's great to see the Duck win one for a change, and he sure comes out on top in this funny little film, HOOK, LION AND SINKER. This was one of a handful of cartoons to feature the Mountain Lion; here he has his rapacious little son with him. Clarence Nash provided Donald with his unique 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 storm of naysayers, 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.

Hook, Lion and Sinker (1950)

*** 1/2 (out of 4)

Donald returns from a fishing trip with a major score, which attracts the attention of a mountain lion and his son. Soon the father lion is trying to steal some fish but Donald isn't going to let it go that easily.

HOOK, LION AND SINKER is a classic Disney short that has plenty of nice laughs, some great action and of course beautiful animation. There are several highlights here but the running gag with the son having to remove buckshot from his father is certainly very funny. Also extremely funny is a site gag on Donald's wall of previous lions that have tried to steal his fish. The action itself is pretty fast and violent just like fans love it.

Disney and Donald Duck are reasons enough to watch any cartoon, and Hook, Lion and Sinker is just one example of why I love them so much. Donald is great as usual, the briskly paced story being an ideal match for his trademark temperamental personality, while Louie is a cunning and lively foil and his son is sweet but never overly cutesy. The animation is as hoped very pleasing to look at, anybody who loves vibrant colours and great background detail will be as very satisfied with the animation quality here as I am. The music has lush and upbeat orchestration and enhances the action perfectly. The gags are very funny, while the being-shot-in-the-bottom gag is a running gag that is used a lot the situations, of Louie and son's ways of stealing the fish from Donald, are varied so it is a running gag that doesn't wear thin. For me though the best gag was when Louie turned into one of the mounted lions on the wall to avoid being shot at. And I loved that Hook, Lion and Sinker was a case of Donald getting the upper hand, something that you don't see very often. In conclusion, if you like Disney or Donald you'll enjoy Hook, Lion and Sinker very much. 10/10 Bethany Cox

This is a funny Disney cartoon starring Donald Duck as a fisherman who kept getting his fish taken by a hungry lion and his mischievous cub. But, Donald proves that he was one tough duck with his fiery attitude and his rifle in tow.

There were plenty of funny moments in this cartoon short, from the cub accidentally dragging the lion in the river to Donald getting almost outsmarted by the fish thieves a few times. The cub plucking the rifle pellets from the lion's behind was also funny.

A great cartoon where Donald gets the last laugh!

Grade A