GamerTab
That was an excellent one.
BootDigest
Such a frustrating disappointment
Hayden Kane
There is, somehow, an interesting story here, as well as some good acting. There are also some good scenes
Horst in Translation (filmreviews@web.de)
"Mr. Duck Steps Out" is another Disney cartoon as the name makes obvious very quickly and this one is from 1940, the days of World War II. Director is the pretty prolific Jack King here and his work fot this one will soon have its 80th anniversary. Donald is out to meet Daisy at her place, but the nephews want some fun too. Sadly, they are the only ones getting it, the audience not so much. I must say I found the comedy here really mediocre compared to other Donald cartoons from this era. Physically, with the color and looks in general, it is fine, but nothing stands out compared to most other Disney (and some WB) cartoons from back then. There is major focus on sound and music in here, especially in the second half, but also from that perspective, it was really very generic in my opinion. Stuff like having frogs take the part of music instruments are simply not good, smart or funny enough. Donald was a weaker version of himself with the material he had, but still more interesting than the nephews who very genuinely unspectacular this time, almost annoying, and also than Daisy who was basically a female version of Donald channeling his looks and basically plays almost no important part here at all in terms of the story. Also this is one of the rare occasions where I am not too fond of Clarence Nash's effort as honestly Daisy sounds just like Donald the entire time. The ending with these kisses is kinda cute, but it cannot make me forget about all the mediocrity from before that. Gotta give this one a thumbs-down. Not recommended.
JohnHowardReid
The cast: "Donald Duck", "Daisy Duck", "Huey Duck", "Louie Duck", "Dewey Duck".Director: JACK KING. Screenplay: Carl Barks. Voices: Clarence Nash. Color by Technicolor. RCA Sound System. Producer: Walt Disney.Copyright 4 April 1940 by Walt Disney Productions. A Walt Disney "Donald Duck" cartoon, released through RKO Radio Pictures. 1 reel. 8 minutes. COMMENT: The title is a nice pun. Donald steps out to see Daisy, but he gets no further than Daisy's house where they do a lot of stepping to dance music - some of it ingeniously provided by the Don's not over-welcome nephews. If you like the bland and somewhat mild early 1940s style of swing and jitterbugging, this is definitely a cartoon not to be missed. The music never stops. Laughs take a definite second place to the score. But as usual with Disney, the colors are bright and technical credits ultra smooth.
TheLittleSongbird
Mr Duck Steps Out has to be one of my favourite Donald Duck cartoons ever. As an avid Disney and Donald fan, I thought choosing absolute favourite would be difficult, but Mr Duck Steps Out I've always loved and sure is one of them. The animation is as colourful and smooth as some of the best animation of the best cartoons of the 30s and 40s, the music is some of the catchiest ever I've heard for any cartoon and the dancing is full of energy, reminding one fondly of the dancing of that particular era. The gags are fun and very imaginative, the gag where Donald's nephews Huey Duey and Louie put an ear of corn on the stove and knock it into Donald which causes him to shake uncontrollably and throw popcorn everywhere is hilarious especially and has endless and timeless replay value. The story is a very light-hearted one in tone, yet delicately balances also Donald's frustration, and the characters from the temperamental but likable Donald, lovely Daisy to the cheeky yet cute rascals that are Huey, Duey and Louie. Clarence Nash's vocals for all five characters are bravura in every sense of the word. In conclusion, fantastic, a must-watch. 10/10 Bethany Cox
Shawn Watson
Donald has woken up on the right side of the bed for a change is seriously in a great groove and plans to romance Daisy with a box of chocolates. He dances everywhere in perfect timing with a tune that we can all hear. It's one of those cartoons where actions correspond to the way the music is played and it's done very well.Donald's trip to Daisy's house is spoiled when his nephews insist on tagging along. He tries, and fails, to rid them with an ice cream bribe. Instead they manage to make him swallow a load of corn that is in the middle of popping which sends him on a wild, spastic jitterbug dance around the living room, which Daisy mistakes for genuine dancing talent.At least he ends up impressing her and getting kisses.
