"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. Considering what the film is trying to get across, it does it in about as entertaining a fashion as possible. And, the artwork is very nice. 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. He also is the voice of Boris in old Bullwinkle cartoon.
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. Considering what the film is trying to get across, it does it in about as entertaining a fashion as possible. And, the artwork is very nice. 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. He also is the voice of Boris in old Bullwinkle cartoon.