Spare the Rod (1954)

Spare the Rod Review

Spare the Rod is a 1954 animated short film produced by Disney. It’s a pretty solid flick.

Donald’s nephews play instead of chopping wood. A little teacher named “Child Psychologist” appears as Donald’s conscience telling him to use the game as reinforcement for the children to do their homework, something that doesn’t favor Donald when he mistakes three cannibals for his nephews. Yes, the cannibals are racist caricatures. And yes, the movie is not particularly funny or memorable at anything that it does. But still, it’s a solid flick overall.

The animation is strong, the score is quite good and the ending is a lot of fun. The highlight is seeing Donald actually managing to control his nephews successfully. His conscience was very amusing and Donald was actually very much in control in this movie, which is refreshing to see for him. The scenarios are fun and the flick is very enjoyable.

Spare the Rod is a solid Donald Duck short that has its evident flaws, but it features Donald at his most proactive and in control, which was refreshing to see.

My Rating – 3.7