Ugly Duckling (1939)

A newborn cygnet searches for a family that will accept him.

Won 1 Oscar.

Storyline

The duck's eggs hatched: but the fifth hatchling, a bit late, isn't like the rest, and momma duck chews poppa out. On top of it all, where the ducklings quack, the oddball honks. He's soon ostracized by all the ducks. He also explores a nest of sparrows and a duck decoy, but there's no acceptance there, either (the decoy bonks him on the head like one of those drinking birds). But just when he's feeling worst, a family of swans comes by, and he's got a new family.

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Plot Keywords:

duck | duckling | swan | egg | bird | 

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Genres:

Animation | Comedy | Family | Short

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Certificate:

Approved

Details

Country:

USA

Release Date:

7 April 1939 (USA)

Also Known As:

Das hässliche Entlein

Company Credits

Production Co:

Walt Disney Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

9 min

Sound Mix:

Mono (RCA Sound Recording)

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

The Golden Books adaptation of this short is closer to the original fairy tale than the actual short itself, because for some reason the animators didn't follow the original plot.

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Goofs

When the hero is reunited with his family, we discover that he is one of five baby swans. However, for a brief moment, six baby swans appear on screen as they swim around one another before returning to their mother.

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Connections

Featured in Troldspejlet: The Meteor Man (1994)

User Reviews

A beautiful short, that is likely to tug at the heartstrings.

The Ugly Duckling, based on the story by Hans Christian Andersen, is a beautiful short, that not only has a wonderful message(being different can be good) but also has sentimental value. The animation, in Technicolour is truly lovely, and the music is one of the reasons why I have a soft spot for this short, it was so beautiful. The story of the short is simple, and sweet, and doesn't change the message of the original story. The ugly Duckling himself (which of course he isn't)is a really sweet and engaging title character, and when he cries, I can't help it, but so do I, because I really feel for him. He was created so beautiful, that it tugged at my heartstrings when he's sad. And when I saw the Ugly Duckling cuddling his newfound mother, I couldn't help cheering, seeing him so happy. The other characters are also well done. Overall, this is just beautiful, but I warn you, prepare for tears, when watching this, and this is for the title character alone. 10/10 Bethany Cox.