Rugged Bear | |
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Donald Duck series | |
Theatrical release poster
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Directed by | Jack Hannah |
Produced by | Walt Disney |
Story by |
Al Bertino David Detiege |
Voices by |
Jimmy MacDonald Clarence Nash |
Music by | Oliver Wallace |
Animation by |
Bob Carlson Volus Jones George Kreisl Dan MacManus (effects) |
Layouts by | Yale Gracey |
Backgrounds by | Ray Huffine |
Studio | Walt Disney Productions |
Distributed by | RKO Radio Pictures |
Release date(s) |
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Color process | Technicolor |
Running time | 6 minutes |
Country | United States |
Language | English |
Preceded by | The New Neighbor |
Followed by | Working for Peanuts |
Rugged Bear is a 1953 American animated short film produced by Walt Disney Productions and released by RKO Radio Pictures. The cartoon follows Humphrey the Bear (in his 2nd appearance) as he takes refuge in Donald Duck's cabin during hunting season by disguising himself as a bearskin rug. The film was directed by Jack Hannah and features the voices of Clarence Nash as Donald, Jimmy MacDonald as Humphrey, and an uncredited narrator.
Rugged Bear was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Animated Short Film at the 26th Academy Awards in 1954, but lost to another Disney film, Toot, Whistle, Plunk and Boom. This was the eighth of nine nominations received by the Donald Duck film series.
Humphrey the Bear oversleeps through the opening of hunting season one year. While the other bears flee to the safety of their cave, Humphrey is left outside and is forced to hide in a nearby cabin instead. Once inside the cabin, Humphrey is horrified to learn that it is a hunting lodge, made evident by the many guns and hunting trophies hanging on the walls. As he starts to leave, he sees Donald Duck coming toward the cabin carrying a rifle. Humphrey desperately looks for a hiding place inside the cabin, and finally notices a large bear skin rug in front of the fireplace. He quickly rolls up the rug, stows it in an empty trunk, and lays out flat on the floor in the rug's place. Just then, Donald enters unaware that his rug has been replaced, or that it is alive. Humphrey nervously endures several uncomfortable and painful experiences, all the while being very careful not to let Donald know that he is a real bear. These include hiccups, a burning ember from the fireplace falling on his fur, going through Donald's washer-dryer, and being mowed with a reel mower, among other things.