Trick or Treat (1952 film)

Trick or Treat
Donald Duck series
Theatrical release poster
Directed by	Jack Hannah
Produced by	Walt Disney
Story by	Ralph Wright
Voices by	June Foray Clarence Nash The Mellowmen
Music by	Paul J. Smith
Animation by	Volus Jones Bill Justice George Kreisl Don Lusk Dan MacManus (effects)
Layouts by	Yale Gracey
Backgrounds by	Yale Gracey
Studio	Walt Disney Productions
Distributed by	RKO Radio Pictures
Release date(s)	October 10, 1952 (1952-10-10) (USA)
Color process	Technicolor
Running time	8 minutes
Country	United States
Language	English
Preceded by	Uncle Donald's Ants
Followed by	Don's Fountain of Youth

Trick or Treat is a 1952 animated short film produced by Walt Disney Productions and released by RKO Radio Pictures. The cartoon, which takes place on Halloween night, follows a series of pranks between Donald Duck and his nephews with Witch Hazel. The film was directed by Jack Hannah and features the voices of Clarence Nash as Donald and his nephews, and June Foray as Hazel. The film introduced the song "Trick or Treat for Halloween" which was written by Mack David, Al Hoffman, and Jerry Livingston and performed by The Mellowmen.

The film opens with the song "Trick or Treat for Halloween", the lyrics of which tell the film's moral – one must be generous on Halloween or face trouble.

One Halloween night, Witch Hazel observes Huey, Duey, and Louie trick-or-treating. When the trio go to their uncle Donald Duck's house, Donald decides to prank the boys (giving them a "trick" instead of a treat). So instead of giving them candy, he intentionally puts firecrackers in their bags, then pulls a string that dumps a bucket of water on their heads. After Donald bids farewell to the boys, the discouraged nephews go and sit on the curb.

But Hazel, who was watching the drama unfold, approaches the boys and tries to encourage them. When she discovers that they believe in witches, she offers to help them get their treats from Donald after all. At first, she tries to convince Donald herself, but he skeptically retorts, pulls and releases her stretchy nose, and pranks her as well with a bucket of water, not believing she is a real witch. Realizing that the job may be harder than she anticipated, Hazel tells the boys she will use her magic for this situation. In another location, a scene paying homage to Shakespeare's Macbeth shows Hazel and the nephews concocting a magic potion, adding somewhat more whimsical ingredients than the Three Witches in Macbeth. After testing the potion, Hazel fills an insecticide duster (similar in appearance to a Flit gun) with the potion and returns to Donald's house with the nephews.