13 Nights of Happy Haunts: Trick or Treat

Night 8: Trick or Treat (1952)
Starring: Donald Duck and Hazel the Witch
Co-starring: Huey, Dewey and Louie
Setting: Donald’s Neighbourhood
Plot: After witnessing Donald bullying his nephews while Trick or Treating, Hazel the Witch conjures up a revenge-seeking-spell on the boys’ behalf.   

Tricks and/or Treats:

The short begins with the clock at midnight and that’s well beyond the point of appropriate Trick or Treating.  Then, later in Donald’s house, his clock shows 2 am.  How late do these ducks stay up?

The town looks very New England-ish… maybe it’s a reference to Salem, Massachusetts, of which was infamous for their Witch Trials.

Huey is a ghost, Dewey a (male?) witch and Louie a devil.

Donald gives tricks FOR treats in the form of self-combusting fireworks in the boy’s candy sacks as well as a bucket of water over their heads.

Donald was more than ready to acquiesce to Hazel’s demand for treats until she called him a “pushover.”

Hazel the witch’s animated broom is aptly named Beelzebub. 

In lieu of candy, the nephews end up making off with the contents of Donald’s pantry for their “treat.”
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RIP:      
It’s hard to believe but this is Disney’s only Halloween themed classic short.  We’ve had plenty of spooky and/or creepy cartoons but nothing actually celebrating All Hallows’ Eve.  If they were going to do one though, Disney did it right by making it a “Donald and his nephews” short since their whole relationship is based on “tricks.”  Hazel stole the show though as Huey, Dewey and Louie mostly idled, slack-jawed at the witch’s spells.