The voice actor of Donald Duck has said he feels the disgruntled Disney character is still entertaining audiences after 90 years because “there’s a little Donald in all of us”.
The cartoon duck, known for his semi-intelligible speech and ill-temper, is celebrating the 90th milestone anniversary on Sunday after making his film debut in 1934 in the short cartoon The Wise Little Hen.
Tony Anselmo, who has voiced the Disney character since 1985, thinks Donald has become more relevant over the years due to there being “more frustration than there used to be”.
Reflecting on the character’s legacy, Anselmo told the PA news agency: “I think it’s because most people can relate to him because there’s a little Donald in all of us.
“If you watch Walt Disney’s Donald Duck cartoons, he’s really a pretty good-natured guy. He likes to have fun and he has ambitions.
“He sets out to do something and it’s only when something gets in his way that he gets mad.
“So he has to get triggered, and I think we’re all like that a little bit.
“If we’re in a hurry and we’re going somewhere and we end up in traffic, then we get just as mad as Donald.
“And when we see him throw a tantrum, it makes us laugh because we know what it’s like to be in that situation.”
The world has become a lot more fast-paced and technological since Donald entered it in 1934, which Anselmo feels makes his attitude more relatable.
He said: “I’ve been around for 64 years myself and I can tell you, the last 10 to 20, there’s a lot more frustration than there used to be.”
The voice actor teased some of Donald’s upcoming storylines will see him navigating “internet-related things”, adding that he would enjoy seeing the character trying to set up WiFi.
However, he confirmed that the character’s namesake, former US president Donald Trump, will not feature in any upcoming episodes, adding: “I think Donald Duck is a little bit more loved universally, I should say. Not quite so controversial.”
Donald Duck has gone on to feature in more than 150 short films since he first appeared on screens, more than any other Disney character, according to the company.
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The character can still be seen in Disney theme parks across the world and he has been awarded a star on the Hollywood Walk Of Fame and has had his webbed footprints immortalised in cement outside the famed Chinese Theatre in Hollywood.
Anselmo feels the “strong personalities” within Disney’s characters like Donald Duck and Mickey and Minnie Mouse have “set Disney apart from other studios”.
He added: “The reason these characters have lasted so long is that the integrity of their character is kept intact, we don’t change them, but they can be put in relevant situations.
“So Donald is the same guy he was in 1934 but if you put him in a in a relevant situation, like having to deal with social media, which is frustrating, or technology, or all the frustrating things that we all have to deal with day-to-day, he would react to those situations the way he always has.”
Despite more Disney characters being added to the collection each year, Anselmo said he is recording for Donald Duck more than he was 30 years ago due to the creation of new platforms like Disney+.
Donald Duck is celebrating his 90 year anniversary with the Walt Disney Company this month.
