Even though Mickey Mouse was the mascot for Walt Disney pictures for many, many years (maybe still in a way, though Disney's so many things now), as a kid I always identified and liked Donald Duck more. As a kid you can get frustrated with things, especially if the world is unfair and doesn't really work properly, and if you see a cartoon like A Good Time for a Dime at the right age and more than once (I probably watched the Disney Classics VHS that had this and six other Donald Ducks countless times) it stays with you in a major way. Whether it's 'dated' doesn't really matter as its simply relatable how nothing ever really goes quite right; in that way it's like Louie or something, only with less outward, anxious aggression.
What happens here? Donald goes to a carnival and checks out various things: a viewfinder from that period ("DANCE OF THE SEVEN VEILS!") and a couple of rides, and they all seem to go very wrong for him. While the final ride may be slightly his fault, it's mostly about the universe being just continually unfair to him. Naturally it's hilarious, but there's some truth to the comedy that I just didn't see in too many of the Mickey Mouse shorts. Donald seemed more like an every-man, despite his overreactions to things (or maybe because of that to a degree, whether we'd admit it or not), and this, which is a splendid series of misadventures and mishaps, is a great example of that.
What happens here? Donald goes to a carnival and checks out various things: a viewfinder from that period ("DANCE OF THE SEVEN VEILS!") and a couple of rides, and they all seem to go very wrong for him. While the final ride may be slightly his fault, it's mostly about the universe being just continually unfair to him. Naturally it's hilarious, but there's some truth to the comedy that I just didn't see in too many of the Mickey Mouse shorts. Donald seemed more like an every-man, despite his overreactions to things (or maybe because of that to a degree, whether we'd admit it or not), and this, which is a splendid series of misadventures and mishaps, is a great example of that.