Donald in Mathmagic Land

""Mathematics is the alphabet with which God has written the universe."- Galileo (Hashir)"

1959 0h 27m EN

👍

7.3

SOLID

★7.3TMDB · 130

AnimationFantasyFamilyComedy

Synopsis

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Disney used animation here to explain through this wonderful adventure of Donald how mathematics can be useful in our real life. Through this journey Donald shows us how mathematics are not just numbers and charts, but magical living things.

“"Mathematics is the alphabet with which God has written the universe."- Galileo (Hashir)”

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Cast

Clarence Nash
Donald Duck (voice)
Paul Frees
The True Spirit of Adventure / Narrator (voice)

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: Hamilton Luske
Writers: Milt Banta, Bill Berg, Heinz Haber
Languages: English, Spanish
Countries: United States of America

Want more? Switch to Cinephile mode in the header for DP, composer, budget, box office, production companies, keywords, and release history.

Did you know?

Fun facts 🍿

1 / 8

RUNTIME

Did you know

Tight 27-minute runtime — shorter than most television pilots.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 8

ERA

Did you know

67 years old — a genuine piece of film history.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 8

WORLD

Did you know

Dialogue crosses 2 languages: English, Spanish.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 8

ERA

Did you know

Lean credit list — fewer than 30 people officially credited.

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Directed by Hamilton Luske, shot by Edward Colman. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Original score by Buddy Baker. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

7 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Editor Lloyd L. Richardson shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

8 / 8

CAST

Did you know

Clarence Nash and Paul Frees carry the top of the cast.

MoodPlayr · trivia#08

Cinephile deep dive

The take

Hamilton Luske directs. Edward Colman behind the camera. Buddy Baker scores. Lloyd L. Richardson cuts. Runs lean at under 100 minutes. Produced in United States of America. Dialogue in English, Spanish.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

1Tight 27-minute runtime — shorter than most television pilots.
267 years old — a genuine piece of film history.
3Dialogue crosses 2 languages: English, Spanish.
4Lean credit list — fewer than 30 people officially credited.
5Directed by Hamilton Luske, shot by Edward Colman. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
6Original score by Buddy Baker. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.
7Editor Lloyd L. Richardson shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
8Clarence Nash and Paul Frees carry the top of the cast.
9Marketing tagline: ""Mathematics is the alphabet with which God has written the universe."- Galileo (Hashir)".
10IMDB entry: tt0052751 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.

The technical file

Cinematography: Edward Colman
Original score: Buddy Baker
Editing: Lloyd L. Richardson
Runtime: 27 min · 0h 27m
Aspect ratio (typical): 1.37:1 (Academy)
Status: Released
Original language: EN
Certification (US): NR
IMDB: Donald in Mathmagic Land (1959)

Also by

Hamilton Luske

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Community reviews

What people are saying

CinemaSerf2026-05-01
★ 7/10
I usually found most of the Disney attempts at educational films a bit simplistic and reliant on dry narration, but the selection of "Donald" to take us all on a journey into some of the practical applications of mathematics has to be one of their more inspired. Using a cleverly crafted sequence of animations to illustrate the animation, our curious duck explores just how square roots, angles, percentages and graphs all play a crucial part in just about everything from building an house to flying a plane to playing a lute. We even have a go at explaining the concept of infinity! It doesn't stop at exclusively talking numbers and shapes, but also manages to include some history - any excuse to dress up - and some mischief along the way as it presents us with something that is both engaging and intriguing. Just how did mankind ever make some of the discoveries that underpin so much of our social, musical and scientific developments in days of antiquity when there was no electricity? Accident? Design? Both? Well the inquisitive "Donald" garners a few of the answers to those questions and this flies along entertainingly for an half an hour that perhaps still ought to be shown in schools to demystify a subject that is usually the source of so many groans from it's students - including me!

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