October 31st, 2022 
Michael Lyons 
Few Disney short subjects pack more character, story, beautiful animation, and the feel of a holiday into a brisk eight minutes than Trick or Treat. The 1952 Donald Duck cartoon has become a Halloween tradition for so many, and for great reason: it’s wonderful. Crafted with great care by director Jack Hannah, Trick or Treat perfectly captures all we love about Donald Duck, Disney, and Halloween.
Celebrating its 70th anniversary this month, Trick or Treat tells a straightforward story. It’s Halloween night, and Huey, Dewey, and Louie are out trick or treating. They stop at Uncle Donald’s house; he is all tricks, no treats: dumping water on the boys’ heads and tossing lit firecrackers in their bags.
The comic book tie-in
Trick or Treat sets the stage immediately, playing the instantly infectious lyrics of the song “Trick or Treat for Halloween,” written by Mack David, Al Hoffman, and Jerry Livingston, over the opening credits. The catchy little diddy is performed by The Mellomen, a group founded by Thurl Ravenscroft, the singer with the booming voice who would later sing “You’re a Mean One, Mr. Grinch” for that beloved Christmas special.
The Mellomen would be featured in several other Disney projects, such as the films Alice in Wonderland (1951) and Peter Pan (1953), and they were also the voices for the “singing busts” in Disney’s attraction The Haunted Mansion
“Trick or Treat for Halloween” would be featured two more times in this short, once in the middle, as Witch Hazel turns hitching posts into ghosts and makes pumpkins come alive, and then again as the finale. Through the years, it has become a Halloween anthem for many.
Trick or Treat is set against the warm backdrop of a classic autumn evening; there is a wondrous opening shot of a small town on Halloween night, clouds filling the sky and a brilliant, bright full moon blocked by an almost-silhouetted steeple.
They are just some of Trick or Treat’s exquisitely crafted backgrounds by artist Yale Gracey (ironically, he would go on to be one of the Imagineers who, in another Haunted Mansion connection, designed Disney’s attraction).
Another legendary name involved in the short is June Foray. The amazing and ubiquitous voice actress was Witch Hazel in Trick or Treat. In an interesting twist, Foray would also portray another Witch, also named Witch Hazel, for Warner Bros., in a series of Bugs Bunny cartoon shorts.
Actress Bea Benaderet initially voiced Warner’s Witch Hazel, but Foray took over the role in 1956 with the cartoon short Broom-Stick Bunny and would continue to voice the character through 2002.
Witch Hazel gets the best of Donald (voiced by Clarence Nash, of course) in Trick or Treat, and in this short, he’s even more “Donald” than he usually is, ruining the nephews’ Halloween just because he can. It seems justified when Hazel gives him his comeuppance (which includes a brilliantly animated sequence where she sprays a magic potion on his feet that forces him to do a banjo-infused dance number).
When Trick or Treat was released on October 10, 1952, a comic book adaptation was released simultaneously. Created by another Disney Legend, Carl Barks (most famous for creating Uncle Scrooge and the world of Duckburg), who expanded on the story of Trick or Treat and included a character of an ogre named Smorgie the Bad.
Part of that story was eventually cut by the publisher at the time but was later restored in a series of books entitled The Carl Barks Library, published in the 80s and 90s.
In 1974, Disneyland Records released a “Story and Songs” record album of Trick or Treat, with the story and songs from The Haunted Mansion on the flip side (for more on that, enjoy this article from Cartoon Research in 2017).
The short was also included in many appropriately themed Disney TV shows and specials, including the Halloween Hall O’ Fame episode of The Wonderful World of Disney in 1977 and 1983’s A Disney Halloween. It has also been released on DVD, as a part of cartoon collections, and as a bonus feature, and it is now available on Disney+.
In the seventy years since its initial release, Trick or Treat has become a classic, reliable Halloween season staple for Disney and animation fans, thanks to this inclusion in different media.
So, in the words of the Mellomen: “When ghosts and goblins by the score, ring your bell or pound your door, better not be stingy or your nightmares will come true! Boo!”
Happy Halloween to all!
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