Which 1934 Disney short marked Donald Duck's first appearance?

The 1934 Disney short that marked Donald Duck’s first appearance is The Wise Little Hen. Produced as part of the Silly Symphonies series, the cartoon introduces Donald as a mischievous duck who tries to avoid helping a wise hen plant and harvest corn.

The short was based on the traditional fable The Little Red Hen. Donald and Peter Pig pretend to have stomachaches so they can escape work, but the hen finds a way to teach them the value of cooperation. Donald dances to “The Sailor’s Hornpipe,” immediately giving audiences a memorable glimpse of the character’s energetic personality.

Clarence Nash supplied Donald’s voice. He had performed a duck imitation during a telephone audition, and Walt Disney reportedly recognized the potential of what became the studio’s “talking duck.” Donald’s voice was distinctive from the beginning, although his design and personality developed further in later cartoons.

The short premiered at Los Angeles’s Carthay Circle Theatre on May 3, 1934, before its wider theatrical release. The Band Concert and Orphan’s Benefit are later Donald cartoons, not his debut.