"After an uneventful voyage, we sighted Africa, the dark continent, land of adventure. Africa, the unknown. Black, foreboding mysterious Africa."
African Diary is a 1945 Classic Disney Short starring Goofy. Directed by Jack Kinney.
In this short, Goofy travels to Africa for an expedition, bungling in the safari in search of a wild game.
Tropes:
- 13 Is Unlucky: Friday the 13th, the day Goofy on his big game meets his unfortunate moment when he was spotted by a black rhinoceros.
- Artistic License – Geography:
- Goofy stated he landed on the Ivory Coastnote , however Ivory Coast is positioned in the regions between Ghananote and Nigeria.
- The Great Pyramids of Giza was positioned in-between Libya and Chad.
- Egypt in Real Life is clearly a desert country from satellite view, where as the map depecited here is seen covered with lots of trees.
- Beak Attack: After the rhino gets his horn stuck inside Goody's rifle and probably destroyed when the Goof pulls the trigger, his tick bird companion lends an assist by perching on the gun's stock and pecking woodpecker-style at the fleeing Goody's backside.
- Bookends: The episode starts when Goofy landed in Africa, crossing through the safari with the local herd across the forests, mountains and wastelands. By the time Goofy is fleeing Africa from the rhinoceros, it goes all through the same procedure albeit in reverse.
- Captain's Log: The story is narrated from Goofy's travel diary. Shots of said diary show plenty of spelling errors and smudges.
- Comedic Under Wear Exposure: As the rhinoceros starts charging toward him, a terrified Goofy briefly briefly jumps out of his clothes exposing his green boxers with purple spots. They get exposed again when the tick bird starts pecking his rear.
- Empty Swimming Pool Dive: As Goofy walks over to the waterhole to bathe, a hippo sees him and scrambles out, displacing all the water. Goofy doesn't notice and ends up swimming in dirt.
- Explain, Explain... Oh, Crap!: While out hunting for Africa's biggest game, Goofy and his fellow hunter spy what appears to be a large animal off in the distance. Goofy looks through his binoculars and only sees a bird.Narrator: Why, it's only a tick bird, which always makes his home on the back of the black rhinoceros... (gasp, Goofy does a Double Take) Black rhinoceros!
- The Hyena: One of the animals visiting the waterhole during the night is a laughing hyena. The hyena continues laughing even after falling into the water.
- Oh, Crap!:
- Goofy and his fellow hunter are shocked when they realize the tick bird they spotted is on the back of a black rhinoceros. They are especially terrified when the rhinoceros comes charging toward them. Goofy also knows he’s screwed when realizing his gun has no bullets as the rhinoceros approaches him.
- The rhinoceros is pretty apathetic when the tick bird alerts him that hunters are nearby. Then he is shocked when the tick bird informs him that the hunters are armed with guns.
- Pun-Based Creature: An aural example. The tick bird can be heard ticking when it first appears.
- Red Eyes, Take Warning: The rhino’s eyes glow red once the tick bird warns him that hunters are nearby.
- Right Out of My Clothes: Goofy briefly jumps out of his clothes when the rhinoceros starts charging toward him. Then he jumps back into his clothes.
- Screams Like a Little Girl: The hippopotamus when Goofy comes running toward the waterhole.
- Screw This, I'm Outta Here:
- Goofy’s fellow hunter flees the scene as the rhinoceros comes charging toward them.
- After failing to shoot the rhino, Goofy runs for it and decides to leave Africa.
- Too Dumb to Live: Goofy has the right idea that he needs a permit to shoot a rhino. Still, he chooses the wrong time to search through his files for such permit while the rhino is charging at him. Goofy finds the permit and prepares to shoot the charging rhino, only to realize he forgot to load his gun with bullets. As the rhino approaches Goofy, he catches the gun clogging its barrel with his horn. Goofy loads his gun with bullets and pulls the trigger. Since the barrel is still clogged, Goofy causes the gun to explode, also damaging the rhino’s horn and further provoking him.
- Verbal Backspace: As a hartebeest walks away from the watering hole, it's butt is facing the camera, which forms the shape of a heart. The narrator starts to explain that the hartebeest is "named for the shape of its..." the creature faces the camera and the narrator switches to "horns" (which also happen to form a heart as well).
- Visual Pun: The Ivory Coast of Africa is depicted as a set of ivory piano keys.
