Uncle Donald's Ants is a 1952 animated short film (6 1/2 minutes) from Disney, directed by Jack Hannah.
Donald Duck accidentally drops some sugar on the sidewalk, scaring a small ant that was passing near his house. He apologizes to the ant and gives him a big piece of sugar as compensation, which gives the ant the idea of raiding Donald's house in order to get more food. Realizing his mistake in attracting ants, Donald tries to seal the exits of his house but the ants manage to sneak inside the house and take over his home, stealing a cake, building a pipeline from the maple syrup to their hill, and multiple other incidents that incite Donald's temper. The short ends with Donald being tricked into burning his own car, resulting in his house being exploded and him being sent flying to the sky, with the ants winning.
Tropes:
- Face Death with Dignity: Realizing he screwed himself, Donald salutes the audience one final time before being sent flying.
- The Farmer and the Viper: Donald initially is generous and gives a small and a big piece of sugar as an apology for accidentally scaring him with his damaged sugar bag. In return, the ant that he helped invade his house alongside his colony, steals his sweet maple syrup and tricks him into destroying his own car, sending him flying far away to the sky.
- Hidden in Plain Sight: The ants manage to sneak into Donald's house by forming the words Big Sale on a tossed paper and disguising themselves as advertising.
- Hoist by His Own Petard: Donald tries to end the ants by pouring gas and setting them on fire, but they redirect the cable to his beloved car, sending him flying to the sky.
- Strong Ants: They are strong enough to carry a glass full of syrup.
- Properly Paranoid: As Donald was thinking about the small ant, Donald started worrying that he inadvertently attracted an army of ants to his house and is instantly proven right upon seeing an army of ants marching toward his home.
- Protect This House: The plot is about Donald trying and failing to defend his house and his maple syrup from the ants.
- Recycled Animation: Some of the animations of this short were reused from the short Tea for Two Hundred
