On Halloween Huey, Dewey and Louie Duck, who are trick-or-treating in the neighborhood, can't seem to get any candy from their very own Unca Donald. However, the three ducklings happen to meet an actual, real-life witch, the kooky Witch Hazel, who, feeling sorry for them, sets out to get the candy from Donald using her actual magic powers. In a roaring battle between Hazel's extravagant sorcery and Donald's unfailing thick-headedness, events quickly escalate until a whole horde of monsters, ghosts and goblins are spreading chaos all around Donald's house…
Continuity[]
The same month, a comic-book version of the same plot was printed, drawn by none other than Carl Barks himself (Barks, notably enough, had not been shown the actual cartoon at the time, but had instead been sent a copy of Ralph Wright's final storyboard, which was, for that matter, itself also printed as a story). Feeling that he didn't have enough material for a 32-pages-long story, Barks actually added several sequences of his own, although the earliest printings of the story sadly deleted them. Other than those additions, Barks was however very faithful to the narrative of the short.
Spooks and Magic (1972) incorporates Trick or Treat into its runtime, establishing that it is the witch Phyllis Diller who sent Witch Hazel to pester Donald after the two, alongside Witch Goofy and Witch Martha, spent some time in the Haunted Mansion brewing a potion together. As such, Spooks and Magic establishes itself to take place in 1952.
The cartoon is shown to exist in-universe in Mickey's House of Villains (2002), where it is one of the cartons shown for Halloween at the House of Mouse.
Behind the scenes[]
This short was released on October the 10th, 1952.
• Don Donald • Modern Inventions • Donald's Ostrich • Self-Control • Donald's Better Self • Donald's Nephews • Good Scouts • Donald's Golf Game • Donald's Lucky Day • The Hockey Champ • Donald's Cousin Gus • Sea Scouts • Donald's Penguin • The Autograph Hound • Officer Duck •
1940's
• The Riveter • Mr Duck Steps Out • Donald's Vacation • The Volunteer Worker • Fire Chief • Timber • Golden Eggs • A Good Time for a Dime • Early to Bed • Truant Officer Donald • Old Mac Donald Duck • Donald's Camera • Chef Donald • Donald's Decision • The Village Smithy • The New Spirit • Donald's Snow Fight • Donald Gets Drafted • Donald's Garden • Donald's Gold Mine • The Vanishing Private • Sky Trooper • Bellboy Donald • Der Fuehrer's Face • The Spirit of '43 • Donald's Tire Trouble • The Flying Jalopy • Fall Out Fall In • The Old Army Game • Home Defense • Trombone Trouble • Donald Duck and the Gorilla • Contrary Condor • Commando Duck • The Plastics Inventor • Donald's Off Day • The Clock Watcher • Donald's Crime • Duck Pimples • Cured Duck • Old Sequoia • Donald's Double Trouble • Wet Paint • Dumb Bell of the Yukon • Lighthouse Keeping • Straight Shooters • Sleepy Time Donald • Clown of the Jungle • Donald's Dilemma • Bootle Beetle • Wide Open Spaces • Chip an' Dale • Drip Drippy Donald • Daddy Duck • Donald's Dream Voice • The Trial of Donald Duck • Inferior Decorator • Soup's On • Three for Breakfast • Tea for Two Hundred • Donald's Happy Birthday • Sea Salts • Winter Storage • Honey Harvester • All in a Nutshell • The Greener Yard • Slide, Donald, Slide • Toy Tinkers •
1950's
• Lion Around • Crazy Over Daisy • Trailer Horn • Hook, Lion and Sinker • Bee at the Beach • Out on a Limb • Dude Duck • Corn Chips • Test Pilot Donald • Lucky Number • Out of Scale • Bee On Guard • Donald's Applecore • Let's Stick Togehter • Uncle Donald's Ants • Trick or Treat • Don's Fountain of Youth • The New Neighbor • Rugged Bear • Working for Peanuts • Canvas Back Duck • Spare the Rod • Donald's Diary • Dragon Around • Grin & Bear It • The Flying Squirrel • Grand Canyonscope • No Hunting • Bearly Asleep • Beezy Bear • Up a Tree • Chips Ahoy • How to Have an Accident in the Home • Donald in Mathmagic Land • How to Have an Accident at Work •
1960's
• Donald and the Wheel • The Litterbug • Donald's Fire Survival Plan • Family Planning •
• Donald's Failed Fourth • Donald's Shell Shots • Donald's Rocket Ruckus • Donald's Valentine Dollar • Donald On Ice • Donald's Dinner Date • Donald and the Big Nut • Donald's Grizzly Guest • Survival of the Woodchucks • computer.don • Donald's Halloween Scare • Donald's Lighthouse • Domesticated Donald • Whitewater Donald • Donald's Fish Fry • Bird Brained Donald • Donald's Pool • Donald's Charmed Date • Golf Nut Donald • Music Store Donald • Donald's Goofy World • Double Date Donald •
