Lion Around 1950

The cartoon opens in a forest, where what appears to be one of Donald Duck’s nephews stalking a mountain lion turns out to be a staged bit: the trio wears a lion costume to distract him so they can nab a pie cooling near the cottage. When one nephew bursts in, shouting that there is a mountain lion outside, the scene kicks into motion. The duck rushes out with his gun, only to be chased away from the cottage by the lion-costumed pranksters while the other nephew makes off with the pie. The disguises falter as the trio hurry up a tree, and the fake lion’s cover is blown. One nephew tries to smooth things over, insisting it was all just a joke, but the duck scolds them and retrieves the pie, ordering them to stay out while he returns to his baking.

Meanwhile, the nephews’ misadventure has an unexpected audience: Louie the Mountain Lion appears, scattering the pranksters and turning his gaze toward the duck, who seems an easy target for a meal. Louie pounces, but the duck—still doubting the danger and suspecting another trick—slaps the lion across the face, even giving him a tail-spank, and storms back inside with the pie. Louie, nevertheless, grows curious about the pie and takes a bite, prompting a quick intervention from the duck. The intruder then bursts into the house and slams the door, smashing the duck’s pie in the process. In a moment of frantic miscommunication, the duck tries to peel away Louie’s head as if it were part of a disguise, while the nephews reveal their lion costume once more. Realizing his mistake only when he double-checks and sees both the nephews outside and a real lion behind the ruse, the duck shifts from irritation to startled caution.

Desperation gives way to a wild chase around the house. Louie chases the duck into a tree, clawing away leaves in a bid to reach him. The nephews reappear with a pie for the duck, who then offers the pie to Louie in a bid to pacify him. The mountain lion weighs the gesture for a tense moment before the encounter settles: Louie decides not to eat the duck, and a fragile peace lingers as the scene cools down. In the final beat, the nephews deliver a pie to the duck, who passes it along to Louie, leaving the predator pleasantly sated and the duck unscathed for the moment.