CHUA, Tyron Jasper L.

October 6, 2019
Section: C33 GEMATMW
Math and Aesthetics
Donald in Mathmagic Land is a short educational film produced by Walt Disney Pictures
back in 1959. The Academy Award nominee of a film featured the sour yet lovable waddling
Donald Duck as he discovers the world of Mathmagic Land; a place filled with educational
references regarding mathematics as narrated by Paul Frees. As for my thoughts, ever since I can
remember I have always been an avid fan of Disney, its characters and its magical stories. These
films have always had a special place in my heart, they have built the foundation of my childhood
which taught me moral lessons at a very young age. After seeing the short film, I have found a
newer side of Disney from such an old film. Donald’s trip to Mathmagic Land widened my
perspective on what seems to be just a recreational media; the film became a tool for learning in
the academic field of mathematics which I highly applaud.

Arthur Benjamin, a renowned mathematician, expressed the following statement on an

official Ted Talk six years ago: “Mathematics is the science of patterns, and we study it to learn
how to think logically, critically, and creatively...”. With that said, and with the recently viewed
short film in mind, I came to the realization that we are where we are because of math. By studying
mathematics, by observing the patterns in our surroundings, we were able to transcend our
primeval selves and we began making modern marvels which we are currently benefitting from in
our everyday lives. It was with this film that my curiosity for math was enhanced. At first glance,
doing math would just look like a tedious task especially when most of it does not make sense after
trying for the “nth” time; but by learning about the concept of “The Golden Ratio” through the
film, I have learned to appreciate math in the world I live in. The real life examples explored by
Donald Duck fascinated me to look for the golden ratios in my life. And it would be an
understatement to claim that there are only a select few; because there are certainly dozens of
modern day examples exhibiting the divine proportion. We just have to find them.

For me, the fact that everyone, regardless of culture or origin, could observe the golden
ratio in our world, just makes me lean on the belief that the divine proportion exists. Beauty may
be in the eye of the beholder but I believe that we have that innate nature to desire what the golden
ratio suggests. I think that it has been engraved to us to prefer that golden rectangle rather than just
some flimsy dimensioned rectangle when we display our pictures, purchase our laptops, or write
on our index cards. I believe the part in the film that even in music, the golden ratio is existent. It
is because of the golden ratio why multitudes of people could share the common love for a certain
music for a certain period in time and even beyond. Before, when Louis Armstrong sang “What a
Wonderful World”, I would just groove to the tune and enjoy it while it lasted. But now, when the
lyrics: “I see trees of green, red roses too...” rings in my ears it makes me think of it as an invitation
to enjoy the world of mathematics. The song invites me to observe, to see mathematics coincide
with the modern world; to see it as a truly wonderful world.

References:
- Benjamin, A. (2013, November 8). The magic of Fibonacci numbers. Retrieved October
6, 2019, from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SjSHVDfXHQ4.
- Gross, R. (2019, September 9). What is the golden ratio? What you need to know and
how to use it. Retrieved October 6, 2019, from https://www.canva.com/learn/what-is-the-
golden-ratio/.
- Shanahan, D. (2018, April 25). Documentary short film review: Donald in Mathmagic
Land. Retrieved October 6, 2019, from
https://www.everymoviehasalesson.com/blog/2018/4/documentary-short-film-review-
donald-in-mathmagic-land.
- Walt Disney Productions. (1959). Donald in Mathmagic Land. Retrieved from -
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fv4gWPurN9k