DVDizzy Forum

Ok, here's how it works. When you think of Donald Duck shorts, a formulaic series of ingredients come to mind;

1)Something or Someone provoking Donald (Or the opposite, Donald pulling a prank on a living being)
2)Object/Animal having to reliate. Physical conflict arouses, with Donald getting angrier with every second.
3)Donald getting outsmarted at the end. Or stuck in something.

While I agree that A LOT of his classic cartoons follow this formula (They defined him!) I know there are many which have their own original structure that departs from the established rules. That's why I created this topic; to discuss 'em, to talk about them. By the way, if you were thinking of one short that meets the frequently-used-ingredients listed above, you can still include it, only IF:

1)The short has a plot out of the ordinary or non-frequently used (Like Golden Eggs or Canvas Back Duck)
2)Donald's behavior is different from other shorts (Clown of the Jungle and The Plastics Inventor are good examples)

I'll start with an old favorite of mine, which seems to be the obvious inclusion: "Donald's Lucky Day"

First of all, the setting. It's eerie, non-conventional. The plot is pretty elaborated for a DD short; the Duck is a messenger who is told to deliver a package. What he doesn't know, however, is that said package contains a bomb! And Donald doesn't perfom his typical tantrum here. I enjoy this cartoon very much, due to the clever gags and resolution. (The ending blows me away! *pun intended)

Another unusual Donald short, which also has a creepy feel to it, is Duck Pimples, which is directed by Goofy director Jack Kinney, who also directed the Donald Duck wartime cartoon, "Der Fuehrer's Face". In this cartoon, which is very similar in plot to MGM's Tex Avery-directed "Who Killed Who?" (suspenseful organ music and all), spoofs radio dramas of the day. Donald is quite bland, not much more than a punching bag for the Irish-accented detective (who sounds very much like the Irish-accented gate cop from the Donald toon, The Autograph Hound). The "dame", Pauline, bears a striking resemblance to Jessica Rabbit, further implying an Avery influence (who had created a lot of cartoons at MGM with nightclub singer-type dream girl, including from such Avery-directed cartoons as "Red Hot Riding Hood", "Swing Shift Cinderella" and controversial "Uncle Tom's Cabana").

Does that count?