Der Honigdieb

The next on Disney Plus' shorts section was "Beezy Bear", the second short in a row featuring interactions between Donald Duck and Humphrey the bear. I didn't much care for the last one, but this one I enjoyed more.

Donald Duck (Clarence Nash) is a beekeeper who keeps his hives next to a national Park. One day he catches a bear (James MacDonald) stealing his honey and chases him back to across the boundary where the bears received a lecture from the Ranger (Bill Thompson) about not entering Donald's land. Donald sets up a barbed wire fence to ensure the bears stay away but Humphrey is enterprising and committed and continues to find ways to get at that honey.

Generally, I haven't thought these Donald shorts haven't been all that I hoped they might. Genuinely lack in the wit or humour that some other shorts have had. This was better though. I think it might be because of the score, more than anything else. The action of certain scenes was keyed in with that as well as some great use of sound effects. The best aspect though was hearing the voice of James MacDonald, legendary Disney voice of Mr. Smee and the White Rabbit, amongst many other classic characters.

A definite improvement, if not an all time classic.

I do enjoy this series of cartoons. They were short-lived and rather routine story-wise but I always found them funny and the characters likable. Beezy Bear is no exception, in fact it is one of the better ones featuring these three. The animation is beautiful and colourful with the backgrounds very fluid and the music is lively, fitting well with the mood of the physical humour, which while unforgettably hilarious is highly amusing indeed. The three characters elevate Beezy Bear too, with Donald delighting as ever with his temperament, Woodlore playing secondary to Donald and Humphrey but making his mark and Humphrey endearing and causing one to wonder why he wasn't in more cartoons. Clarence Nash voices Donald impeccably and Woodlore is made further memorable by the distinctive voice of veteran Bill Thompson.

Overall, great and one of the better cartoons featuring these three characters. 9/10 Bethany Cox

In the 1950s, the Disney studio came up with a new character, Humphrey the Bear. Depending on the cartoons, Humphrey lives in a national park and a ranger (voiced by Bill Thompson, who also played Mr. Smee in "Peter Pan") is often making sure this nice but troublesome bear stays out of trouble.

In "Beezy Bear", the ranger has to work to be sure Humphrey does NOT raid the nearby bee hives owned by Donald Duck. Why you would put hives right next to the bears' habitat, I have no idea...but that's the basic plot. Most of the time, the ranger doesn't believe Donald that the bear is raiding his hives....will it remain that way?

This, like the other Humphrey cartoons, is sweet, cute and enjoyable. It also features likable characters and is well worth seeing. Not the best of the series....but still awfully good.

Donald Duck is a beekeeper, trying to keep his hives of honey from being raided by Humphrey the Bear. Donald puts up a barbed wire fence in hopes of keeping the hungry Humphrey out, but that doesn't quite stop him.

This cartoon consists of some classic Donald humor - especially liked his quick temper and quacky voice during his frustrated moments. It's just funny seeing him going back and forth in protecting his hives from the bear, getting a smack of honey blasted in his face in the process.

The animation is colorful and detailed. It's nice to see that Donald doesn't completely get the brunt of the bad luck in this one.

Grade A-

This short is a battle of wits. To be more accurate, it's a battle of half-wits and largely comes out a draw, though Humphrey could technically be called the bigger loser. As neither would ever be mistaken for a member of MENSA, their schemes and machinations don't go as planned. Delightful cartoon that's well worth seeking out, it plays periodically on The Ink and Paint Club. Recommended.