Bee at the Beach

A Walt Disney DONALD DUCK Cartoon.

Donald's difficulties with a BEE AT THE BEACH escalates into a life or death struggle when several sharks become involved.

This sadistic little film was one of a small number of cartoons which showcased the struggle between Donald Duck & Buzz-Buzz the Bee and is fairly typical of the lot - fast moving and quite funny. However, its ending, which leaves the Duck in imminent danger of horrible death, may raise few chuckles. Clarence Nash provides Donald with his unique voice.

Walt Disney (1901-1966) was always intrigued by pictures & drawings. As a lad in Marceline, Missouri, he sketched farm animals on scraps of paper; later, as an ambulance driver in France during the First World War, he drew comic figures on the sides of his vehicle. Back in Kansas City, along with artist Ub Iwerks, Walt developed a primitive animation studio that provided animated commercials and tiny cartoons for the local movie theaters. Always the innovator, his ALICE IN CARTOONLAND series broke ground in placing a live figure in a cartoon universe. Business reversals sent Disney & Iwerks to Hollywood in 1923, where Walt's older brother Roy became his lifelong business manager & counselor. When a mildly successful series with Oswald The Lucky Rabbit was snatched away by the distributor, the character of Mickey Mouse sprung into Walt's imagination, ensuring Disney's immortality. The happy arrival of sound technology made Mickey's screen debut, STEAMBOAT WILLIE (1928), a tremendous audience success with its use of synchronized music. The SILLY SYMPHONIES soon appeared, and Walt's growing crew of marvelously talented animators were quickly conquering new territory with full color, illusions of depth and radical advancements in personality development, an arena in which Walt's genius was unbeatable. Mickey's feisty, naughty behavior had captured millions of fans, but he was soon to be joined by other animated companions: temperamental Donald Duck, intellectually-challenged Goofy and energetic Pluto. All this was in preparation for Walt's grandest dream - feature length animated films. Against a blizzard of doomsayers, Walt persevered and over the next decades delighted children of all ages with the adventures of Snow White, Pinocchio, Dumbo, Bambi & Peter Pan. Walt never forgot that his fortunes were all started by a mouse, or that childlike simplicity of message and lots of hard work always pay off.

As someone who has always loved Donald Duck and the cartoons with him in, I have always liked this cartoon. The animation is full of colour and vibrancy, and the music brims with energy. The gags come by thick and fast, are very funny(sometimes even hilarious) and are very well-timed. For me, the ending was the only one that didn't quite work, all it did was make me feel sorry for Donald. The story is crisply-paced and never dull, Donald is his entertaining and temperamental self and the bee is a cute in appearance if somewhat sadistic contrast.

In conclusion, a lively, beautifully animated and funny cartoon with Donald and the bee tremendous to watch. 9/10 Bethany Cox

In another review someone pointed out that Donald did get the last spot rightfully. That's true. But when he realizes he had a 100 to 1 size advantage over the little insect, he goes about torturing him. Granted, leaving Donald at the mercy of sharks isn't very pleasant, but a bit of sharing would have prevented any of this from ever happening. Donald is always the victim of his own impulsiveness (those endless chipmunk films). This is no exception.

The irritating and annoying bee fights for a spot at the beach with Donald Duck, whom actually took the last spot first. However, the two engage in a war where Donald appeared to get the open-hand at first, but unfortunately, he couldn't escape his bad luck-prone reputation and almost gets the best out of by hungry sharks thanks to the bee.

A predictable cartoon with the annoying bee getting the last laugh - would have really loved to see Donald take a swat at him at the end.

Grade D--