Bootle Beetle

A Walt Disney DONALD DUCK Cartoon.

An elderly BOOTLE BEETLE recalls his encounter years earlier with bug collector Donald Duck.

This enjoyable little film was the first in a very short series to feature the Bootle Beetles. Although undeniably cute, they did not make an impression on the viewers and quickly retired from the screen. Clarence "Ducky" Nash supplies Donald's voice.

Walt Disney (1901-1966) was always intrigued by 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 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, Bambi, Peter Pan and Mr. Toad. Walt never forgot that his fortunes were all started by a mouse, or that simplicity of message and lots of hard work always pay off.

In this one, the Disney Duck is an entomologist looking for a rare insect called the Bootle Beetle. It is told in flashback. Donald thinks he has this rare creature wrapped up, but we all know it will never be that easy. He makes the mistake of having to gloat and remind himself of his conquest. It's a nice story from the bug's point of view.

Donald is a bug collector in this cartoon and he tries to catch the rare Bootle Beetle. But, as usual, he runs into some bad luck. Yet, surprisingly, Donald wasn't giving too much of a bad rap in this one. There were some funny moments and the animation was very colorful. Donald's adversary, the beetle, wasn't annoying as well.

Grade B-

Donald Duck and Disney have always been an inspired collaboration and still hold up wonderfully. Bootle Beetle is not one of their best, some of it is on the routine side, but there is much to enjoy about it. The animation is beautiful with lots of vibrant colour and detailed fluidity in the backgrounds. The music has almost always been pivotal in enhancing what happens in the Disney shorts. Bootle Beetle does nothing that shows otherwise, it is very appealingly orchestrated and very characterful. Every expression, gesture, action or funny moment is matched perfectly with the music. The story is cute and sweet, while there is not much that screams out as new or truly special it is still well-paced and fun. The gags are well-delivered and amusing, the ending with an elderly Donald still trying to catch the beetle was a both funny and moving touch. Donald and the beetle work very well together. Donald is not as angry as before, but their chemistry is helped by what the beetle perceives Donald as, which is as a monster, and not being able to recognise him. The narration omniscient but thoughtful but never too obvious. The vocals are fine.

All in all, sweet, fun and enjoyable though Disney has done better. 8/10 Bethany Cox

Bootle Beetle:

My Dad used to show this cartoon to us,(along with every Disney cartoon short, feature, and live film ever made over the years) on our old 16 mm projector. The neighborhood kids in Burbank, and the friends who would come up to "The Cabin" in Pinon Hills, all loved the 1,2,& 3 reel films he'd always bring home on Friday's from "The Studio" (Disney Studios in Burbank). This one he actually worked on about 10 years before I was born. But he worked at Disney Studios from the animation of "Snow White" to about the completion of the 1st animated version of Jungle Book, so his career spanned about 1937 to 1971. He's still alive and kicking at age 92 (as of 12/31/03), living in Pinon Hills near my wife and I.

I fondly remember this cartoon as one of my favorite "Donald's."