Donald gardien de phare

Nothing all that memorable or fascinating in this one, which is a by-the-numbers effort from Disney. Well animated, to be sure, but as for plot and action, it's in the "been there, seen that" category and doesn't really bring much to the table. Worth seeing once, but not terribly good, bad or indifferent-it simply is, which is kind of sad, in a way.

"Lighthouse Keeping" isn't exactly awesome or terrific. It is a reasonable cartoon with Donald Duck, but this time the temperamental duck's headache isn't Chip or Dale (the two chipmunks) and not even his nephews or his greedy uncle Scrooge. This time Donald Duck is a lighthouse keeper and he's having a bad time with a stubborn and determined pelican and... well, this leads to some feuds.

It's difficult to classify this animated short: it isn't really comedy, drama, dark, suspense, thriller, adventure, action... it just doesn't seem to fit in any category in particular except animation.

This is included as an extra on "Pete's Dragon" DVD and I can see why: because there is a lighthouse on this short too, just like in the movie. So by here we have similarities.

This short isn't bad on artwork, neither special or extraordinary, just ordinary when it comes to that stuff.

In this Donald Duck cartoon, the Donald is a keeper of a lighthouse. Upon seeing a pelican sleeping outside the tower, Donald decides to have a little fun and shines the light on the bird. After moving its nest a few times, the bird caught onto Donald's scheme and does battle with him. What results is plenty of back and forth between the characters, with Donald insisting the lighthouse stays lit while the pelican keeps blowing out the fire.

The funniest scene I thought was when Donald attempts to read a book quickly as the lighthouse's light circles by. The rest of the cartoon was pretty predictable with the excessive back and forth between the two characters, but at least Donald didn't get the brunt of all the bad luck.

Grade B-

'Lighthouse Keeping' stars Donald Duck as a... lighthouse keeper. He is trying to read but the light in the lighthouse is spinning around so that plan does not really work out. To fill his time he starts annoying an pelican by shining the light on the animal. Of course the pelican is not happy and he tries to turn off the light. The battle between Donald and the pelican has started.

This average Disney cartoon has some nice moments but it is not that great. It is watchable and worth watching once. The music is something that makes the cartoon better; it fits the action perfectly. The ending is good as well, better than the cartoon deserves.

While not one of my favourites, Lighthouse Keeping is still a very enjoyable Disney short with Donald in the lead. The pelican blowing the light out only for it to be re-lit again by Donald does get repetitive and tiresome after a while. However, the animation is good, some of the lack of fluidity stops it from being great but the lovely colours elevate it. The music is a real highlight, it sounds beautiful and is full of infectious energy. The story is somewhat routine but fun and snappily paced, and the gags are very clever and often hilarious. Even the briefest of gags make an impact, like Donald reading when hooked to the light-turning wheel. But the highlight of Lighthouse Keeping is Donald thinking that the pelican's beak is a box so he hides in it, it is great stuff and the best animation of the short is here. Donald is a great leading character that works wonders within the story, which accommodates his trademark personality nicely. And the pelican is a perfect match for him, even when wanting sleep he is really quite crafty and resourceful. Clarence Nash does a fine job voicing Donald. All in all, lots of fun without being one of the pinnacles of Disney. 9/10 Bethany Cox