The Greener Yard

I've always loved Disney, and the Bootle Beetle/Donald Duck collaborations are entertaining in their own right without being among the best Disney ever made. The Greener Yard is nice and solid, but the feeling that Disney has done better is there and doesn't shake off. Looking at a full list of Donald Duck's shorts I naturally assumed that he would get top billing. This was however misleading, as Donald here gets only two and a half minutes of screen time, which I'd say is about a third of the short. Bootle Beetle, in elderly form, is actually the primary character here, and he is engaging enough and the chemistry between him and his grandson is sweet but for me Bootle works better pitted against a stronger character(ie. Donald). The story is cute and likable, though a little routine and nothing out of the ordinary happens. There are also moments that are amusing but the material never quite reaches hilarious. The animation is lovely though, beautifully coloured and very fluid. The music is wistful and full of character, and the short overall is very sweet, as with a lot of stories with reminisicising. It also has a good important message, of always being content with what you have, that is delivered simply but never heavy-handedly. Donald may not be in The Greener Yard much and it is not an appearance that plays to his personality as much as other shorts of his but he is still memorable just by being the charismatic and funny character he always has been. The voice work is well-expressed and dynamic. All in all, nicely done though not what you expect. 7/10 Bethany Cox