D.I.Y. Duck

This rehash put a giant smile on my face the instant Donald's face popped on screen. In terms of music, sound effects, and most of the visual style, it's remarkable how closely this 2024 short feels like the lost art of the 1940's-50's. For a moment, I was a kid again, but it rapidly gave way to a muted disappointment once things got moving.

Unfortunately, the story itself fails to capture the magic of the old Donald Duck shorts in the same way modern "Simpsons" just isn't as funny as it was in the 90's. They had to update the pacing for modern sensibilities and the whole thing zips by without allowing for any crescendo or letting any of the humor adequately breathe. They really needed to run the full 7 minutes to tell a little story and the 3 that they give us here just wasn't enough. It feels sadly more like a hobbyist's homage rather than an actual Walt Disney production.

So if you're looking for something that had its heart in the right place, check this out. It's refreshingly devoid of any politics and moralizing like most modern Disney output and back to their basics of yesteryear. I really wish they'd spent a little more time crafting the scripting and editing, but it does remind me of what master craftsmen Disney had back in its heyday.