Beezy Bear (1955)

Good films always raise compelling questions, whether the format is fiction or documentary fact.

The acting in this movie is really good.

While it is a pity that the story wasn't told with more visual finesse, this is trivial compared to our real-world problems. It takes a good movie to put that into perspective.

A clunky actioner with a handful of cool moments.

Donald Duck is a beekeeper, trying to keep his hives of honey from being raided by Humphrey the Bear. Donald puts up a barbed wire fence in hopes of keeping the hungry Humphrey out, but that doesn't quite stop him.This cartoon consists of some classic Donald humor - especially liked his quick temper and quacky voice during his frustrated moments. It's just funny seeing him going back and forth in protecting his hives from the bear, getting a smack of honey blasted in his face in the process.The animation is colorful and detailed. It's nice to see that Donald doesn't completely get the brunt of the bad luck in this one.Grade A-

I do enjoy this series of cartoons. They were short-lived and rather routine story-wise but I always found them funny and the characters likable. Beezy Bear is no exception, in fact it is one of the better ones featuring these three. The animation is beautiful and colourful with the backgrounds very fluid and the music is lively, fitting well with the mood of the physical humour, which while unforgettably hilarious is highly amusing indeed. The three characters elevate Beezy Bear too, with Donald delighting as ever with his temperament, Woodlore playing secondary to Donald and Humphrey but making his mark and Humphrey endearing and causing one to wonder why he wasn't in more cartoons. Clarence Nash voices Donald impeccably and Woodlore is made further memorable by the distinctive voice of veteran Bill Thompson.Overall, great and one of the better cartoons featuring these three characters. 9/10 Bethany Cox

A Walt Disney DONALD DUCK Cartoon.Beekeeper Donald is infuriated when a BEEZY BEAR from neighboring Brownstone National Park begins stealing his honey.This humorous cartoon was one of a series to feature Humphrey Bear & Ranger J. Audubon Woodlore. Always an enjoyable duo, they starred in a short series of cartoons but ultimately disappeared into animated obscurity. Clarence "Ducky" Nash supplies Donald's voice, while Bill Thompson does the honors for the Ranger.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.

This short is a battle of wits. To be more accurate, it's a battle of half-wits and largely comes out a draw, though Humphrey could technically be called the bigger loser. As neither would ever be mistaken for a member of MENSA, their schemes and machinations don't go as planned. Delightful cartoon that's well worth seeking out, it plays periodically on The Ink and Paint Club. Recommended.