There are three types of classic Donald Duck animated shorts. The first type is when Donald hunts ghosts with his friends and family, goes on road trips with Mickey and Goofy, or gets into all-out war with his nephews (when he’s not stealing all their money). Let’s call this subset “domestic quarrels,” and it’s here that our Duck’s friendliness is most fully expressed (albeit only briefly).
Let’s call the second story “Incensed by Objects.” In this story, Donald’s struggles with inanimate objects make old infomercials look tame: in “Drip Dippy Donald,” a leaky faucet drives an exhausted Donald into existential despair, and in 1937’s “Modern Inventions,” Duck is chased by a robot as he samples (and gets lectured by) inventions like the house of the future. In these stories, Donald is often the cause of his own grief, and his frustration escalates, compounding the original problem.
Fantagraphics
The third, and the one most relevant to today’s review, let’s call it “Threatened by Animals.” The entire natural world seems to be out to get Donald Duck. From exotic lions, gorillas, and penguins to suburban Chip ‘n’ Dale, Figaro, and Pluto, Donald is chased (no pun intended) by a zoo’s worth of ferocious animals and some cute, cuddly ones.
Fantagraphics
This third group of Donald stories inspires Frederic Bremaud and Federico Bertolucci’s gorgeous new book, Donald Duck’s Vacation Parade, out this week from Fantagraphics.
Vacation Parade is a curious study of the old Duck short stories, delivering a fantastic new adventure that follows the classic format so perfectly that readers will feel like they’re experiencing a sort of graphic novel version of the classic.
Fantagraphics
The book begins with a touch of “Drippy Dippy Donald,” when the early morning hustle and bustle of Duckburg proves too loud for Donald to sleep. The only apparent solution is for Donald to take off into the wilderness surrounding the city (again, unintended pun). The true majestic beauty he finds there is complicated by a who’s who of people who, as always with all our ducks, annoy Donald. There’s Barney Bear, there’s our beloved Chip and Dale, and even some ants who steal his lunch (but thankfully not the pesky ones).
Fantagraphics
“Vacation Parade” may be the closest thing to a new “classic” short story readers will ever experience, and not just because it stays true to and celebrates the old characters and tropes. Bremo and Bertolucci have produced work that displays the craftsmanship of the old Disney Animation Studios, depicting lush, gorgeous backdrops against which ink-and-paint characters play out. There is not a single frame throughout the book that doesn’t feel fully realized and beautifully crafted. Moreover, there is not a single frame in the book that doesn’t feel caught in the middle of the action and somehow alive. The book could be composed of individual cells from old comic strips. The lack of words contributes to this feeling. The reader experiences a kind of internal soundtrack as Donald throws his tantrums. You can almost hear the high-pitched faux language of Chip and Dale arguing.
Comic book fans hoping for a Barks “Duckburg”-esque feel may be disappointed, but “Vacation Parade” is so good it almost transcends its medium and its connotations: This is the most condensed and iconic look at the common duck, a book that could only have come from the somewhat forgotten tradition of Disney short films.
‘Walt Disney’s Donald Duck: Vacation Parade’ feels like a lost animated masterpiece
Walt Disney’s Donald Duck: Vacation Parade
Stunningly beautiful and packed with classic Donald Duck gags and characters, “Vacation Parade” captures the artistry and energy of Disney’s classic short films.
This is a wonderful illustration.
The perfect Donald joke.
Great characters.
Perfect animation quality.
I wish it was longer. Maybe even infinite.
