Donald is a bug collector in this cartoon and he tries to catch the rare Bootle Beetle. But, as usual, he runs into some bad luck. Yet, surprisingly, Donald wasn't giving too much of a bad rap in this one. There were some funny moments and the animation was very colorful. Donald's adversary, the beetle, wasn't annoying as well.Grade B-

"Bootle Beetle" is an American Disney cartoon from 1947, so this one had its 70th anniversary last year and if you take a look at cast and crew here you will find many people who worked on the company's many other films long and short, with the exception of Dink Trout maybe, but even he is listed for one true animated classic from the old days. Anyway, in here Donald is the star or lets say the most known character. He plays a bug collector that does not appear for a great deal of time though, only briefly before the 3-minute mark. The key players really are two bugs, an old and a younger, and almost the entire film is a flashback sequence with the older telling the younger about his encounter with Donald decades ago apparently. Beetle's must have a great life expectancy there, no need to risk it. The highlight is probably the old Donald near the end depicting a bit of a Captain Ahab symbolism and you really don't see a bearded Donald too often. A pretty entertaining watch we got here, maybe not as good as I remember it from first watch years ago, but still good enough for me to give it a thumbs-up and a positive recommendation. Close to a must-see for lovers of old cartoons.

Donald Duck and Disney have always been an inspired collaboration and still hold up wonderfully. Bootle Beetle is not one of their best, some of it is on the routine side, but there is much to enjoy about it. The animation is beautiful with lots of vibrant colour and detailed fluidity in the backgrounds. The music has almost always been pivotal in enhancing what happens in the Disney shorts. Bootle Beetle does nothing that shows otherwise, it is very appealingly orchestrated and very characterful. Every expression, gesture, action or funny moment is matched perfectly with the music. The story is cute and sweet, while there is not much that screams out as new or truly special it is still well-paced and fun. The gags are well-delivered and amusing, the ending with an elderly Donald still trying to catch the beetle was a both funny and moving touch. Donald and the beetle work very well together. Donald is not as angry as before, but their chemistry is helped by what the beetle perceives Donald as, which is as a monster, and not being able to recognise him. The narration omniscient but thoughtful but never too obvious. The vocals are fine.All in all, sweet, fun and enjoyable though Disney has done better. 8/10 Bethany Cox

Bootle Beetle:My Dad used to show this cartoon to us,(along with every Disney cartoon short, feature, and live film ever made over the years) on our old 16 mm projector. The neighborhood kids in Burbank, and the friends who would come up to "The Cabin" in Pinon Hills, all loved the 1,2,& 3 reel films he'd always bring home on Friday's from "The Studio" (Disney Studios in Burbank). This one he actually worked on about 10 years before I was born. But he worked at Disney Studios from the animation of "Snow White" to about the completion of the 1st animated version of Jungle Book, so his career spanned about 1937 to 1971. He's still alive and kicking at age 92 (as of 12/31/03), living in Pinon Hills near my wife and I.I fondly remember this cartoon as one of my favorite "Donald's."