From Ryan Kilpatrick at The Disney Film Project : With some context behind us, we can start into the actual films of 1941, beginning with Timber, a Donald Duck short that matches him up with Pete. It’s a rare pairing, which is surprising, when you consider how much Donald is associated with the Beagle Boys, who are artistic descendents of Pete.

Donald, as he is wont to do, is wandering through the forest, possessions tied up like a hobo in a handkerchief on a stick. Donald seems to move in two modes in his recent shorts – either as a suburban man or a wilderness explorer. Consider his exploits in Donald’s Vacation or Good Scouts as examples of the latter.

Donald makes the mistake of trying to steal Pete’s food from an open window. This is a gag that’s not all that original, nor is the result. Pete sticks a piece of dynamite in Donald’s hand, leading to a very funny shot of the “exploded” Donald outside the window.

Where the short turns for the better, though, is when Pete decides to make Donald work off his debt. Here, we get to see Donald at his lazy best. We’ve talked a lot here about how Donald works best when he’s angry or frustrated, and his anger builds throughout the short. But there’s one more scenario where Donald works well, and it’s when he’s the flunky trying to avoid work.

Donald is lazy. No two ways around it. Think about some of the shorts we have seen already, like Self Control, where he was trying to lay around in a hammock. Or even his last team up with Pete in The Riveter, where he tried to work around actually working. That’s a place where Donald is the most fun, because, let’s face it, many of us can relate to that!

Donald tries a few things to get out of work, like breaking the axe or trying to lose the saw. The harder he tries to get away, though, the more he becomes embroiled in the process with Pete. It’s a great lesson, because if you’re like me, you’ve tried to get around work, but it always ends up making things worse, not better.

The climax of the short is a high speed chase over the railroad tracks, with both Pete and Donald on handcarts. I cannot do justice to this sequence in a description, because things fly by so fast and furious. Pete and Donald’s handcarts fly apart and they have to improvise to keep going. It’s fast moving, funny and classic Disney. In fact, it reminds me more of a Looney Tunes short than Disney, but it works for Donald.

Timber is a great example of Donald being Donald, and making a great foil for Pete. He’s different than Mickey, in that Mickey was trying his best, but ended up failing, while Donald looks to avoid work and then improvises. It’s a classic scenario that provides great laughs, and a short that’s well worth watching.

From Ryan : This short is quite similar to The Riveter, which had been released the previous year. Donald is working for Pete only this time, he's a lumberjack rather than a riveter. I enjoyed all the humorous scenes such as when the tree fell on Pete and the leaves made him look as though he had a lion's mane on his head. I also liked the part where Pete was chasing Donald down the tracks.

From Scott Brown : I would have to give this particular short an 8. There are several funny shorts, but this is Donald almost at his very best. The scene with Donald running with the saw is classic. For that matter, the saw has a personality all its own. Hilarious!

From Baruch Weiss : This is one of my favorite Disney shorts. I'm 16 years old and I still like Disney cartoons even though I do'nt watch them as much as I used to and as much as I'd like to.

From Trae Robinson : I notice Donald wins at the end of this short. I was rooting for him.

From Severin : Donald Duck WAS my favorite cartoon character, Donald Duck IS my favorite cartoon character, and Donald Duck WILL always be my favorite. If I had to pick 5 all-time favorite Donald shorts, one of the shorts chosen for the list would have to be Timber (in case some might be wondering, my other 4 would be Der Fueher's Face, Duck Pimples, The Old Army Game, and Officer Duck). It has a simply wonderful chase scene at the end, and I somehow get a kick out of Donald mentioning concentration camps. Very recommended.

From Ross : This is definitely a classic Disney cartoon from 1941 starring Donald and Pete. The gags are just wild, fast, and very hilarious. If you've never seen this cartoon, I'll tell you some of the funny gags that are in it. Donald stealing Pete's food on the table, until Pete decides to give him a lit dynamite stick, Pete looking like a ghost with the tablecloth on him, and Donald in blackface after the explosion, the axe blade flying off and cutting Pete's vest in half, Donald bouncing up and down with the saw, and ends up cutting the tree down like a woodpecker when he gets stuck in the saw's handles, the tree falling on Pete, and ends up looking like a lion with the leaves on his head, Pete chasing Donald on the railroad tracks while they're racing on handcars, Pete trying to spear Donald with a hot tool, and Donald uses his tail feathers as a fan to cool it off, and Donald switching the track causing Pete to crash into a train of boxcars. Terrific funny stuff!

From j.p.hope : I LIKE this short a lot! I like the part when Donald cuts down the tree and Pete is startled to see the tree landing on him and looks like a lion. After Donald shouts "TIMBER!", Pete gives chase and ends up on the warpath. After Donald switches the tracks, Pete crashes through an endless line of train cars. Donald then goes on his way and whistles.

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Donald's Failed Fourth

Poster

Timber

A Donald Duck Cartoon

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Animation

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United States

Germany

Italy

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United Kingdom

Television

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Released by RKO Radio Pictures, Inc.

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