Release Date First television showing : October 7, 2000 (in most markets)

Synopsis

Donald once again attempts to get a picture of the elusive and maniacal Aracuan Bird.

Characters

Donald Duck

Daisy Duck

Aracuan Bird

Credits

Editor : Henry Gilroy

Writer : Jymn Magon

Directors

Tony Craig

Roberts Gannaway

Television

Mickey Mouse Works : Season 3 : Episode 5

House of Mouse : "Donald and the Aracuan Bird"

Comments

From Lee Suggs : This short features the Aracuan Bird from "The Three Caballeros". Daisy wants to get a picture of this bird BEFORE Donald gets to eat lunch. Donald volunteers to take the picture, while Daisy gets more film, so he can eat. If you've seen "The Three Caballeros", you know how insane the Aracuan bird is. The animators have actually toned down his manic nature here, but he is still plenty wild. His efforts to prevent Donald from getting his picture are truly amazing. Whoever came up with this cartoon's gags should get a prize for creativity. There are many animated tricks here I haven't seen before. The short also has not one, but two surprise endings. A manically good time.

From Juan F. Lara : This short featured the Aracuan bird from "Blame it on the Samba" and a few other classic cartoons. The Aracuan bird is one of my favorite characters. But the first half of this short still seemed lifeless. The premise was Donald chasing after someone, like in most of Donald's other MMW shorts. The Aracuan bird didn't seem any different from the other antagonists that Donald's chased after. And maybe the animation, standard quality for MMW, was inadequate for the Aracuan bird. The animation seemed stiff and lacking in energy, because the Aracuan bird is supposed to be such an excitable character.

But the short did improve from the scene where Donald tied up the bird and took his picture on. The Aracuan bird jumping out of that pic was the kind of crazy joke he should be doing. Soon enough, the short went into a drug-induced reality of the bird taking his own pics of Donald. That was when the gags and the setting were really as manic as the Aracuan bird could be. The short also ended with a hilarious scene that played on the fact that Donald is still a bird even though he lives like a person, and that the Aracuan may live in the zoo but he's still as sentient as the Ducks.

I have seen "Bird Brained Donald" and would like to
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