Bellboy Donald (1942)

Bellboy Donald Review

Bellboy Donald is a 1942 animated short film from the Donald Duck series. It is such a relatable cartoon.

Donald works as a bellboy at a hotel, where after Pete and his son arrive at the hotel, the boy doesn’t stop causing trouble. First off, I’ve worked in tourism before, so this movie was very relatable for me. Similarly to the first season of ‘White Lotus’, this cartoon emphasizes just how horrible this job is. It requires that you literally be a slave to the guests and they can do anything to you with no consequences. This is why that final scene where he fought and spanked that horrendous kid was so satisfying.

I loved that perfect ending and the beginning was a great setup, but the middle section needed stronger gags overall. The elevator sequence was very well executed and actually quite unique, but the other situations were not as exciting. The kid had an overly adult voice, but was otherwise easy to hate. Pete was somewhat sidelined here, but Donald was easy to root for. The animation is fantastic as always.

Bellboy Donald is a terrific cartoon that has a strong and relatable story, a great use of Donald himself and such a satisfying ending.

My Rating – 4.2