Draft:D.I.Y. Duck

Donald Duck in D.I.Y. Duck, or simply D.I.Y. Duck, is a 2024 American animated short film directed by Mark Henn and produced by Walt Disney Animation Studios. It was made in celebration of the 90th anniversary of Donald Duck, and is the first solo Donald Duck short to be produced by the studio in over sixty years since the release of The Litterbug in 1961, and marks the last production to feature the involvement of Henn following his retirement the year prior. It was released throughout several of Disney's digital media and television outlets on June 9, 2024.

Plot
The short opens inside a house with Donald Duck walking and briefly singing, who then proceeds to take a seat on his recliner while reading a book. He then attempts to pull the string from the lamp beside him in order for the light bulb to turn on, but is to no avail. He then walks over to open a closet door to retrieve a box with a new light bulb in it, however miscellaneous objects, such as boxes and sports equipment, end up landing on top of him. He then rises above the pile, still holding the box with the light bulb, and opens it, only for the shattered remnants to land onto his hand. Donald then leaves his house and drives his yellow car to the D.I.Y. Hardware store where he goes inside, and comes back out carrying a brown bag. It then cuts back to Donald back inside his house, who then takes a step onto a small wooden stool, and removes the lamp shade, and places another bulb into the lamp. He pulls onto the string once more, only to find out that the lamp still doesn't work.

Cast

 * Clarence Nash as Donald Duck (archival recordings)

Development
Following his collaborative effort with fellow animator Eric Goldberg on the How to Stay at Home shorts produced during the COVID-19 pandemic, which centered around Goofy as he learns to adapt to the lock downs, Mark Henn thought of how he and five younger animators hired under the recent training program for traditional animation at Walt Disney Animation Studios could develop another smaller scale project for the studio. They ultimately decided on incorporating Donald Duck, as the division had not focused on him for quite some time, and him and his team of apprentices began work on the short.

Music
The majority of music used in the short is re-used from earlier Disney productions, including nine themes composed by Oliver Wallace from films and shorts such as Mickey and the Seal, Cinderella, Alice in Wonderland, and Lady and the Tramp, among various others. Additionally, "Polar Trapper" by Paul Smith, and the score to Sleeping Beauty by George Bruns are featured.

Release
D.I.Y. Duck was released digitally on Disney+, DisneyNow, and published onto the official YouTube channel of Walt Disney Animation Studios on June 9, 2024, with its television debut also airing on Disney Channel and Freeform the same day.