Donald Duck is an animated character created by Walt Disney. He is a hot-headed, anthropomorphic duck who is often the victim of exceptionally bad luck. Normally depicted wearing a sailor shirt, cap, and a bow tie but no trousers at all—Donald is a best friend and foil of Mickey Mouse, whom he sometimes envies.
Donald made his animated debut in the 1934 theatrical short The Wise Little Hen, as a mischievous sailor with an unintelligible voice (as famously created by his original voice actor, Clarence "Ducky" Nash). His personality was fleshed out in his next appearance, Orphan's Benefit, which introduced Donald's fiery temper and predisposition to misfortune. Donald's foibles endeared him to audiences, who found the duck's day-to-day struggles to be both relatable and entertaining. Animators and artists were also fond of Donald Duck's stories, as the character was allowed to exhibit more negative traits that could not be bestowed upon Mickey or the happy-go-lucky Goofy.
This enabled Donald to have a lucrative career. Having starred in over 190 films, Donald's filmography eclipses that of any other Disney character. Several of his cartoons were honored by the Academy Awards, while other notable accolades include a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame and cemented footprints at the Chinese Theatre. Part of Donald's widespread popularity can be attributed to his long-running comic series, under the supervision of such renowned artists as Ted Osborne, Al Taliaferro, Carl Barks, and Don Rosa. These stories depict Donald as living in the city of Duckburg and have been enjoyed by generations of readers on a global scale.
Personality[]
Donald has been described as a "problem child" by Walt Disney. True to this, he is a rather albeit humorously controversial character in nature, with his most famous personality trait being his uncontrollable explosive temper. When Donald loses it he would pitch a fit of quacking and bouncing in place while flaunting his fists, usually as a threat to whomever (or whatever) caused him his latest annoyance. He is also arrogant and can be quite the show-off, especially when he is skilled at something. This has a tendency to get him into trouble, however, as he often gets in over his head. Much of Donald's comedy comes from his exaggerated rudeness and the repercussions he gets. For example, Donald finds enjoyment in bullying and has been known to prank and humiliate others for his own amusement. What he can not tolerate, however, is his victims fighting back against him—as such, these battles often lead to Donald's humiliation.
In contrast to these negative traits, Donald is really actually a warm and loving character down to his core. When not dealing with a problem, Donald can be quite jovial and friendly, and he usually tries his hardest to keep his temper under control for the sake of his relaxation and contentment. Additionally, Donald shares a very loving relationship with Huey, Dewey, and Louie, and treats them as his own children, despite their rivalries. They obviously love their "Unca Donald" with a particular scene in the first episode of DuckTales showcasing them having a heartfelt goodbye moment as Donald prepares to leave for the navy. Donald also has shown signs of humility, most notably in Mickey's Once Upon a Christmas, when Huey, Dewey, and Louie's pranks ruin Christmas for him and the whole family. When the tree falls on him, instead of yelling at his nephews, he stays sadly silent, humiliated, and defeated, while Daisy comforts him. When truly faced with the fact that his actions are wrong, Donald will accept it and although he may at times despair and be depressed over it, in the end, he always finds the strength to bring himself to face his mistakes head-on and do everything he could to fix it, allowing him to always redeem himself in the end. One of the most prominent displays of this was in Mickey's Twice Upon a Christmas, where after vandalizing the Mousey Mall's Christmas display, despite earlier having been angry over the repeated singing of We Wish You A Merry Christmas, he was visibly horrified and clearly felt guilty and this only intensified after Daisy and his nephews sadly left him in disgust and he was thrown out of the mall and berated for his lack of Christmas spirit by a police officer, after which despite being at first greatly remorseful and depressed, up to the point that he could not face Daisy and his nephews in a restaurant containing his favorite hot chocolate, he was able to repent for his actions in the end; happily singing the song he once despised so heavily with all his heart and coaching the crew singing the song personally.
For all his bravado, Donald is secretly insecure about himself. He takes offense to those who cannot understand his voice and is notoriously envious of Mickey Mouse's popularity. Donald's bad luck also plays a part in his low self-esteem, as he sometimes sees himself as a failure due to his frequent mishaps. Donald tends to hide this with a boisterous veneer, though he has confided in Daisy about his inhibition on occasion. Daisy is also one of the very few Disney characters capable of pacifying Donald's psychotic temper even though she has ironically lost hers with him on occasion. What Donald sometimes lacks in confidence, he makes up for with perseverance. His aggressive nature can act as a double-edged sword; while it at times is a hindrance and even a handicap for him, it has also helped him in times of need. When faced with a threat of some kind, Donald may get frightened and even intimidated (mostly by his nemesis Pete whom he's usually able to defeat), but rather than getting scared, he gets mad and has taken up fights with ghosts, sharks, mountain goats and even the forces of nature and has usually won. In fact, many shorts and cartoons have shown a significant increase in his physical strength and fighting prowess when pushed far enough.
Donald is often portrayed as having great difficulty holding down a job, and can be described as a typical "jack of all trades, master of none". His attempts at these professions often go comically wrong, with Donald causing one calamity after the other which he sometimes able to overcome due to his sheer skill, determination, or courage.
Donald has a few memorable phrases that he occasionally comes out within given situations. "What's the big idea?" is a common one, which Donald usually says when stumbling across other characters in the midst of planning some sort of retaliation or prank, and sometimes when certain things do not go as planned or do not work properly. "Aw, phooey!" is another memorable saying Donald makes, usually after giving up on a particular action or event. "So!" is Donald's usual declaration when confronting someone (or something) antagonizing him. Another popular phrase Donald says, in particular to Daisy, is "Hiya, toots!". "Oh boy, oh boy, oh boy!" is yet another common phrase Donald uses, usually muttered to himself when he's very excited about something . And He is Johnny Ramos' friend .