Donald Duck (2027 film)

Donald Duck would be a 2027 American hand-drawn animated musical fantasy adventure film directed by Andreas Deja and Stephen Anderson, produced by Peter del Vecho, and written by Bill Kelly, Frank Angones, and Andreas Deja. Based on the classic Disney character of the same name, the film would star the voices of Tony Anselmo, Tress MacNeille, Bernando De Paula, Paul F. Tompkins, Jessica DiCicco, and Dee Bradley Baker. Recurring Disney composer Alan Menken would compose the film's score, with Menken and lyricist David Zippel writing several original songs for the film. The film would mark the third Disney feature film centered on Donald Duck, after Saludos Amigos (1942) and The Three Caballeros (1944), as well as the first theatrical non-package film to be centered on Donald.

Development on a Donald Duck-centered feature film would start in early 2024, with Deja and Anderson being set to direct the film, with Deja also being set to write the film, and Anselmo being set to reprise his role as Donald from various Disney media since 1988. MacNeille and De Paula would join the film's cast in mid-2024, while Angones, who previously co-created Disney's 2017 animated TV series DuckTales, which featured Donald as a main character, and Kelly being set to co-write the film alongside Deja. DiCicco and Bradley Baker would join the film's cast in late 2024. The film's animation and visuals would be strongly inspired by early Donald Duck shorts, as well as by Saludos Amigos and The Three Caballeros. The writers would develop the film with a more emotional tone than previous Donald-focused productions, with a greater emphasis on the character's insecurity. However, they would also watch several shorts featuring the film's characters in order to potray them faithfully.

Donald Duck would be released in June 9, 2027, which marks Donald's 88th anniversary, and would become a critical and commercial success. Critics would praise the film for its take on the title character, writing, themes, vocal performances (particularly Anselmo, MacNeille, De Paula, and Tompkins'), visuals, songs, animation, score, and sense of nostalgia. The film would earn 987 million dollars at the worldwide box office over a budget of 90 million dollars, becoming the hightest-grossing animated film of all time. The film would win an Academy Award for Best Original Score, and would be nominated for two Academy Awards for Best Animated Feature and Best Original Song, as well as a Grammy Award for Best Original Song.

Synopsis
Donald Duck has always been the same: A short-tempered, hot-headed, but ultimately good-hearted duck that deep, deep down, is very insecure about himself. While Donald usually manages to supress his insecurity, it soon aroses when he has the worst day of his entire life, and watches his girlfriend, Daisy, with his more successful cousing, Gladstone Gander. Finally seeing himself as unworthy of Daisy due to his short temper and enternal bad luck, Donald recruits the help of his friend José Carioca in order to get rid of his shortcomings by doing what José did in order to be as calm and fortunate as he is currently, which turns out to be a series of tests on a jungle in a far way island. Upon learning of what Donald is planning, and fearing that his bad luck may get him and José killed, Daisy, alongside her nieces Aprl, May, and June, travels to stop Donald, with Gladstone secretly following them in hopes of winning Daisy and finally outshining Donald.

Voice cast
Additionally, Paget Brewster would reprise her role from the 2017 DuckTales TV series as Della Duck, Donald's sister and Huey, Dewey, and Louie's mother. Alan Tudyk would make a vocal cameo as a TV news announcer.
 * Tony Anselmo as:
 * Donald Duck, a short-tempered duck who begins a journey in hopes of improving himself. As well as voicing Donald, Anselmo would serve as his supervising animator. Anselmo would describe Donald's arc in the film as "one of self-acceptance".
 * Huey, Dewey and Louie, Donald's trouble-making nephews. Ruben A. Aquino would serve as the triplets' supervising animator.
 * Tress MacNeille as Daisy Duck, a duck and Donald's feisty girlfriend, who travels to prevent Donald and José from getting killed. According to MacNeille, Daisy, in the film, would "realize that she has at least some of the things she keeps criticizing Donald for". Co-director/co-writer Andreas Deja would serve as Daisy's supervising animator.
 * Bernando De Paula as José Carioca, a Brazilian parrot and a close friend of Donald's, whom he helps to become calm and suave like him. De Paula would reprise his role from the 2017 DuckTales TV series. De Paula would say that "José discovers the difference between wanting to help a friend and wanting the best for a friend" in the film. Eric Goldberg, who previously animated the video sequences for the "Great Fiesta Tour with The Three Caballeros", would serve as José's supervising animator.
 * Paul F. Tompkins as Gladstone Gander, a goose and Donald's arrogant cousin and rival, who has an eternal and impossible amount of good luck. Tompkins would reprise his role from the 2017 DuckTales TV series. Tompkins would describe Gladstone in the film as being "the Gaston to Daisy's Belle and Donald's Beast". Mark Henn would serve as Galdstone's supervising animator.
 * Jessica DiCicco as April, May, and June, Daisy's morose-but-good-hearted nieces, who join her in her ravel to save Donald. DiCicco would reprise her role from the 2018 series Legend of the Three Caballeros, with their potrayal in the film being strongly inspired by their potrayal in the series. Bruce W. Smith would serve as the triplets' supervising animator.
 * Dee Bradley Baker as the Aracuan Bird, a wacky bird living in a mysterious island who serves as Donald and José's guide, much to Donald's annoyance. Bradley Baker would reprise his role from the 2018 series Legend of the Three Caballeros. Goldberg would also serve as the Bird's supervising animator.

Music
Alan Menken, a recurring Disney composer well-known for his works on The Little Mermaid, Beauty and the Beast, and Aladdin, would compose the film's score. Menken would use a "reconfigured version" of Donald's theme song as his theme in the film, with Menken altering the melody in order to "showcase Donald's more insecure side". He would use the melody of Daisy and Gladstone's songs for the film as their themes in the score. According to Menlen, José's theme would be strongly inspired by Brazilian melodies, while he would wirte a "jerk-with-heard-kind of theme" for Daisy's nieces. Menken would write a "fast theme" for the Aracuan Bird.

Menken and lyricist David Zippel would write several new songs for the film, which would be performed by the voice cast. Zippel would describe the process as "very hard" for him, as he would have to "write lyrics for Donald Duck, who is probably the Disney character with less singing capacitites" yet the directors "really wanted the film to be a musical", so he would work closely with the writers, directors, and Donald voice actor Tony Anselmo in order to "write lyrics for Donald that didn't sounded ridiculous when the character sings them". Menken and Zippel would also re-write Donald's theme song for the film's end-credits, while Janelle Monae would perform the song. John Legend would also perform a song for the film's end credits. The film would also feature the "Aracua Bird song", performed by Dee Bradley Baker, througth it wouldn't be featured on the soundtrack.

Reception
On Rotten Tomatoes, the film would have an approval rating of 98%, with an average rating of 9/10, based on 189 reviews. The website's critical consensus would read, "A new take on one of the oldest Disney characters ever, Donald Duck is more than a couple of hours watching a duck and his series of mishaps, making way for more deeper themes such as the meaning of perfection, self-acceptance, and hipocresy, ultimately creating a heartfelt and touching movie". On Metacritic, the film would have a weighted rating of 84 out of 100, based on 49 reviews, indicating "universal acclaim".

Trivia

 * This would be Della Duck, Gladstone Gander and April, May, and June's first appearances in a film.
 * While waiting for Donald to arrive, José would whistle "Aquarela do Brasil", a reference to his debut on the "Aquarela do Brasil" segment in Saludos Amigos (1942).
 * While talking to José Carioca about why he needs him for his plane, Donald Duck would point out that "[José's] nephews always respect him and [his] girlfriend never threatens to leave him". This would mark the first reference ever of José's nephews, Zico and Zeca, and his girlfriend, Mia Vaz, outside Brazilian comics.