''Lighthouse Keeping'' is a 1946 American

animated Animation is a filmmaking technique whereby image, still images are manipulated to create Motion picture, moving images. In traditional animation, images are drawn or painted by hand on cel, transparent celluloid sheets to be photographed and e ...

short film A short film is a film with a low running time. The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS) defines a short film as "an original motion picture that has a running time of not more than 40 minutes including all credits". Other film o ...

directed by

Jack Hannah John Fredrick Hannah (January 5, 1913 – June 11, 1994) was an American animator, writer and director of animated shorts. He worked for Disney and Walter Lantz. Biography Hannah was born on January 5, 1913, in Nogales, Arizona. After attend ...

and produced by

Walt Disney Walter Elias Disney ( ; December 5, 1901December 15, 1966) was an American animator, film producer, voice actor, and entrepreneur. A pioneer of the Golden age of American animation, American animation industry, he introduced several develop ...

. In the cartoon, Donald battles with an angry pelican to keep his lighthouse light on. The pelican's name is not used in the short, but '' Disney A to Z'' reveals that his name is Marblehead.

Plot

Donald is a lighthouse keeper at a flame-based

lighthouse A lighthouse is a tower, building, or other type of physical structure designed to emit light from a system of lamps and lens (optics), lenses and to serve as a beacon for navigational aid for maritime pilots at sea or on inland waterways. Ligh ...

. While tending the lamp at night, he tries to read a book using the light from the rotating lamp. Donald falls off of his chair trying to catch the light on his book, so he moves a bit closer to the lamp and allows it to rotate his

office chair An office chair, or desk chair, is a type of chair that is designed for use at a desk in an office. It is usually a swivel chair, with a set of wheels for mobility and adjustable height. Modern office chairs typically use a single, distinctive ...

along with it. He ends up sliding towards the window and becomes frustrated that he can't read his book successfully. He then sees a sleeping

pelican Pelicans (genus ''Pelecanus'') are a genus of large water birds that make up the family Pelecanidae. They are characterized by a long beak and a large throat pouch used for catching prey and draining water from the scooped-up contents before ...

out the window, and, acting devilishly, he decides to wake him up by shining the light on him. After the pelican wakes up, he moves to another spot - only to have Donald adjust the lamp to shine on him again just as he's falling back asleep. The pelican blocks the light with his nest, but strands of light shine through the twigs and focus on his forehead. The pelican gets fed up and invades the lighthouse, putting out the flame. Donald and the pelican then engage in a fast-paced duel for the rest of the night, lighting and extinguishing the lamp while each try various actions to incapacitate the other.

Sunrise Sunrise (or sunup) is the moment when the upper rim of the Sun appears on the horizon in the morning, at the start of the Sun path. The term can also refer to the entire process of the solar disk crossing the horizon. Terminology Although the S ...

comes, but Donald draws all of the window shades closed, continuing their duel as the short fades out.

Voice cast

Clarence Nash Clarence Charles "Ducky" Nash (December 7, 1904 – February 20, 1985) was an American voice actor and impressionist. He is best remembered as the original voice of the Disney cartoon character Donald Duck. He was born in the rural community of W ...

as Donald Duck

Television

* ''Disneyland'', episode #4.7: "Duck for Hire" * ''Donald's Quack Attack'', episode #37 * ''The Ink and Paint Club'', episode #1.21: "Goin' to the Birds"

Home media

The short was released on December 6, 2005, on '' Walt Disney Treasures: The Chronological Donald, Volume Two: 1942-1946''. Additional release include: * Bonus on ''Pete's Dragon'' Gold Classic Collection (2000).

References

External links

* *
Lighthouse Keeping
' at The Internet Animation Database
''Lighthouse Keeping''
on BFI

on Filmaffinity Donald Duck short films Films produced by Walt Disney 1940s Disney animated short films Films directed by Jack Hannah Films scored by Oliver Wallace 1946 films 1946 animated short films {{1940s-Disney-animation-film-stub