Donald's Dilemma is a Classic Disney Short from 1947. It is a Donald Duck short starring Daisy Duck.
The short begins with Daisy talking to her therapist about why she needs help. Several months ago, her boyfriend Donald was hit on the head with a flower pot and became an amnesiac. Suddenly able to sing amazingly, and with no recollection of her, Donald begins his career as a singer. As Donald quickly rises to stardom, Daisy becomes a suicidal wreck. All her attempts to see Donald fail. With nowhere to turn, Daisy begins seeing a psychiatrist. Daisy's therapist's advice is to reverse the amnesia by smashing another flower pot onto Donald's head. It works, Donald loses his singing voice, and Daisy is reunited with her boyfriend.
Donald's Dilemma contains examples of:
- Always Save the Girl: A gender-inverted example. The psychiatrist asks Daisy if she is willing to deny the world Donald’s “beautiful, golden voice” if she gets her boyfriend back. She angrily chooses the latter.
- Break the Cutie: Daisy becomes depressed and insane due to Donald leaving her for his career of singing.
- Darker and Edgier: This short contains heavy themes such as depression, though it's all Played for Laughs.
- Dawn of an Era: This is the first Donald cartoon to feature the iconic Donald Duck theme song in the opening
, which was composed by Oliver Wallace and possibly performed by The Pied Pipers. - A Day in the Limelight: One of only two Daisy-centric theatrical shorts ever made, the other being Sleepy Time Donald.
- Dreadful Musician: After being hit in the head with a flower pot a second time, Donald loses his singing talent and starts singing terribly.
- Driven to Suicide: The current page image on the Western Animation page. Daisy becomes suicidal after Donald leaves her.
- Flower-Pot Drop: Donald is transformed when he gets hit in the head by a falling pot. Daisy keeps the flower as a reminder of who he used to be. In the end, the psychiatrist tells her to put the flower in another pot and drop in on Donald's head, returning him to normal.
- Furry Reminder: Donald has his own bird seed line.
- How We Got Here: The cartoon starts with Daisy in the psychiatrist's office, telling him what drove her to come to him.
- Identity Amnesia: After being hit on the head, Donald forgets who he is and believes that he's a singer.
- The Insomniac: The stress of Donald leaving causes Daisy to lose sleep.
- Jaw Drop: Daisy's jaw drops to the floor when she finds out that Donald's concert is sold out.
- Lions and Tigers and Humans... Oh, My!: Daisy and Donald are two of the only Funny Animal characters in the short, however a dogface can be seen in the background.
- Literal Metaphor: Donald giving Daisy a "cold stare" manifests itself as a line of ice, complete with icicles, streaming out of his eyes.
- Living Emotional Crutch: Daisy become a mess after Donald leaves her.
- Mythology Gag: Donald's
Signature Song is "When You Wish Upon A Star" from Pinocchio. - No Celebrities Were Harmed: Daisy's psychiatrist is named "Sigmond Frump".
- Non-Indicative Name: The short actually stars Daisy. It's more about her dilemma.
- Non-Mammalian Mammaries: Donald's Dilemma is one of the shorts where Daisy has breasts.
- Self-Harm: When Daisy goes "crazy" in her depression she starts gnawing on her arm.
- Suicide as Comedy: Daisy's stress and suicide attempt is played for lighthearted laughs.
- Tears of Joy: Daisy starts crying when Donald begins to sing beautifully.
