The life of Donn Beach has been re-written, embellished, and, at times, flat-out fabricated. But that is what happens with legends; their lore is always better. The same is true of the humble Ernest Raymond Beaumont Gantt, maybe born in Texas, maybe born in Louisiana, but born nonetheless to become the man who brought Tiki culture to the states.

The Donn of Tiki attempts to separate fact from fabrication with the help of modern Tiki legends like Jeff “Beachbum” Berry and Smuggler’s Cove owner Martin Cate, as well as people who knew him, historians, and recently resurfaced audio recordings of Donn himself. Mixing fun retro-style animation, archival footage, and expert interview commentary, this documentary paints a vivid portrait of a man who had an outsized impact on the restaurant business, Hawaiian tourism, and the craft cocktail movement, while also exploring the side alleys of Donn’s life that included affairs, mob connections, and all sorts of nefarious activities.