"WALT DISNEY ANIMATION COLLECTION: VOL. 1-6"
DVD Review
by Kevin Carr
| MOVIE: **** (out of 5 stars)
DVD EXPERIENCE: * (out of 5 stars) Not Rated Studio: Disney Back to DVD Review Home |  |
WHAT IT’S ABOUT
Walt Disney Studios Home Entertainment is re-releasing a slate of DVDs with classic Disney short films in its new “Walt Disney Animation Collection.”
Volume 1 includes “Mickey and the Beanstalk” with the following bonus shorts: “The Brave Little Toaster,” “Gulliver Mickey,” “Thru the Mirror” and “Mr. Mouse Takes a Trip.”
Volume 2 includes “Three Little Pigs” with the following bonus shorts: “The Big Bad Wold,” “Three Little Wolves,” “Lambert the Sheepish Lion,” “Chicken Little,” “Three Blind Mouseketeers” and “Elmer Elephant.”
Volume 3 includes “The Prince and the Pauper” with the following bonus shorts: “The Pied Piper,” “Old King Cole,” “A Knight for a Day” and “Ye Olden Days.”
Volume 4 includes “The Tortoise and the Hare” with the following bonus shorts: “Babes in the Woods,” “The Saga of Windwagon Smith,” “The Goddess of Spring,” “Toby Tortoise Returns” and “Paul Bunyan.”
Volume 5 includes “The Reluctant Dragon” with the following bonus shorts: “Goliath II,” “Ferdinand the Bull” and “Johnny Appleseed.”
Volume 6 includes “Wind in the Willows” with the following bonus shorts: “The Ugly Duckling,” “The Robber Kitten,” “The Grasshopper and the Ants,” “The Wise Little Hen” and “The Golden Touch.”
WHAT I LIKED
Every few years, Disney pulls its classic animation shorts from its vault to give it a new release on home video. It’s been going on since the days of VHS, and this will probably be the last big push on DVD before the BluRay format clears the field. So, it’s not the first time that many of these classic cartoons have been available for home viewing, but they are probably the most accessible now.
Previous releases include “Classic Cartoon Favorites,” “The Funny Factory” and “Timeless Tales.” What makes The Walt Disney Animation Classic edge out these previous releases for quality is that each individual DVD includes a collectible litho print from the anchor story. However, whether you want the litho or not, you’ll have a treat watching these classic cartoons with the family.
The first wave – which includes the anchor cartoons “Mickey and the Beanstalk,” “Three Little Pigs” and “The Prince and the Pauper” – are my personal favorite for no other reason than these are some of my favorite classic cartoons. If only they included “The Clock Cleaners,” it’d be perfect.
But there has been care taken with these titles to select the bonus shorts, which have been chosen to relate to the general theme of the release. For example, on “Mickey and the Beanstalk,” there are four other shorts based on fairy tales (like “The Brave Little Toaster,” “Gulliver Mickey” and “Thru the Mirror”).
In the second wave, which includes “The Reluctant Dragon” and “The Tortoise and the Hare,” there are some older installments from the Disney vault, with the more rubbery animation and a lost art of storytelling. And rounding out the set is “The Wind in the Willows,” the bulk of which includes the story of the Fantastic Mr. Toad, a classic literature treat in animated Disney form.
WHAT I DIDN’T LIKE
My favorite installments in this bunch involve the characters of the Disney canon, including Mickey Mouse, Donald Duck and Goofy Geef. The short films from the 30s and 40s offer a nice lick of nostalgia, but they aren’t my favorite short subjects. However, for the Disney enthusiast, the Walt Disney Animation Collection offers a fine collection of historical Disney films.
DVD FEATURES
Each DVD includes the anchor title, along with three to five additional animated short films, as well as a collectible litho print.
WHO’S GOING TO LIKE THIS MOVIE
Disney fans, Disney history buffs and anyone who likes classic cartoons.
