Continuing its pattern of putting classic cartoons on DVD, Disney has released a slew of holiday classics in their Classic Cartoon Favorites series. Volume 8 is “Holiday Celebration with Mickey & Pals,” and volume 9 is “Classic Holiday Stories.”

“Holiday Celebration” is much like the preceding seven discs in this series. It’s a no-frills collection of seven short subject cartoons. Enhanced with Disney’s FastPlay, as is all discs in the series, it gives the parents a chance run the pre-programmed selection without having the young kids fight over the DVD remote.

“Holiday Celebration” includes the classic cartoons “Mickey’s Good Deed,” “Peculiar Penguins,” “The Clock Watcher,” “Rescue Dog,” “Corn Chips,” “Lend a Paw” and “Toy Tinkers.” These cartoons don’t focus on a single character, and in fact Mickey is downplayed on this disc. Pluto, Donald and the chipmunks Chip & Dale stand out the most.

If you’re like me and enjoy slapstick humor, this is a good selection. Pluto always provided a nice piece of comic relief, while managing to have just as much character as his talking co-stars. He’s a favorite of my sons, and I’ve grown to enjoy watching his cartoons as well. Of course, some of my favorite cartoons involve Donald Duck getting trumped by Chip & Dale, and they’re in here as well.

However, as much as I enjoyed the selection in volume 8, it’s volume 9 that I’m excited about. This is the first disc in the series to include two extended 25-minute cartoons. The first is “The Small One,” the brain child of rogue Disney animator Don Bluth. Before setting his sights on “The Land Before Time” and “An American Tale” with Steven Spielberg, Bluth put together this story of the tiny donkey that eventually carried the Virgin Mary to the stable for Christ’s birth.

I’ll admit “The Small One” is rather sappy, but it is a nice slice of animation history. Don Bluth’s style is unmistakable, and while the songs have a bit to be desired, it’s still a sweet story.

The next cartoon in line on volume 9 is the short “Pluto’s Christmas Tree,” which was a classic I remember from when I was a child. This short cartoon features Chip & Dale in a tree that Mickey has picked for his Christmas tree. After Mickey takes it home and decorates it, Pluto discovers the squatting chipmunks and struggles to point them out to his owner.

The final cartoon on this disc is the treasure for me. I was not yet a teenager when “Mickey’s Christmas Carol” was first released. It was one of the last long-format short animation to have the classic Disney quality, and it continues to be my absolute favorite Disney cartoon of all time.

There is something special about “Mickey’s Christmas Carol.” With dozens of adaptations of the classic Dickens’ story running around, this captured the joy and magic of Christmas the best. The film features cameos from all the Disney favorites, and not just the standard cast of Mickey, Donald and Goofy. It also features the Big Bad Wolf, the Three Little Pigs, Mr. Rat and Mr. Mole from ‘The Wind in the Willows” and Jiminy Cricket.

As a kid, I had to wait for The Wonderful World of Disney to broadcast these cartoons, or I had to catch them on projected film at my local library. It’s a joy to share these treats in the comfort of my own home on demand with my kids - a great way to get set for the holiday season.



Specifications: Fullscreen (1.33:1). English subtitles for the hearing impaired.