The Disney company is a machine – a money-making machine. It will never cease to have a supply of product simply because it has been around for so many years, and it keeps generating product that people will buy. This is mainly because every few years, as their audience grows up and new kids are born, there’s a renewable supply of demand.

One of the ways the Mouse House capitalizes on these products is to repackage them in new DVDs. They did this back during the VHS days, and they will continue to do it for whatever comes after DVDs. Their latest repackaging comes in the form of the “It’s a Small World of Fun” series. Volumes 3 and 4 are now available, each teaching a loose version of geography by presenting cartoons that have roots in different countries.

I’ll admit, this is not the most educational way to watch television with your kids, but you can do a lot worse. At the very least, it’s a chance to catch some classic (and other not-so-classic) Disney animated short subjects.

Volume three goes to India with Goofy “Tiger Trouble,” Hawaii with Goofy again in “Hello Aloha,” Mexico with Pluto in “Pueblo Pluto,” Switzerland with Mickey Mouse in “Alpine Climbers” and Great Britain with “The Fox Hunt.”

The gem of this volume is the classic retelling of the legend of John Chapman in “Johnny Appleseed.” Unlike the others in the pack that use the setting to qualify for the series, this U.S.A.-centered story is actually meant to be educational. It tells the story of how John Chapman changed the landscape of our country and gave us a grace we can all sing at the dinner table.

Volume four hits the U.S.A. with the anti-progress cartoon “The Little House,” Mexico with Goofy in “For Whom the Bulls Toil,” the South Pole with “Polar Trappers,” Greece with the overly corny but classic “The Goddess of Spring” and Great Britain with “The Reluctant Dragon.”

Overall, volume three is a better pick than four, although they both provide a nice retrospective into the Disney vault. It would have been nice to have some clean-up done on the prints for some, like “The Reluctant Dragon,” but that would defeat the purpose of repackaging old material for high profit, wouldn’t it?

The discs do not have any special features and each run slightly less than an hour. If you’re looking to pick up some classic cartoons, they are definitely worth the buy. Because they’re older product, they don’t come with a huge price tag, and the kids should love the content at any age.



Specifications: Dolby Digital Stereo Surround. Full screen aspect ration (1.33:1). French language track. English subtitles for the hearing impaired.