Walt Disney Animation Collection Vol. 1-3 (a J!-ENT DVD Review)

May 17, 2009 by Dennis Amith · Leave a Comment

“For those who grew up with the classic Disney animated short films, the release of ‘Walt Disney Animation Collection’ on DVD is a long time coming. Also, found in these v0lumes are classic Mickey Mouse animated shorts such as the 1934 “Gulliver Mickey”, the 1938 short “Brave Little Tailor”, the 1947 “Mickey and the Beanstalk” but also the 1990 animated short ‘The Prince and the Pauper’. Overall, an enjoyable collection of classic animated shorts from yesteryear worth checking out!”

DVD TITLE: Walt Disney Animation Collection Vol. 1 (Mickey and the Beanstalk), Vol. 2 (Three Little Pigs) and Vol. 3 (The Prince and the Pauper)

DURATION: Vol. 1: 69 Minutes, Vol. 5: 62 Minutes, Vol. 3: 54 Minutes

DVD INFORMATION: Dolby Digital Surround Sound, Aspect Ratio (1:33:1), English, French and Spanish Subtitles, Disney’s FastPlay

COMPANY: Walt Disney Studios Home Entertainment

RELEASE DATE: May 19, 2009

Produced by Walt Disney

Vol. 1: Mickey and the Beanstalk

Embark on magical adventures in this Disney Animation Collection DVD, part of an exciting series of classic Disney short films! Favorite Disney characters star in Mickey And The Beanstalk, the imaginative telling of a beloved storybook tale. Based on the timeless adventures of “Jack and the Beanstalk,” Mickey, Donald and Goofy climb a fantastic beanstalk up into the sky to a place where everything is huge – the food, the castle and the fearsome giant named Willy who guards a beautiful golden harp. Will Mickey and his friends outwit the giant and make safely back home?

Vol. 2 – Three Little Pigs

Experience a unique telling of one of your favorite storybook tales in this Disney Animation Collection DVD, part of an adventure-filled series of classic Disney short films! Who’s afraid of the big bad wolf? “Not I!” answer the first two brothers as they build their new homes – one made of straw and the other of sticks. But when the wolf huffs and puffs and blows down their houses, the brothers seek protection in the third pig’s house, very wisely made of bricks. Will the three little pigs finally be safe once and for all?

Vol. 3 – The Prince and the Pauper

The legendary tale of The Prince And The Pauper gets a magical Disney makeover in this adventure-filled Disney Animation Collection DVD, part of a series of beloved classic short films! In a faraway kingdom, two boys who look exactly alike meet by chance and decide to switch places: a pauper named Mickey, who dreams about a life of luxury, and the Crown Prince, who wishes he could be as free as his subjects. Each boy faces extraordinary challenges in his new role, and together they must figure out how to save the kingdom from an evil Captain who wants the throne for himself!

As a child, I can easily remember my prized possession was a Walt Disney book that my father purchased for me and it featured the chronology of the early classic Walt Disney animated shorts. Some of these shorts were shown on the Disney Channel when I was younger but suffice to say, with all the new animation, a lot of these classics have probably been forgotten or have been released on VHS video.

Walt Disney Studios Home Entertainment are now releasing a few of these shorts on DVD for the first time (some have appeared on past Disney DVD releases). The first three volumes were released on DVD on April 7, 2009.

A lot of these short films were created between the 1920-1940′s and typically featured characters that were not reoccurring. Some were released under the “Silly Symphony” moniker of animated shorts released between 1929-1939 which rarely featured any character dialogue but focused more on the animation accompanied by music and a singing vocal track. Disney has continued to produce shorts today and while the majority of the short animated films are from the 1930′s through the 1950′s, volume 3 features an animated short (“The Prince & the Pauper) from 1990.

Of the six volumes that have been released from the “Walt Disney Animation Collection”, for people looking specifically for Mickey Mouse classic animated shorts, you will be able to find them through volume 1 and 3.

Here are the episode listings and brief summaries for volumes 1-3:

Walt Disney Animation Collection Vol. 1 – Mickey and the Beanstalk

The first volume of the Walt Disney Animation Collection featuring “Mickey and the Beanstalk” includes a total of five animated shorts. All five which feature Mickey and popular Disney characters. Included are:

Mickey and the Beanstalk - (29:27) An animated short from 1947 featuring cameos from popular Disney films, the story focuses on Mickey Mouse, Goofy and Donald Duck. The three are poor and are very hungry. Mickey sells their cow but instead of getting money to buy more food, he buys three beans. The beans then grow to a tremendous height that their home is taken to another land where food is plenty and are larger than them. But what they realize is that they are in the land that a giant inhabits.
The Brave Little Tailor – (9:00) A Technicolor animated short from 1938 about a giant who has threatened towns but Mickey brags about killing seven flies with one swat, the townspeople accidentally believes that Mickey killed seven giants and now, Mickey is expected to protect the town from the giant.
Thru the Mirror - (8:57) A Technicolor animation from 1936 featuring Mickey Mouse who has been reading a story of “Alice in Wonderland”, when he falls asleep, he finds himself in Wonderland.
Gulliver Mickey - (7:55) A black and white animated short from 1934 featuring Mickey and a group of orphans. He reads them a story of “Gulliver” and we see Mickey in the story as Gulliver.
Mr. Mouse Takes a Trip – (17:07) a 1940 Technicolor animated short featuring Mickey and Pluto. Mickey wants to go on vacation from Burbank to Pomona by train but Pete won’t let him come aboard with his dog. So, Mickey tries to find a way to hide Pluto in the train from Pete.

Walt Disney Animation Collection Vol. 2.: Three Little Pigs

The second volume of the Walt Disney Animation Collection featuring “Three Little Pigs” contains a total of seven animated shorts. This volume features a good number of episodes of animals that are under the threat of a wolf. Included are:

Three Little Pigs - (8:51) A 1933 Silly Symphony animated short about the classic story of the “Three Little Pigs” who live in their own homes but a big bad wolf who wants to eat the pigs starts blowing the homes of two of the pigs down. Will the third pig’s home be strong enough to prevent the wolf from getting to them?
The Big Bad Wolf – (9:30) A 1934 Silly Symphony animated short features the return of the three little pigs in a new story that involves Red Riding Hood who comes to visit her grandmother (featuring the wolf in disguise). Will the pigs be able to protect Red Riding Hood from the big bad wolf?
Three Little Wolves - (9:30) A 1936 Silly Symphony short featuring the three little pigs and the big bad wolf, who is training his three children how to go after the pigs. Directed by David Hand.
Lambert the Sheepish Lion – (8:26) A 1952 animated short about a stork who mistakenly delivers Lambert, a lion to a flock of sheep. The mother accepts Lambert as one of her own and raises it like a sheep but as Lambert grows up, he feels he may be different from the others. Directed by Jack Hannah and written by Bill Peet and Ralph Wright.
Chicken Little - (8:56) A Technicolor animated short from 1943, Foxy Loxy wants to eat chicken for dinner and convinces Chicken Little that the sky is falling. When he spreads the news to the chickens, the information proves to be false. But when Chicken Little sees the cloud actually falling, the chickens are reluctant to believe him. Foxy Loxy goes after the chickens.
Three Blind Mouseketeers – (8:53) A 1936 Silly Symphony short about three blind mice who are musketeers. Their nemesis a cat sets many traps in order to catch the mice. Directed by David Hand.
Elmer Elephant – (8:43) A Silly Symphony 1936 animated short about Elmer the Elephant who attends the birthday part of his friend Tilly Tiger. But all the animals at the party make fun of Elmer’s trunk. When a fire breaks out in Tilly’s treehouse, Elmer may become the hero who can save the day. Directed by Wilfred Jackson and written by Earl Hurd. Based on a story by Bianca Majolie.

Walt Disney Animation Collection Vol. 3: The Prince & the Pauper

The “Walt Disney Animation Collection” third volume “The Prince and the Pauper” features a total of six animated shorts. Included are:

The Prince and the Pauper - (25:32) This Disney animated short from 1990 about a pauper and a crown prince who look exactly alike. The two decide to switch identities and experience each other’s life. The pauper as a prince learning about his reponsibilities and the prince as a pauper learning how his Royal Captain of the Guard has been taking advantage of his power. Directed by George Scribner and screenplay by Gerrit and Sam Graham.
The Pied Piper - (7:37) A Silly Symphony animated short from 1933. The people of Hamelin has their town being overrun by rats. They will offer gold to anyone who can get rid of the rats and a piper takes on the job. Directed by Wilfred Jackson and based on a poem by Robert Browning.
Old King Cole - (7:33) A 1933 Silly Symphony animated short featuring a party thrown by Old King Cole and invited are all the Mother Goose characters. Directed by David Hand.
Ye Olden Days – (8:25) A 1933 black and white Disney animated short about Princess Minnie who is arranged to marry Prince Goofy. Minnie refuses to marry him, so her father, the king locks her in the tower. Minstrel Mickey then tries to rescue her. Directed by Burt Gillet.
A Knight for the Day – (7:06) A 1946 Disney animated short featuring Goofy as Cedric who has the opportunity to become a knight for a day. Featuring a story directed by Jack Hannah and written by Bill Peet.

VIDEO & AUDIO:

“Walt Disney Animation Collection” is featured with an aspect ratio of 1:33:1. These classics are available on DVD for the first time but its important to mention that these animated shorts have not been digitally remastered or cleaned up.

As a matter of fact, you will see a lot of the dust and scratches of the film and some of the animation look fine for being nearly 70 years old but others look grainy and a bit aged. Granted, these are not classic full featured films but I hope one of these days, many of these classics do get cleaned up or even digitally remastered.

“The Prince and the Pauper” fares the best of the three volumes as this animated short was created in 1990.

As for the audio, audio is featured in Dolby Digital Surround Sound. I found that on my home theater system, the best selection on my receiver to view these animated shorts was to switch it to mono or (if you have this capability) select stereo for all channels.

SPECIAL FEATURES:

There are no special features included on this DVD. But each volume does come with a free collectible litho print typically of the characters from the main featured story.

As mentioned earlier in my review, my prized possession as a child was a Walt Disney booklet that covered the Walt Disney animated shorts in chronological order and had the opportunity to watch these classics. Now as an adult with children, a lot of the animation from Walt Disney that my child sees is the latest in CG animation.

But I wanted him to sit and watch these animated shorts with me and sure enough, he enjoyed them. These animated shorts, the majority of them are simple and have no dialogue. Just music and sound effects (there were a few especially all from vol. 6 that have dialogue) but nevertheless, are simple and easy to understand.

For fans of classic Walt Disney animation and you pretty much have moved on away from your VHS copies, the “Walt Disney Animation Collection” is a great collection of your classic Disney animated shorts on DVD.

Many people who have purchased the “Walt Disney Treasures” DVD box sets from 2001, “Walt Disney’s Timeless Tales” from 2005 or the “Walt Disney’s It’s a Small World of Fun!” DVD release from 2007 probably may not need any of these shorts as quite a number of them have appeared on DVD already.

But a few of the short films that are featured on the six volumes of “Walt Disney Animation Collection” have not been released on DVD until now.

Overall, It all comes down to your preference to the classic animated shorts from long ago and whether or not you owned previous releases. For those who haven’t owned the previous Disney DVD shorts or box sets, now is a good time to start because a lot of the past releases have been discontinued.

Otherwise, if you are a person who already owns the previous DVD releases that contain these shorts, unfortunately, these animated shorts offer nothing new and are not digitally remastered. There may be a few titles on these DVD’s that have not been released before on prior Walt Disney DVD’s but it all comes down to your preference and if these episodes are worth having on DVD.

Again, it’s important to note that volume 1 and volume 3 feature animated shorts featuring Mickey Mouse or a well-known Disney animated character. So, if you are specifically looking for Mickey Mouse animated shorts, you will find it on those two volumes.

But if you are a parent or grandparent who wants to show your children or grandchildren the Walt Disney animation that you grew up with or a person who has never seen these shorts and have been curious about them, then definitely give “Walt Disney Animation Collection” a chance.

Filed Under: Children's DVD/Blu-ray, DVD Reviews

Walt Disney Animation Collection Vol. 4-6 (a J!-ENT DVD Review)

May 11, 2009 by Dennis Amith · 2 Comments

“For those who grew up with the classic Disney animated short films, the release of ‘Walt Disney Animation Collection’ on DVD is a long time coming. Classic Disney shorts such as ‘The Tortoise and the Hare’ (1935), ‘The Wind and the Willows’ (1949), ‘The Reluctant Dragon’ (1941) and many other timeless classics can be enjoyed by those who grew up with the animation and also a new generation who have never seen them before. “

DVD TITLE: Walt Disney Animation Collection Vol. 4 (The Tortoise and the Hare), Vol. 5 (Wind and the Willows) and Vol. 6 (The Reluctant Dragon)

DURATION: Vol. 4: 65 Minutes, Vol. 5: 78 Minutes, Vol. 6: 62 Minutes

DVD INFORMATION: Dolby Digital Surround Sound, Aspect Ratio (1:33:1), English, French and Spanish Subtitles, Disney’s FastPlay

COMPANY: Walt Disney Studios Home Entertainment

RELEASE DATE: May 12, 2009

Produced by Walt Disney

Vol. 4: The Tortoise and the Hare

Walt Disney’s Academy Award®-winning adaptation of The Tortoise And The Hare (1934; Short Subject – Cartoons) is now part of the Disney Animation Collection series on DVD! Join the excitement as unlikely competitors Max Hare and Toby Tortoise challenge each other to a foot race. Max is so confident he will win, he takes time out to flirt with some cute bunnies, show off his skills in other sports and break for a nap. But when he hears the crowd roar for Toby, who has slowly and steadily kept to the course, Max must make a last-minute dash for victory. Will the
ever-persistent Toby beat him across the finish line?

Vol. 5 – Wind in the Willows

Experience the magic of Wind In The Willows in this extraordinary adaptation – now part of the Disney Animation Collection series of beloved classic short films. Join the adventures along the riverbanks as one of the most enchanting storybooks of all time comes to life with classic Disney animation. Mr. J. Thaddeus Toad has got himself into a bit of trouble – from buying fancy new cars and dealing with some weaselly weasels! Now his beloved home, Toad Manor, is at risk of being lost. It will take the help of his dear friends Ratty, Moley and Angus McBadger, and a promise to change his ways, for Mr. Toad.

Vol. 6 – The Reluctant Dragon

The Reluctant Dragon, a clever and entertaining short film, is now part of the Disney Animation Collection! This lighthearted story follows the adventures of a brave young boy who, emboldened by tales of brave knights, decides to pursue the horrible dragon that is terrifying the villagers. But what he discovers is a surprisingly friendly dragon that is more interested in reciting poetry and making music than devouring fair damsels. Will the boy be able to stop the local hero before he challenges the dragon to a fiery battle?

Walt Disney Studios Home Entertainment are now releasing a few of these shorts on DVD for the first time (some have appeared on past Disney DVD releases). With the first three volumes released, the fourth, fifth and sixth volumes will be released on May 12, 2009.

A lot of these short films were created in the 1920-1940′s and typically featured characters that were not reoccurring (with the exception of the tortoise and the hare which appeared in a second short). Some were released under the “Silly Symphony” moniker of animated shorts released between 1929-1939 which rarely featured any character dialogue but focused more on the animation accompanied by music and a singing vocal track.

Here are the episode listings and brief summaries for volumes 4-6:

Walt Disney Animation Collection Vol. 4 – The Tortoise and the Hare

The fourth volume of “The Tortoise and the Hare” includes a total of six animated shorts. Included are:

The Tortoise and the Hare - (8:40) A Silly Symphony animated short from 1939 featuring the popular tale of the race between the tortoise and the hare.
Babes in the Woods – (7:45) A Silly Symphony animated short from 1932 about two children and dwarfs who go against a wicked witch who has captured and turned children to animals.
The Goddess of Spring - (9:36) A Silly Symphony animation from 1934 featuring the Goddess of Spring who is captured by the Devil and with her capture has turned the world into Winter.
Toby Tortoise Returns - (7:32) a Silly Symphony animation from 1936 featuring another animated short starring Toby Tortoise and the Hare who are in a boxing match.
Paul Bunyan – (17:07) a 1958 Technicolor animated short starring the tall lumberjack Paul Bunyan.
The Saga of Windwagon Smith - (13:32) A 1961 Technicolor animated short featuring a Western animation about the adventures of Windwagon Smith.

Walt Disney Animation Collection Vol. 5: Wind in the Willows

The fifth volume of “Wind in the Willows” contains a total of six animated shorts. Included are:

Wind in the Willows - (34:21) A 1949 Technicolor animated short which is over a half our long compared to the other shorts that are ten minutes long. In this short, Mr. J. Thaddeus Toad has gotten in trouble after buying fancy cars and dealing with bad company and now he risks losing his home. His friends Ratty, Moley and Angus MacBadger try to help him and hopefully change him along the way.
The Ugly Duckling – (9:02) A 1938 Technicolor animated short based on the popular story of the “The Ugly Duckling”. A duck egg hatches late and unlike the other chicks which are yellow, this one is white. And the family rids itself of the white duck and the white duck is now left alone. Will anyone come to appreciate this duck?
The Grasshopper and the Ants - (8:27) A 1934 Silly Symphony short that was featured on the “a bug’s life” 2-Disc DVD Collection in 2003 and is featured in the fifth volume of the “Walt Disney Animation Collection”. A grasshopper who likes to play his violin but ends up getting stuck in the middle of bad weather and during the bad weather, he is rescued by a colony of ants.
The Golden Touch – (10:06) A 1935 Silly Symphony short about the greedy King Midas who has the golden touch and all he wants is gold and will learn an important lesson of how gold is not all that’s important in this world. This is one of the few “Silly Symphony” shorts that have actual dialogue.
The Robber Kitten - (7:50) A 1935 Silly Symphony short about a kitten named Butch who wants to be a thief, he encounters a real thief named Dirty Bill and wants to be his sidekick but learns an important lesson that crime doesn’t pay.
The Wise Little Hen – (7:44) A 1934 Silly Symphony short that introduced the Walt Disney character Donald Duck. A hen wants Donald Duck and a pig to help her plant some corn but the two pretend they are sick. So, the hen decides to temp the two by cooking corn dishes in hopes they would help her plant her corn.

Walt Disney Animation Collection Vol. 6: The Reluctant Dragon

The “Walt Disney Animation Collection” sixth volume features the least amount of shorts than previous volumes but each short featured in this volume is a bit longer in duration than most Walt Disney shorts. Also, unlike the older and shorter animated shorts, these shorts included in vol. 6 contain dialogue.

The Reluctant Dragon - (20:38) This Technicolor 1994 animated short features a boy who is friends with a dragon. He finds out that the knight Sir Giles from his village has been sent to kill the dragon and that he should prepare to fight. But the dragon is reluctant to fight and prefers to read poetry and train birds to sing.
Ferdinand the Bull - (7:59) A technicolor animated short from 1938 about a little bull in Spain named Ferdinand who prefers to be alone and be amongst the flowers in the pasture and not be with the other bulls. As he grew older, because he got stung by a bee, he is featured in a public bullfight in which he must fight a matador but once in front of the public, is unable to fight and instead enjoys the flowers around him.
Goliath II - (15:07) A 1960 animated short about Goliath II, a tiny elephant that is not appreciated by his father because of his small stature. His mother protects him though, especially from a tiger named Raja who wants to eat Goliath II. Goliath II tends to get himself into trouble and is often rescued and scolded by his mother. Will Goliath II ever earn the respect from his father and the elephant herd?
Johnny Appleseed – (18:41) A 1948 animated short about the legendary Johnny Appleseed who traveled the West with the American pioneers and planted apple seeds during his travel. Based on the true adventures of John Chapman who traveled the wilderness planting thousands of apple trees.

VIDEO & AUDIO:

SPECIAL FEATURES:

There are no special features included on this DVD. But each volume does come with a free collectible litho print.

But a few of the short films that are featured on the six volumes of “Walt Disney Animation Collection” have not been released on DVD until now.

Filed Under: Children's DVD/Blu-ray, DVD Reviews