Disney's Treasures

THE FLICKS: Let me make this perfectly clear: no review will ever to justice to the Walt Disney’s Treasures collection...especially this one. There simply isn’t enough time in the day, week or the month to browse through everything these discs have to offer. These are, without a doubt, the very definition of collectible DVDs. And as such, their value (both as limited edition pressings and as entertainment) will vary depending on how interested you are in the material presented. But there’s no denying that Wave 3 is every bit the accomplishment the previous discs were. And Disney is due for some seriously good karma just by making these shorts, features and television short subjects available, many for the first time in fifty years. So what’s all the fuss about. Well, first is Mickey Mouse in Living Color, covering the mouse house mascot’s career from 1939 to today featuring 21 shorts, including oldies and more recent resurrection attempts like “Runaway Brain.” As host Leonard Maltin explains, Mickey was being pushed into the straight-man role by newcomers like Goofy and Donald Duck, and many of these cartoons find Walt’s most famous creation playing second fiddle to other Disney characters (often his own dog, Pluto). A wide array of extras include the “Sorcerer’s Apprentice” segment from Fantasia, artwork, rare promotional animation and specials. Also of note are Maltin’s onscreen apologies for any “politically incorrect” stereotypes that crop up from time to time. At first these might seem excessive (the ever-smiling critic seems to have a “sorry” for everything), but in this era of ultra cultural sensitivity it seems a small price to pay to get these toons out of the vault. When it comes to Donald Duck rude behavior is not only tolerated, it’s expected. Which is the reason why this irascible speech-impaired waterfowl quickly became the studios top draw in theaters and stayed that way. The Chronological Donald volume one gives us the best of Donald from 1934 to 1941, for a total of 36 shorts along with a few publicity and artwork extras. From his first theatrical appearance in “The Wise Little Hen” to the premiere of his three troublesome nephews (Huey, Dewey and Louie ) not only will you see the evolution of Donald into the familiar troublemaker he is today, but you’ll get to know the man behind that signature voice, Clarence Nash. But for my money, the best two sets are the most unusual. On The Front Lines captures the work of Disney studios during the war years, from inspiring and funny adventures of the cast of characters in uniform to educational shorts about disease, nutrition and Nazi menace. Walt put much personal energy into the feature “Victory Through Air Power” (now seen for the first time in its entirety), a beautifully animated pitch session he hoped would convince Allied leaders to support the development of long-range bombers. On The Front Lines offers a mix of escapist shorts and eminently watchable curiosities; a historical snapshot of the studio’s efforts to assist in the war effort. Tomorrowland delivers an even more unique offering of period TV programming culled from the Disneyland weekly show. Produced by Ward Kimball, who serves as an everyman guide through the episodes “Man in Space,” “Man and the Moon,” & “Mars and Beyond,” each hour-long segment combines animation (often far and away from the usual Disney style) and live-action discussions with scientific experts. The end result is a forward-thinking program that, although dated, provides an imaginative and speculative look at Man’s future with hard science to support its theories. Extras include an interview with author and futurist Ray Bradbury (still an engaging speaker now well into his 80’s) plus archival footage of Walt pitching his plans for EPCOT and Disneyworld to potential investors. FINAL SCORE: Even if your prefer Looney Tunes to Disney fare (I know I do) these discs are just too incredible to pass up. Not only do they put the studio’s decades-long accomplishments into perspective, but also do it with the kind of class no one else even attempts in the era of bargain bin DVDs. Finally, some truth in advertising...these are most definitely treasures.