Walt Disney Treasures – Disney Rarities – Celebrated Shorts, 1920s – 1960s

Disney Rarities lives up to its title: It's been impossible to see many of these shorts for decades. Walt Disney bankrupted his fledgling Laugh-O-Gram studio making "Alice's Wonderland," but the short earned Disney his first national distribution contract. Films featuring animated characters in live-action settings were common during the silent era; Disney reversed the situation, placing a live actress (Virginia Davis) in a cartoon world. The "Alice" series ran from 1923-1926, and several girls played the title role. These silent films have been handsomely restored and given upbeat musical tracks by Alex Rannie.

The Oscar-winners "Ferdinand the Bull" (1938) and "Toot, Whistle, Plunk and Boom" (1953) rank as genuine classics, and have been unavailable for far too long. The wartime cautionary tale "Chicken Little" (1943) displays more imagination than the 2005 feature adaptation of the same story. "The Truth About Mother Goose" (1957) reflects the influence of Sleeping Beauty (1959), which was in production then; the elephants in "Goliath II" (1960) anticipate the ones in The Jungle Book (1967).

"Noah's Ark" (1959), Disney's first stop-motion film, features cleverly designed animals made from pencils, erasers, corks, pipecleaners, and other found objects, but the obstrusive '50s songs quickly cloy. Many of the films from the '50s and early '60s ("Pigs Is Pigs," "A Cowboy Needs a Horse," "Paul Bunyan" ) reflect the look of the UPA Studio. The characters are flatter, simpler, and more angular; the backgrounds, more stylized. Although Disney had dominated the cartoon short during the '30s, the studio largely shifted to feature and television production during the '40s and '50s. Disney Rarities is a set fans and students of animation will want to own. (Unrated, suitable for all ages: cartoon violence, tobacco use, ethnic stereotypes) --Charles Solomon

fascinating set of Disney gems

Review Date: August 31, 2009

Reviewer: Byron Kolln, the corner where Broadway meets Hollywood

A fascinating cross-section of Walt Disney's animated shorts from the 1920s through the 1960s, this Disney Treasures tin will fill a lot of empty spots for the hardcore Disney collector. Perhaps most importantly, we get several installments from the silent "Alice Comedies" series. Over fifty shorts were produced between the years 1923-27, showcasing a live little girl in an animated wonderland. Several girls played Alice during the run of the series, the first and most famous being Virginia Davis--who has the unique honor of being Disney's very first star, pre-dating even one Mickey Mouse! Davis' most beloved episode ("Alice's Wild West Show") is included in this set. My favourite shorts include "Lambert the Sheepish Lion" and "The Little House" (modeled after the art of Mary Blair) , both warmly narrated by Sterling Holloway. "Toot, Whistle, Plunk and Boom!" has the distinction of being the first Disney short to be filmed in CinemaScope and stereophonic sound--it also picked up an Academy Award in 1953. "Ferdinand the Bull" (an Oscar winner in 1938) is another valuable addition to this set. "The Truth About Mother Goose", one of Disney's unusually dark musical shorts, also makes an appearance; along with the riotous comedy gem "Pigs is Pigs", the story of a railroad station-master who inherits an ever-growing family of guinea pigs. In the extras, Leonard Maltin shares an insightful interview with Virginia Davis (now sadly no longer with us), and also details Disney's early career in the featurette "From Kansas to Hollywood". Songwriter Richard Sherman provides an audio commentary for one of his favourite shorts, 1962's "A Symposium on Popular Songs" on Disc 2. If you're building a library of Disney's cartoon classics, this Treasures Tin is a must own--if only for the super-rare Alice shorts (which really deserve their own tin release). A delightful, timeless slice of magical entertainment for the entire family!

Great!

Review Date: June 20, 2009

Reviewer: Julie, California

I love Disney, but I normally would never buy a collection like this. I bought this collection primarily for the Humphrey the Bear cartoons. I hadn't seen most of the other shorts, but I confess I love the whole collection! I wanted it to share with my 4-year-old, and he loves the folk lore classics, especially. You just don't see many representations of these anymore. While some people would be offended by a couple of the cartoons that have racial stereotypes not acceptable in today's society, I think it's great to have a record of where we've been as a culture. It opens up opportunities for dialogue about it. I talk about it wirh my 4-year-old. I'm really glad I bought it!

walt disney treasures- disney rarities- celebrated shorts

Review Date: August 14, 2008

Reviewer: Kenneth M. Cooper,

Great dvd, we have loked for several of shorts for thirty to forty years, and they are all great, thanks, KMC

Hope they do more like this!

Review Date: March 26, 2008

Reviewer: L. Kelman, Burbank, Ca

While not a big fan of The 1923 "Alice in Wonderland" or "Alice comedies", I love Disc 2 with the shorts and some of my favorite cartoons. I love Humphey the Bear and this disc has two with Ranger Woodlore. It also contains "Ben & Me" which is probably my number 1 for Disney shorts. I would recommend it, but really only for Disc 2.

This Is a Real Treasure

Review Date: January 3, 2008

Reviewer: S. J. Hall,

My whole family has enjoyed this video. It's not only entertaining it's educational in its own way. It's interesting to see how television has evolved and changed throughout the years.