Cinema Tuesdays Review

Spotlight on Disney's Big Three (and two little guys)
By Nathan Cone

Since 2001, Disney has been releasing a series of limited edition DVD sets under the banner name "Walt Disney Treasures." Some of these have been tough to find now that they are out of print. But for anyone who missed obtaining these DVD sets of Mickey Mouse, Goofy, and Donald Duck, there's still a chance to get some of these classic cartoons on DVD.

Newly released this year, four "Classic Cartoon Favorites" DVDs feature Disney's "Big Three," each on their own individual disc. And new to DVD, there's now a special disc featuring those helium-voiced mischief-makers, Chip and Dale. Each of the discs collects between seven and nine cartoons. Unlike the Disney Treasures sets, which include oodles of documentaries and supplemental material, these discs are pretty bare-bones in the special features department, and with their hour-long running time, and an option to "play all" shorts on the disc, they seem tailor-made to fill the need for a youngster's afternoon entertainment. And that's okay, because I can think of worse ways for a child to spend time in front of the TV.

Volume One of the series bills itself as "Starring Mickey," and features seven of the mouse's color shorts. Titles can be deceiving, however. Throughout the 1930s and 1940s, as Donald and Goofy eclipsed Mickey in popularity, Mickey's screen time in his own shorts went down! In shorts like "On Ice" and "Hawaiian Holiday," Donald, Goofy, and Pluto get more action, and more laughs, than the company spokesmouse.

Donald Duck takes center stage in Volume Two, "Starring Donald," and some of his funniest shorts are included, such as "Chef Donald." In that short, poor Donald gets frustrated (of course) when he accidentally dumps rubber cement into his waffle batter, and can't understand why the stuff won't pour onto that hot waffle iron.

Some of Goofy's best shorts are included on Volume Three, "Starring Goofy," including his well-known "how to" cartoons, such as "How to Dance," "How to Fish," and the hilarious "The Art of Skiing," which introduced Goofy's famous yell ("Waaa-hoo-hoo-hoooeeee!"). All of the nine shorts on this disc were previously included on "The Complete Goofy" set from the Walt Disney Treasures series, which is now out of print. If you can find that set on eBay, skip this one, and grab it. Otherwise, "Starring Goofy" is worth it, especially for the low price.

Finally, there's Volume Four in this Classic Cartoon Favorites series, "Starring Chip-n-Dale." These little guys haven't yet made any appearance on DVD, so the set is very welcome. They never really were "stars," however. Only two of the shorts on this disc even have a Chip and Dale title card. The rest are either Donald Duck or Pluto shorts that feature the high-strung, high-pitched chipmunks in starring roles, usually defending their woodland home from Donald the aggressor. But one short on the disc strikes me as truly bizarre. "Two Chips and a Miss" features the boys both heading out on the town to woo a pretty lounge singer named Clarice. Of course, neither one knows of each other's plans. It's a funny short, to be sure, but it's kind of strange to see a chipmunk vamping it up on stage, and the song the three sing at the end of the short is almost too much to take.  Give it a listen

As mentioned above, many of the "Walt Disney Treasures" DVD sets cover the material on these discs much more thoroughly. But if you missed those limited editions the first time around, these "Classic Cartoon Favorites," each available for a list price of under $15, are an excellent deal, and the DVD debut of Chip and Dale is welcomed.

01/21/05

Back to the main Cinema Tuesdays Reviews page

More about the Cinema Tuesdays series