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Digging for Treasure For seven years now, serious Disneyphiles have eagerly awaited each December’s annual release of the latest "wave" of Walt Disney Treasures. These two-disc DVD sets come packaged in a tin box, and are almost always loaded with rare and vintage material from the company's film and television archives. In early 2007, rumors began flying on the Internet that the series was being cancelled, but series curator Leonard Maltin quickly informed fans that was not the case. The latest wave of Treasures to arrive includes three titles: "The Chronological Donald, Vol. 3," "Disneyland: Secrets, Stories and Magic," and "The Adventures of Oswald the Lucky Rabbit." Since Donald is my favorite Disney character, I was looking forward to continuing the journey through his shorts. Being a fan of the Disney parks, I was intrigued by the Disneyland set, and found some interesting content within it. However, the biggest surprise of the three is the Oswald set. Below, you'll find a short review of each of this year's Walt Disney Treasures.
The Chronological Donald, Vol. 3 This DVD set is devoted to collecting the continuing adventures of Donald Duck spanning the postwar years 1947-1950. By this time in the short-tempered mallard's career, his popularity had long since eclipsed that of the studio's figurehead, Mickey Mouse. At the same time, his shtick was beginning to be a little old hat. The standard Donald short would have him getting into some mess that would inevitably lead to an angry outburst of some sort. So in this set, we find storywriters beginning to expand the duck's universe, with new characters to foil Donald's best-laid plans. These shorts would see an increase in appearances from Daisy and Donald's nephews, Huey, Dewey and Louie, and the debut of Chip 'n' Dale, as well as the unnamed bumblebee that would torment Donald from time to time. Chip 'n' Dale became quite popular in their own right. The bee, not so much. "The Chronological Donald, Vol. 3" also includes two shorts where Donald actually loses his trademark incomprehensible squawk. One of them, "Donald's Dream Voice," is a real classic. But despite the more innovative storylines and additional characters, watching all of these shorts in a row is a lot of Donald to take. I find "The Chronological Donald, Vol. 3" to be most enjoyable as a bedtime confection. Watch one a night before you go to bed, and you'll do so with a smile on your face. You might even sleep better knowing that your life isn't half as unlucky as Donald's. Extra features on this third set of Donald shorts are light. The most notable two are a demonstration of how Disney sculptor Ruben Procopio created a 3D version of a classic 2D character, and a retrospective look at Donald's movie career. Donald actually appears in more Disney productions than Mickey does!
Disneyland: Secrets, Stories and Magic This DVD set was originally supposed to be released in the summer of 2005 to celebrate the 50th anniversary of Disneyland's opening day. Why it was shelved remains a mystery, but it is now here as part of the Walt Disney Treasures series. There are some who blame Disneyland for our current culture of sugar-coated versions of place, but it seems to me that the genius of Disneyland is that it tapped into a natural human desire to leave the real world and enter the realm of fantasy, if only for a short time. It gives visitors an enveloping experience. For good or ill, countless theme restaurants, stores and shopping centers and civic spaces owe their concept to Disneyland. Some are better than others. The main feature of "Disneyland: Secrets, Stories and Magic" is the title documentary, tracing the park's origins in the fertile mind of Walt Disney, to its construction, early operation, and on through today. Interviewees include several of the Disney "Imagineers" that helped dream up and build the attractions at the park, as well as Roy E. Disney, George Lucas, Pixar guru John Lasseter, current Disney CEO Robert Iger and former honcho Michael Eisner. Hearing the old-timers talk about the creation of Disneyland was interesting, but ironically, the better feature on disc one of this set is "People and Places: Disneyland U.S.A.," a fifty-year-old CinemaScope production that provides a fascinating historical glimpse into the life of the park just a few years after it opened. This 40-plus minute feature is beautifully restored and features a surround-sound audio mix. Disc two of this set includes three complete episodes of the Disneyland television series that show off the park at its finest. Let's not forget that Walt Disney conceived of and began broadcasting Disneyland a full year before the park opened. Uncle Walt was a savvy marketer as well as a creative genius. Disc two also includes time-lapse photography of the park under construction, helpfully narrated by current Disney Imagineers. It's simply amazing to see how quickly the park was constructed, in exactly one year. Finally, the DVD includes a replica of vintage Disneyland park tickets. It's not commonly known that when the park opened, separate admission was required for each ride, not unlike a fair. Today, your mega-priced general admission ticket gets you in for a day's worth of fun. After digesting the contents of this set, I was happy to have heard lots of "stories" about the park, disappointed that there were few "secrets" revealed, and as for the "magic?" Ah, for that you just have to be there. NOTE: Two good places to read about Disneyland secrets are the Urban Legends Reference Page (commonly known as "snopes"), and Jim Hill Media.
The Adventures of Oswald the Lucky Rabbit I was most pleasantly surprised by this DVD set featuring Oswald, a silent cartoon character created by Walt Disney and animator Ub Iwerks that pre-dates Mickey Mouse. Oswald only recently was returned to Disney after spending 80 years in the care of Universal Pictures. The short version of the story is that Disney and Iwerks created Oswald in the 1920s and signed a deal with Universal to distribute the cartoons. When the shorts became quite successful, Universal stole most of Disney's team of animators, and informed him they owned the rights to the character. Dejected, Walt returned to California, and shortly thereafter, created Mickey Mouse with Iwerks. Oswald continued at Universal, and Mickey took over the world. The Oswald shorts are fascinating and fun to watch, and are almost entirely drawn by Iwerks. Silent cartoons were heavy on visual gags, but Iwerks added personality to his characters, which helped the public identify with them. Oswald was mischievous and clever, not unlike his successor, Mickey Mouse. Iwerks added a surreal touch to some of the shorts, too, as Oswald winds up a mechanical cow, or removes his own rabbit foot to scratch his back for good luck. In fact, several of the situations and gags in these shorts find their way into later Mickey Mouse short films from the later 1920s. A feature-length documentary included on this set is actually the highlight of this year's entire Walt Disney Treasures collection. The 1999 film "The Hand Behind the Mouse" documents Ub Iwerks' amazing career at the Disney studios and beyond. Iwerks left Disney for a short time, but returned in the 1940s. It was then that Iwerks turned from animation increasingly to special effects, and later won two Academy Awards for his work. It was also Iwerks who helped Mary Poppins enter a cartoon world so flawlessly, and who added the titular creatures to Alfred Hitchcock's "The Birds." Many of his technical innovations are still being utilized today in motion pictures. The set is rounded out with some of Iwerks' works before and after Oswald, including a few Mickey Mouse shorts, some of the silent "Alice Comedies," and the endlessly entertaining "Skeleton Dance." Final Thoughts If you're a fan of Disneyland, "Secrets, Stories and Magic" will bring back fond memories of park visits, but if you've never visited the park, it can seem a little like an overwrought sales pitch for your next vacation! "Donald, Vol. 3" is a good set for those who want to complete their collection, and is chock full of funny moments, but light on bonus features. For me, "Oswald" is the standout set in this wave of Walt Disney Treasures. Disney was clearly excited to bring Oswald back into the Disney family, and it shows on this set. Even those unfamiliar with the character, or the early history of Disney, will enjoy "The Adventures of Oswald the Lucky Rabbit" very much. 01/10/08 Back to the main Cinema Tuesdays Reviews page More about the Cinema Tuesdays series  |
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