![Review Walt Disney Home Video / Snow White And The Seven Dwarfs - Ltd Edition Collector's Box Set (2 Disc + Book) [1938]](http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/41HAQTGJ0RL._SL160_.jpg)
Actors & Directors
- Lucille La Verne
- David Hand
- Stuart Buchanan
- Roy Atwell
- Adriana Caselotti
- Harry Stockwell
Run time: 80 min.
Creator: Richard Creedon
RRP: £24.99
Price: £79.95
Review Snow White And The Seven Dwarfs - Ltd Edition Collector's Box Set (2 Disc + Book) [1938] / Walt Disney Home Video:Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs was nicknamed "Disney's Folly" by contemporary observers; they doubted that the short cartoons shown before the main film could ever successfully make the transition from filler to feature presentation. Surely, no one would sit still for over an hour to watch an animated film, their eyes smarting from the bright colours on screen? Fortunately, Walt Disney and his army of artists persisted and the world's first full-length animated feature was finally released in 1937 to widespread acclaim. Adapted from the Grimm fairytale, Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs is chillingly dark in places, reflecting its roots in European folklore, but the deft Disney touch ensures that the overall tone remains light and the story develops apace, swept along on the perfect musical score. Any lingering gloom is quickly dispelled by the superbly characterised dwarfs and by the humorous antics of the various irresistible fauna that threaten to steal the show in several scenes. The pioneering animation is breathtaking and songs such as "Heigh Ho, Heigh Ho" and "Whistle While You Work", now firmly embedded in popular culture, are seamlessly interwoven with the action. Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs happens to be an interesting technological milestone in cinema history-it is also an enduring masterpiece of family entertainment. To the millions who have fallen under its spell over the years, this magical fairy tale remains one of Disney's most enchanting and best-loved films. Only Grumpy could resist. -Helen Baker On the DVD: the video quality on this DVD is stunningly clear. Though it is noticeable that the film is nearly 65 years old, Disney has done a great job in the cleaning process: the bright colours shine clearly, the blacks are deep and the whites clear. [+]There is little to no visible wearing on the film and the digital transfer has done wonders in restoring Snow White and her seven little pals. The sound is very clear and you get a real sense, in places, of the newly mastered 5. 1 Dolby Sound enhancements that have been added, making for enjoyable listening to the well-loved songs. The extras on disk one are plentiful and give a real insight into the making of Snow White. Little was done in 1937 for the filming of behind-the-scenes documentaries, but what could have been included has been. The audio commentary is strung together from interviews with Walt Disney himself, all of which are fascinating, and to keep the kids happy there is a familiar Disney sing-along and a Dopey game to play. The disk two extras are packed with information on the movie and Disney, from the 3-D virtual tour of the Snow White kingdom, that also has some documentary information, to an outtakes section showing abandoned footage and ideas that were never included in the final movie. There is also an informative timeline of the creation of the Walt Disney Studios that includes some deleted scenes from the movie. Altogether, great additions to a classic film. -Robert Hyde.
![Review Walt Disney Video / Sing Along Songs: Disneyland Fun - It's a Small World [1990] (REGION 1) (NTSC)](http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51T%2Bt7RECRL._SL160_.jpg)
Actors & Directors
- David Bantly
- Corey Burton
- Jim Cummings
- Wayne Allwine
- Tony Anselmo
Run time: 29 min.
Price: £6.37
Review Sing Along Songs: Disneyland Fun - It's a Small World [1990] (REGION 1) (NTSC) / Walt Disney Video:
Actors & Directors
- David Ogden Stiers
- Robby Benson
- Bernadette Peters
- Jerry Orbach
- Andrew Knight
- Paige O'Hara
Run time: 68 min.
Creator: Flip Kobler
RRP: £9.99
Price: £3.40
Review Beauty And The Beast: The Enchanted Christmas (Disney) / Walt Disney Home Video:Obviously the Disney suits gave more than two figs about the legacy from the first Beast film, as they reassembled the former cast and spent some cash on production and tune-smithing for this straight-to-video effort. The events unfold between the time in the first film where Belle bartered herself to the Beast and her later return to the village to save her father. So the Beast's heart still hasn't been melted yet and he's susceptible to the inky persuasions of Forte (Tim Curry), a malevolent pipe organ (and former music teacher to the prince). Belle is still trying to win over the Beast and decides that bringing Christmas to the castle will be the way to do it. Please control that gag reflex for this does work remarkably well and though entirely unnecessary and certainly not a complement to the original, it doesn't tarnish its good name. -Keith Simanton.
Actors & Directors
- Minnie Driver
- Kevin Lima
- Chris Buck
- Brian Blessed
- Glenn Close
- Nigel Hawthorne
- Tony Goldwyn
Run time: 88 min.
Creator: David Reynolds
RRP: £14.99
Price: £2.99
Review Tarzan (1999) Disney / Walt Disney Home Video:After watching Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, Edgar Rice Burroughs wrote to Walt Disney about adapting his novel of an ape-man into a feature animated cartoon. Some 60 years later, the tale is finally told with brilliant design work that looks unlike any previous animated film. The story is a natural for Disney since the themes of misunderstood central figures have been at the heart of its recent hits. Disney's Tarzan doesn't wander far from the familiar story of a shipwrecked baby who is brought up by apes in Africa. What gives the film its zing is its clever use of music (the songs are sung by Phil Collins himself rather than onscreen characters) and the remarkable animation. Deep Canvas, a 3-D technology, was developed for the film, creating a jungle that comes alive as Tarzan swings through the trees, often looking like a modern skateboarder racing down giant tree limbs. The usual foray of sidekicks, including a rambunctious ape voiced by Rosie O'Donnell, should keep the little ones aptly entertained. The two lead voices, Tony Goldwyn as Tarzan and Minnie Driver as Jane, are inspired choices. Their chemistry helps the story through the weakest points (the last third) and makes Tarzan's initial connection with all things human (including Jane) delicious entertainment. Disney still is not taking risks in its animated films, but as cookie-cutter entertainment, Tarzan makes a pretty good treat. [+]-Doug Thomas.
![Review Walt Disney Home Video / Mickey's House Of Villains [2002]](http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/41XJT2F0XHL._SL160_.jpg)
Actors & Directors
- Tress MacNeille
- Jamie Mitchell
- Wayne Allwine
- Russi Taylor
- Rick Schneider
- Tony Anselmo
- Bill Farmer
Run time: 65 min.
Creator: Kevin Campbell
RRP: £14.99
Price: £3.19
Review Mickey's House Of Villains [2002] / Walt Disney Home Video:Mickey's House of Mouse Villains seeks to do for Halloween what Mickey's Magical Christmas: Snowed In at the House of Mouse (2001) did for Yuletide. It's an anthology set on Halloween in the titular house, a nightclub where characters-including Donald Duck, Goofy, Jafar, Cruella de Vil, and Captain Hook-gather to watch Disney cartoons. There's a perfunctory framing plot with the villains taking over the House, but the 65 minutes is almost entirely filled by eight short cartoons. Five are very recent, with clinically clean computer animation, and three are vintage gems glowing with the warm detailed look of Golden Age Disney. These are Trick or Treat (1952), Donald Duck and the Gorilla (1944), and Lonesome Ghosts (1937), in which Mickey, Donald and Goofy star in what was surely the inspiration for Ghostbusters. The best of the new adventures is Mickey's Mechanical House, in which the mouse moves into a futuristic house which goes disastrously wrong. It's made all the more entertaining by a poetic rhyming narration delivered by John Cleese. Young children will love it all, while older fans may prefer a compilation of vintage Disney shorts. On the DVD: Mickey's House of Mouse Villains DVD contains a well-designed animated quiz game, "Wheel of Misfortune", that should entertain young fans for a while. Otherwise, the extras consist of three trailers and a "Fright Reel": a three-minute compilation of Disney clips with two Dolby Digital 5. [+]1 soundtracks. The choice amounts to the same sound effects with or without music. The sound is good, except for the three vintage animations, which are in mono. The picture is 4:3 and is generally very sharp, though varies a little with the source material. -Gary S Dalkin.
![Review Walt Disney Home Video / The Rescuers (Disney) [1977]](http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51WB6K492FL._SL160_.jpg)
Actors & Directors
- Bob Newhart
- Wolfgang Reitherman
- John Lounsbery
- Art Stevens
- Geraldine Page
- Eva Gabor
- Joe Flynn
- Jeanette Nolan
Run time: 76 min.
Creator: Fred Lucky
RRP: £14.99
Price: £3.98
Review The Rescuers (Disney) [1977] / Walt Disney Home Video:What can two little mice possibly do to save an orphan girl who's fallen into evil hands? With The Rescuers anything is possible! As members of the mouse-run International Rescue Aid Society, Bernard and Miss Bianca respond to orphan Penny's call for help. The two mice search for clues and with the help of an old cat named Rufus they track Penny to the clutches of the evil Madame Medusa in a dilapidated ship in Devil's Bayou. It turns out that Medusa is using Penny to locate and retrieve the Devil's Eye Diamond-a stone she'll stop at nothing to possess. With a cunning plan, courageous acts, cooperation from local animal life and lots of faith, Bernard and Miss Bianca try to help Penny find the diamond and escape from Medusa. This somewhat dark, classic 1977 animated Disney film is based on Margery Sharp's book, The Rescuers and Miss Bianca, and features the Academy Award-nominated song "Someone's Waiting for You". Voice talents include Eva Gabor as Miss Bianca, Bob Newhart as Bernard, Geraldine Page as Madame Medusa and Jim Jordan as Orville Albatross. The sequel is The Rescuers Down Under. (Ages 5 to 11) -Tami Horiuchi, Amazon. com.
Actors & Directors
- Jack Kinney
- Jack King
- Jack Hannah
- Clarence Nash
- Walt Disney
- Tom Tryon
- Dick Lundy
- Slim Pickens
- Roger Mobley
Run time: 230 min.
Creator: Dick Kinney
Price: £17.19
Review The Walt Disney Treasures: The Chronological Donald, Vol. 2 - 1942-1946 (REGION 1) (NTSC) / Walt Disney Video:
Actors & Directors
- Ward Kimball
- Jeff Kurtti
- Willy Ley
- Dick Tufeld
- Hamilton Luske
- Ward Kimball
- Heinz Haber
- Walt Disney
Run time: 240 min.
Creator: Leonard Maltin
Price: £17.20
Review Walt Disney Treasures: Walt's Tomorrowland - Disney in Space and Beyond (REGION 1) (NTSC) / Walt Disney Video:
![Review Walt Disney Home Video / Beauty And The Beast: The Enchanted Christmas [1997]](http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/515FJ2MZEJL._SL160_.jpg)
Actors & Directors
- Jerry Orbach
- Paige O'Hara
- David Ogden Stiers
- Robby Benson
- Bernadette Peters
- Andrew Knight
Run time: 68 min.
Creator: Flip Kobler
RRP: £12.99
Price: £32.95
Review Beauty And The Beast: The Enchanted Christmas [1997] / Walt Disney Home Video:Obviously the Disney suits gave more than two figs about the legacy from the first Beast film, as they reassembled the former cast and spent some cash on production and tune-smithing for this straight-to-video effort. The events unfold between the time in the first film where Belle bartered herself to the Beast and her later return to the village to save her father. So the Beast's heart still hasn't been melted yet and he's susceptible to the inky persuasions of Forte (Tim Curry), a malevolent pipe organ (and former music teacher to the prince). Belle is still trying to win over the Beast and decides that bringing Christmas to the castle will be the way to do it. Please control that gag reflex for this does work remarkably well and though entirely unnecessary and certainly not a complement to the original, it doesn't tarnish its good name. -Keith Simanton.
Actors & Directors
- Merwin Goldsmith
- Larry Kenney
- John Crenshaw
- Phil Hartman
- Masaki Îzuka
- Earl Hammond
Run time: 56 min.
Creator: Romeo Muller
Price: £9.99
Review Sing Along Songs - Very Merry Christmas Songs / The Twelve Days Of Christmas (Disney) / Walt Disney Home Video:
Actors & Directors
- Sebastian Cabot
- Junius Matthews
- Ginny Tyler
- Karl Swenson
- Rickie Sorensen
- Wolfgang Reitherman
Run time: 76 min.
Creator: T.H. White
Price: £14.99
Review The Sword In The Stone (1963) (Disney) / Walt Disney Home Video:As far as Disney is concerned, The Sword in the Stone was a portent of things to come, with slapstick upstaging storytelling, and cultural in-jokes substituting for wonder. Based on TH White's beloved novel The Once and Future King, this Disney version chronicles King Arthur's boyish adventures. There's much to enjoy here as coach Merlin the magician shows the young Arthur, nicknamed Wart, the skills that will help him become the future ruler of the Britons. The transformation sequences, where the boy is turned into a fish, a bird and a squirrel are vintage Disney. The oft-repeated scene of Merlin battling it out with mean old Madame Mim still is worth a few chuckles, but it underlines the problem with most of the film-most of its scenes are only played for laughs. References by Merlin to television and other items of modern life also mar the generally innocuous landscape. Younger children will like it, while older kids will find it slower compared with recent Disney films. -Keith Simanton, Amazon. com.
Actors & Directors
- Glenn Close
- Kevin Lima
- Minnie Driver
- Nigel Hawthorne
- Chris Buck
- Tony Goldwyn
- Brian Blessed
Run time: 88 min.
Creator: David Reynolds
RRP: £24.99
Price: £17.34
Review Tarzan (1999) Disney - Collector's Edition (2 Disc) / Walt Disney Home Video:After viewing Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, Edgar Rice Burroughs wrote to Walt Disney about adapting his novel of an ape-man into a feature animated cartoon. Sixty odd years later, the tale is finally told with brilliant design work that looks unlike any previous animated film. The story is a natural for Disney since the themes of misunderstood central figures have been at the heart of most of its recent hits. Disney's Tarzan doesn't wander far from the familiar story of a shipwrecked baby who is brought up by apes in Africa. What gives the film its zing is its clever use of music (the songs are sung by Phil Collins himself rather than onscreen characters) and the remarkable animation. Deep Canvas, a 3-D technology, was developed for the film, creating a jungle that comes alive as Tarzan swings through the trees, often looking like a modern skateboarder racing down giant tree limbs. The usual foray of sidekicks, including a rambunctious ape voiced by Rosie O'Donnell, should keep the little ones aptly entertained. The two lead voices, Tony Goldwyn as Tarzan and Minnie Driver as Jane, are inspired choices. Their chemistry helps the story through the weakest points (the last third) and makes Tarzan's initial connection with all things human (including Jane) delicious entertainment. Disney still is not taking risks in its animated films, but as cookie-cutter entertainment, Tarzan makes a pretty good treat. [+]On the DVD: It's the dish-mistakes, unused footage, creative differences, embarrassing behind-the-scene stories-that makes collector's editions so much fun. Unfortunately, this goes against the Disney philosophy of picture-perfection, and this two-set disc shows it; only half of the new material is engaging. The other half of this second disc, the "Tarzan Archives," is a slickly produced filler-more publicity fluff than real insight on the development of the film and the animation process. Much better are the three abandoned scenes (with voices and storyboards), including a much fiercer opening and ending, plus dozens of sketches made over the years as the designers pursued the luscious look of the film. The original audio demos Phil Collins made for the film are also intriguing (mostly filled with dummy or place-holding lyrics). The new audio commentary (by the producer and two directors) is a "fireside chat" variety, hardly worth more than one listen. Two side-by-side comparisons of storyboards to final film are a great tool to show youngsters how the animated process works, as is animator Glen Keane's talks on animating Tarzan. Also for kids: a read-along book and trivia game. -Doug Thomas.
![Review Walt Disney Home Video / Pocahontas [1995]](http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51P654AWPCL._SL160_.jpg)
Actors & Directors
- Linda Hunt
- Eric Goldberg
- Mel Gibson
- Judy Kuhn
- Mike Gabriel
- Christian Bale
- Irene Bedard
Run time: 78 min.
Creator: Chris Buck
RRP: £19.99
Price: £19.75
Review Pocahontas [1995] / Walt Disney Home Video:The lowest point in Disney's opportunistic revisionism of source stories for its animated features in the 1990s, Pocahontas presents the title character (voiced by Irene Bedard) as a voluptuous Indian babe who falls for the British plunderer Captain John Smith (Mel Gibson). Half-baked if trendy paganism abounds in the film's depiction of nature as possessing consciousness (though talking trees certainly aren't new to cartoons). But the dubious legitimacy of the film's premise and characterisations calls everything into question. The songs by Alan Menken and Stephen Schwartz-while Oscar-winning-fall short of the standard Menken achieved in superior Disney predecessors including The Little Mermaid, Beauty and the Beast and Aladdin. -Tom Keogh.
Actors & Directors
- Ralph Zondag
- Samuel E. Wright
- Ossie Davis
- D.B. Sweeney
- Julianna Margulies
- Eric Leighton
- Alfre Woodard
Run time: 79 min.
Creator: Tamara Lusher
RRP: £24.99
Price: £24.99
Review Dinosaur - Collector's Edition (Disney) (2000) / Walt Disney Home Video:Dinosaurs come alive like never before in this costly computer-animated film from Disney. After a breathtaking opening (a dino egg is kidnapped), the film changes style; realistic dinosaurs are given human characteristics and voices. The kidnapped egg grows into an iguanodon named Aladar (voiced by DB Sweeney), who is raised by lemurs (shades of Tarzan) on a lush island void of other dinosaurs. When a meteorite destroys their island home in a thrilling sequence, the lemur family and Aladar become part of a dinosaur troop roaming the mainland deserts looking for the lush nesting grounds (shades of the fourth instalment of the Land Before Time series and Fantasia). Disney's use of cheeky modern slang (one lemur calls himself "a love monkey") is present, as is its typical capital-punishment narrative logic: anyone against our forward-thinking hero (or even disagreeing with him) ends up dead. Curiously, the meanies, a pair of carnotaurs following the group, are nameless and voiceless. This more realistic approach might have been a bigger wow, as in the BBC's Walking with Dinosaurs, which looked extraordinary with only a fraction of the budget. The complexity and scope of Dinosaur's visual scale is impressive, and group shots and a point-of-view angle are stunning. The film should be a favourite for the 6 to 11-year-old set. -Doug Thomas, Amazon. [+]com.
Release date: 2005-01-11
Run time: 63 min.
Price: £3.93
Review Walt Disney's Classic Cartoon Favorites: Vol. 4 - Starring Chip 'n' Dale (REGION 1) (NTSC) / Chip N Dale:
Actors & Directors
- Kathleen Battle
- James Levine
- Hendel Butoy
- Ralph Grierson
- Eric Goldberg
- Don Hahn
- Gaëtan Brizzi
- Leopold Stokowski
- Francis Glebas
- Steve Martin
Run time: 71 min.
RRP: £19.99
Price: £69.99
Review Fantasia 2000 / Walt Disney Home Video:More ambitious in scope than any of its other animated films (before or to come), Disney's 1940 Fantasia was a dizzying, magical and highly enjoyable marriage of classical music and animated images. Fantasia 2000, originally made for the IMAX large-screen format, features some breathtaking animation and storytelling, and in a few spots soars to wonderful high points, but it still more often than not has the feel of walking in its predecessor's footsteps as opposed to creating its own path. A family of whales swimming and soaring to Respighi's The Pines of Rome is magical to watch, but ends all too soon; a forest sprite's dance of life, death and rebirth to Stravinsky's The Rite of Spring too clearly echoes the original Fantasia's Night on Bald Mountain/Ave Maria sequence. But when it's on target, Fantasia 2000 is glorious enough to make you giddy. Hans Christian Andersen's "The Steadfast Tin Soldier" is a perfect narrative set to Shostakovich's Piano Concerto No. 2, and Donald Duck's guest appearance as the assistant to Noah (of the Ark fame) set to Elgar's Pomp and Circumstance marches is a welcome companion piece (though not an equal) to The Sorcerer's Apprentice, the one original Fantasia piece included here. The high point of Fantasia 2000, though, is a fantastic day-in-the-life sequence of 1930s New York City set to Gershwin's Rhapsody in Blue and animated in the style of cartoonist Al Hirschfeld; it's a perfect melding of music, story and animation style. Let's hope future Fantasias (reportedly in the works) take a cue from the best of this compilation. The music is provided by the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, conducted by James Levine, interspersed with negligible intros by Steve Martin, Bette Midler, Itzhak Perlman, James Earl Jones and others. -Mark EnglehartFantasia and Fantasia 2000 are also available together in the three-disc DVD Fantasia Collection.
![Review Walt Disney Home Video / Beauty & The Beast: Special Edition (2 Disc Collectors Edition) [1992]](http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51VZ55C1T5L._SL160_.jpg)
Actors & Directors
- Robby Benson
- Gary Trousdale
- Paige O'Hara
- David Ogden Stiers
- Jerry Orbach
- Richard White
- Kirk Wise
Run time: 81 min.
Creator: Jeanne-Marie Leprince de Beaumont
RRP: £24.99
Price: £107.99
Review Beauty & The Beast: Special Edition (2 Disc Collectors Edition) [1992] / Walt Disney Home Video:The film that officially signalled Disney's animation renaissance and the only animated feature to receive a Best Picture Oscar nomination, Beauty and the Beast remains the yardstick by which all other animated films should be measured. It relates the story of Belle, a bookworm with a dotty inventor for a father; when he inadvertently offends the Beast (a prince whose heart is too hard to love anyone besides himself), Belle boldly takes her father's place, imprisoned in the Beast's gloomy mansion. Naturally, Belle teaches the Beast to love. What makes this such a dazzler, besides the amazingly accomplished animation and the winning coterie of supporting characters (the Beast's mansion is overrun by quipping, dancing household items) is the array of beautiful and hilarious songs by composer Alan Menken and the late, lamented lyricist Howard Ashman, (winning the 1991 Oscar for Best Song and Menken's score won a trophy as well). The downright funniest song is "Gaston", a lout's paean to himself (including the immortal line, "I use antlers in all of my de-co-ra-ting"). "Be Our Guest" is transformed into an inspired Busby Berkeley homage. Since Ashman's passing, animated musicals haven't quite reached the same exhilarating level of wit, sophistication and pure joy. -David Kronke, Amazon. comOn the DVD: Beauty and the Beast's regular DVD release still offers some special features, but doesn't hold a candle to the Collector's Edition. The "making-of" featurette is informative charting the production from Walt Disney's original idea to the final musical version. [+]"The Story Behind the Story" shows the origins of many of Disney's adapted fairy tales. The two games are fun, if a little slow to load. Celine Dion's original video is slightly on the dull side, but Jump 5's remixed version of "Tale as Old as Time" is just ridiculous. As always the sing-along track is great fun for all budding Belles or Beasts in the house. The transfer is as pristine as could be expected from a 1991 release. On the DVD: Beauty and the Beast's two-disc Collector's Edition really is the stuff of fairy tales. Disc 1 has three versions of the movie, the best being the "Work in Progress" edition which offers the unfinished film, sketch lines and all. The theatrical cut has a pristine transfer and the sound is immaculate. The director's commentary relies on a lot on name-dropping and you'll find more interesting insight in the "making-of" feature on the second disc. The sing-a-long track (as with all Disney releases) is fantastic, particularly for such a well-loved score. Disc 2 is packed full of information, fun and games. The best of the informative features is "Animation Magic", an intelligent look into the production of Disney cartoons. In the games section you'll need to head straight for the West Wing to continue an adventure with Chip (Tip: finish the game "Maurice's Workshop" first), but get your fingers warmed up as it needs a little remote control action. This disc only really falls down on the slowness of some of its games and the appalling remix video of "Tale as Old as Time". -Nikki Disney.
![Review Walt Disney Video / Disney's Chip 'N' Dale: Rescue Rangers, Vol. 2 [2006] (REGION 1) (NTSC)](http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51sxIcAEyXL._SL160_.jpg)
Actors & Directors
- Tress MacNeille
- Corey Burton
- Jim Cummings
- Peter Cullen
- Deborah Walley
Run time: 30 min.
Creator: Larry Swerdlove
Price: £17.49
Review Disney's Chip 'N' Dale: Rescue Rangers, Vol. 2 [2006] (REGION 1) (NTSC) / Walt Disney Video:
Release date: 2004-12-07
Run time: 334 min.
Price: £17.01
Review Walt Disney Treasures: Mickey Mouse in Black and White, Vol. 2: 1928-1935 (REGION 1) (NTSC) / Mickey Mouse:
Release date: 2003-04-07
Run time: 51 min.
RRP: £14.99
Price: £2.99
Review Walt Disney's Fables - Vol. 2 / Disney Fables:Raiding the Disney archives, Walt Disney Fables Volume 2 is a collection of animated fairy tales from as early as the mid-1930s. Of the two volumes, this is perhaps better suited to younger children, featuring as it does a succession of short, easy-to-follow stories told through bright, colourful characters and songs. It may not feature any of Disney's more recognisable creations, but the chosen fables are imbued with strong enough stories to hold the attention. The animation, while state-of-the-art in its day, comes over now as more than a little awkward and crude-especially in comparison to the studio's classic output of the 1960s. While not really an example of Disney at its best, this does give a good indication of the company's roots and the start of a process that would lead to countless magical moments along the way. On the DVD: Walt Disney Fables Volume 2 presents a snapshot of early animation and as such is not really amenable to technical enhancement, leaving an overall effect that offers no substantial improvement on the VHS format. The chapter selection, however, will be a boon for anyone who has sat through increasingly worn video tapes over the years. There is a reasonably appealing interactive game based on Disney's films over the years, yet with no other extras at all this is a long way short of the standard of presentation that the studio itself has set. The more satisfying first volume is also available. -Phil Udell.
| Models & Brands:
Snow White And The Seven Dwarfs - Ltd Edition Collector's Box Set (2 Disc + Book) [1938], Sing Along Songs: Disneyland Fun - It's a Small World [1990] (REGION 1) (NTSC), Beauty And The Beast: The Enchanted Christmas (Disney), Tarzan (1999) Disney, Mickey's House Of Villains [2002], The Rescuers (Disney) [1977], The Walt Disney Treasures: The Chronological Donald, Vol. 2 - 1942-1946 (REGION 1) (NTSC), Walt Disney Treasures: Walt's Tomorrowland - Disney in Space and Beyond (REGION 1) (NTSC), Beauty And The Beast: The Enchanted Christmas [1997], Sing Along Songs - Very Merry Christmas Songs / The Twelve Days Of Christmas (Disney), The Sword In The Stone (1963) (Disney), Tarzan (1999) Disney - Collector's Edition (2 Disc), Pocahontas [1995], Dinosaur - Collector's Edition (Disney) (2000), Walt Disney's Classic Cartoon Favorites: Vol. 4 - Starring Chip 'n' Dale (REGION 1) (NTSC), Fantasia 2000, Beauty & The Beast: Special Edition (2 Disc Collectors Edition) [1992], Disney's Chip 'N' Dale: Rescue Rangers, Vol. 2 [2006] (REGION 1) (NTSC), Walt Disney Treasures: Mickey Mouse in Black and White, Vol. 2: 1928-1935 (REGION 1) (NTSC), Walt Disney's Fables - Vol. 2 |
