Special Features:
Introduction by Film Historian Leonard Maltin
Disc One:
“The Sorcerer’s Apprentice”
Deleted Animation From “The Sorcerer’s Apprentice”
“Mickey and the Beanstalk”
Disc Two:
“Mickey’s Cartoon Comeback”
“The Voice Behind the Mouse”
Mickey Mouse Club Titles in Color
“Mickey Meets the Maestro”
Mouse Mania
Mickey Cartoon Physics from “Plausible Impossible”
Mickey on the Camera Stand from “Tricks of Our Trade”
“The Making of Mickey’s Christmas Carol”
Publicity and Memorabilia Gallery
Story and Background Art Gallery
Other Info:
Fullscreen (1.33:1)
Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround Sound
Running Time: 5 Hours 45 Minutes
Synopsis:
This continues the outstanding “Walt Disney Treasures” series featuring classics raided from the Disney vaults. Leonard Maltin hosts these looks back in time.
This is the second DVD featuring Mickey Mouse and it contains his cartoons from 1939 Today. The following cartoons are included in this set:
1939: Society Dog Show, The Pointer
1940: Tugboat Mickey, Pluto’s Dream House, Mr. Mouse Takes a Trip
1941: The Little Whirlwind, The Nifty Nineties, Orphans Benefit
1942: Mickey’s Birthday Party, Symphony Hour
1947: Mickey’s Delayed Date
1948: Mickey Down Under, Mickey and the Seal
1951: Plutopia, R’Coon Dawg
1952: Pluto’s Party, Pluto’s Christmas Tree
1953: The Simple Things,
Mickey’s Christmas Carol
The Prince and the Pauper
Runaway Brain
Also included are a number of looks at how the cartoons were made and interviews with the people responsible for bring Mickey Mouse to life.
This DVD is a limited edition that consists of 175,000 sets.
The Movie:
These Disney Treasures continue to be outstanding looks at the history of Walt Disney’s work. They are required viewing for any film history buff or animation buff. These cartoons wouldn’t have otherwise seen the light of day because they are somewhat dated in look or occasionally un-PC in content. To have them available here truly makes them a treasure.
But despite the old animation and dated look, children and adults both still love them. I sat my 5 year old and 2 year old in front of the TV to watch them and they loved them. They laughed at Pluto, cheered when Mickey came on screen, and begged to see more after each short cartoon. And with 5 hours and 45 minutes of content, that will keep them entertained for quite a while. For that alone parents may find them to be worth the money.
Leonard Maltin continues to be a likable and enthusiastic host. He dishes out all sorts of interesting trivia about the animation. You’ll definitely be a Mickey expert after having listened to him. As you watch, it’s interesting to see how Mickey has transformed over the years. You see him from his black and white rat version all the way to the present day Mickey. It’s a drastic difference but a subtle transformation over the years.
All in all, this is a fantastic DVD well worth adding to your collection.
The Extras:
Here are some of the highlights included on this two disc set:
“The Sorcerer’s Apprentice” This is Mickey’s classic performance from Fantasia. It was landmark for his character and is appropriately included here.
Deleted Animation From “The Sorcerer’s Apprentice” This shows a different version of Mickey chopping up the magic broom. Rather than see him hack it in silhouette, you see him do it entirely on screen. It’s a small difference, but one worth noting.
“Mickey and the Beanstalk” This is the classic cartoon with Goofy and Donald. Any kid who grew up with Disney knows this one.
“The Voice Behind the Mouse” In this featurette, you meet Wayne Allwine and Russi Taylor, the voices of Mickey and Minnie. They both discuss how they won the roles of the characters, their thoughts on the mice, and more. You even find out that the two are a couple in real life. It’s quite interesting to see the voice behind the character we all know and love.
Mickey Mouse Club Titles in Color These are the five introductions from the old Mickey Mouse Club, this time in color as opposed to their black and white versions seen on TV. They are also noteworthy because they represent the last time Mickey was voiced by Walt Disney himself.
“Mickey Meets the Maestro” This shows how Mickey met conductor James Levine in Fantasia 2000. It shows how the scene echoed his meeting with Stokowski in the original Fantasia. It also shows how the scene was made with green screen and animation added later.
Mouse Mania This is a clip from a 50th anniversary special honoring Mickey. In it, Mickey merchandise parades around a psychologists office. Weird, but a rare find.
Mickey Cartoon Physics from “Plausible Impossible” This is a clip from a behind the scenes feature which can be found on another Disney Treasures DVD.
Mickey on the Camera Stand from “Tricks of Our Trade” This is also a short segment from another Disney Treasures feature. In it, Mickey helps demonstrate how animation is filmed.
“The Making of Mickey’s Christmas Carol” This is a “making of feature from the 80s showing how the movie was made. It’s interesting to see how young all the actors and animators were back then.
The Bottom Line:
This is required viewing for any animation fan or film history buff. Children will also thoroughly enjoy it.
