Academy Awards Animation Collection: 15 Winners Review

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(More customer reviews)There's been a lot of vintage cartoon sets in the past year, but this one is one of the best for kids. Unlike the otherwise superb Chronological Donald Vol. 3 or Popeye the Sailor Vol. 1, this one features a wide variety of characters so it never starts to wear thin. And since it's only one disc, it doesn't require you to lay out big bucks in order to own some re-mastered classics. If you're a real animation buff, you may be happier with the expanded Warner Bros. Academy Awards Animation Collection - 15 Winners, 26 Nominees. It's this disc plus two more, with many other gems, all at a good price.
Here's a description of the cartoons on this DVD. I've starred my favorites:
1. THE MILKY WAY* (MGM, 1940)
Clear color, great clarity and a nice period song highlight this restored cute classic. When three little kittens lose their mittens, they're sent straight to bed -- where they dream that they sail a hot air balloon up into the Milky Way, a land overflowing with milk geysers and springs. The cartoon was the first Oscar winner that wasn't produced by Disney.
2. YANKEE DOODLE MOUSE* (MGM, 1943)
Typical Tom and Jerry antics doused in patriotic instrumentals such as "Anchors Aweigh" and "Over There." Dynamite, egg grenades and champagne-bottle corks are the weapons of choice. I'll admit I'm not the biggest Tom & Jerry fan, but my 13-year-old daughter loves this one.
3. MOUSE TROUBLE (MGM, 1944)
Tom's the one in trouble as he attempts to rid the house of Jerry, using the ideas in a book called "How to Catch a Mouse (A Random Mouse Book)."
4. QUIET PLEASE* (MGM, 1945)
Even I like this one. In fact, I LOVE this one! Though it's directed by Hanna and Barbera, Tex Avery's jaw-dropping influence is all through it. Funny gags, great character expressions! When a sleepy Spike threatens to kill Tom if the cat doesn't keep quiet ("If I hear one more sound I've gonna skin you alive, get it?"), Jerry tries to make as much noise as he can. Optional audio commentary by animator Mark Kausler highlights the contributions from many former Disney artists.
5. THE CAT CONCERTO* (MGM, 1947)
When Jerry disrupts Tom's grand piano performance of Liszt's Second Hungarian Rhapsody, Tom fights back while never missing a note. Optional audio commentary by animator Eric Goldberg. You know, I'm really starting to get into this Tom & Jerry stuff!
6. TWEETIE PIE* (Warner Bros., 1947)
A cat (here named Thomas, later known as Sylvester) uses a variety of screwball techniques as he tries to catch the little yellow bird in a series of short sketches. Vivid color! The first Sylvester and Tweety cartoon, and the first Warner Bros. short to win an Oscar.
7. THE LITTLE ORPHAN (MGM, 1949)
Tiny mouse Nibbles is always hungry, which causes trouble for Jerry.
8. FOR SCENT-IMENTAL REASONS* (Warner Bros., 1949)
The debut of Pepé Le Pew (my favorite Chuck Jones character), an amorous skunk who mistakes a black female cat for a potential mate. Pepé's influence can be seen in the Disney characters Lumiere from Beauty and the Beast as well as Capt. Jack Sparrow from the Pirates of the Caribbean films. Optional audio commentary by animator Greg Ford.
9. SO MUCH FOR SO LITTLE (Warner Bros., 1949)
This 10-minute animated PSA won the 1949 Oscar for Best Documentary Short. Its point: how federal public-health services can keep babies healthy and free from diseases. Cute, and better than it sounds, though scenes include such things as "untreated sewage running into our pretty creek." Optional audio commentary by animation historian Jerry Beck.
10. THE TWO MOUSEKETEERS (MGM, 1951)
Musketeers Jerry and Nibbles cause trouble for Royal Guard Tom at a king's banquet. Routine.
11. JOHANN MOUSE (MGM, 1952)
Tom learns to play the piano in an effort to catch Jerry, who can't help but dance whenever he hears a Johann Strauss waltz. MGM debuted a new-look Tom with this short, in which he first appears without the grey stripe between his eyes.
12. SPEEDY GONZALES* (Warner Bros., 1955)
They couldn't make this one today! To help his starving friends, the Mexican Don Juan mouse must sneak past makeshift border guard Sylvester and raid a U.S. cheese factory. When one of the friends proclaims "Speedy Gonzales a friend of my sister!" another replies "Speedy Gonzales friend of everybody's sister." Optional music-only audio track.
13. BIRDS ANONYMOUS (Warner Bros., 1957)
Sylvester tries to break his addiction to feathered food by joining Birds Anonymous, but the temptation of Tweety is too much. Includes the first appearance of Sylvester's fellow feline, Sam.
14. KNIGHTY-KNIGHT BUGS (Warner Bros., 1958)
On a quest for a Singing Sword, Bugs Bunny sneaks into the castle of the Black Knight, where he meets a fire-breathing, but sneezing dragon. Song: "Cuddle Up a Little Closer."
15. THE DOT AND THE LINE* (MGM, 1965)
A line loves a dot, but she's hot for a squiggle in this charming, colorful and witty 10-minute Chuck Jones gem. Subtitled "A Romance in Lower Mathematics," it's based on the 1963 book by architect and children's author Norton Juster. Optional audio commentary by Eric Goldberg. Optional music-only audio track.

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The Best of Warner Bros. Animation 16 Academy® Award Winning theatrical animated shorts. Category: Best Animated Short Subjects. Franchises include Warner Bros., Hanna-Barbera and MGM. Features 16 award winning shorts, some of the most celebrated cartoons of their time! Shorts: The Milky Way(1940) 2. The Blitz Wolf (1942) 3. Yankee Doodle Mouse (1943) 4. Mouse Trouble (1944) 5. Quiet Please (1945) 6. The Cat Concerto (1947) 7. Tweetie Pie (1947) 8. The Little Orphan (1949) 9. For Scent-Imental Reasons (1949) 10. So Much For So Little (1949) 11. Two Mouseketeers (1952) 12. Johann Mouse (1953) 13. Speedy Gonzales (1955) 14. Birds Anonymous (1957) 15. Knighty-Knight Bugs (1958) 16. The Dot And The Line (1965)

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