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(More customer reviews)Personally, I do collect the Disney Treasures tins, so for me there were only two shorts of interest in this DVD collection of 7 Disney animated shorts, but I decided one of those was reason enough to make the purchase. And with that in mind, I was slightly disappointed. But more on that later.
As previously stated, this first volume of Disney's 4 volume (so far) "It's a Small World of Fun" line is a collection of seven short Disney cartoons. Six of these cartoons are theatrically released classics. The seventh is a first-see for Americans, "Grievance of a Starmaker" from 2002, and was the result of a Japanese story-writing contest. The winner's story was made into a Disney animated short, and this DVD is the first and only way for Americans to currently see the short. Now, the idea behind the title of this DVD line and how the shorts were selected for it is that each short represents a different part of the world. Naturally, the line title is taken from that very popular Disney theme park ride/song, "It's a Small World (After All)". Unfortunately, the song is not featured anywhere on the disc, not even on the menu, which would have been nice.
Here is the line-up:
1. "The Flying Gauchito" (South America): This short was originally part of the 1944 feature "The Three Caballeros", but was released as a solo short the next year. It is the story of a little boy who captures a winged, flying Donkey and tries to use him to win a horse race and get rich. A very enjoyable short, but the major flaw of this collection because the print used looks like something you'd find on a $1.00 DVD of a public domain cartoon. The picture is shaky and loaded with artifacts. You're better off getting this one in the context of Three Caballeros, which is a wonderful film anyway. Luckily, the rest of the shorts on this disc are of excellent quality.
2. "In Dutch" (Holland): This 1946 Pluto cartoon presents his romance with Dina the Dachshund as a setup for trouble. Pluto's mistake of an accidental false alarm causes their village to simply not pay attention to him later when the nearby dyke really springs a leak and only he and Dina know!
3. "Goliath II" (India): All Jungle Book fanatics like myself should enjoy this 1960 treat about a tiny little elephant who is a pain to his herd until the day comes when he is the only one who can save it. Sterling Holloway provides his always charming narration.
4. "Mickey Down Under" (Australia): From 1948, this classic Mickey cartoon features Pluto's problems with Mickey's boomerang and Mickey's troubles with an angry mother ostrich.
5. "African Diary" (Africa): Goofy heads out on safari accompanied by narration until a run-in with a rhino sends him packing! Hilarious Goofy antics from 1945.
6. "A Cowboy Needs a Horse" (U.S.A.): Brimming with 50's nostalgia, this musical treat is a boy's fantasy of being a cowboy and done in some delightfully stylized animation from 1956. A longtime favorite of mine.
7. "Grievance of a Starmaker" (Japan): From 2002, this short tells the tale of a little boy who wonders where all the stars have gone. He sets out to find the old starmaker, and when he does, he befriends him. It seems the starmaker is upset that pollution has dirtied his stars and no one seems to care, but through hard work, the little boy cleans all the stars and earns them back for the world. It's a cute little story, but feels rather rushed and while some like the animation style used, it looked rather like simple Flash animation to me (or one of those home computer styles, I'm really not an expert on them) and not really all that charming. Not terrible though.
So, there you have it. If you don't have these shorts, this is definitely worth owning. Not that I would pay too much, as it's only around 55 minutes and has no bonus features. Incidentally, I do like the colorful cover art, but a funny side note is that pictured on the back as a scene from "The Flying Gauchito" is actually a scene from a totally different cartoon not even on this set, "Pedro" (the little airplane) from Saludos Amigos, ha (Pedro's short is actually on It's a Small World of Fun volume 2). As for my personal issues, like I said, I already had many of these but bought it for two: The Flying Gauchito and Grievance of a Starmaker. Truth is, since I own The Three Caballeros, I didn't care much about getting the short version of Fying Gauchito but saw it as a bonus. I mainly bought this for Grievance. But that doesn't excuse the awful quality in which Gauchito was presented, for which I'll be docking this disc one star. But I was more disappointed in Grievance due to both how rushed and how short it was (4 minutes and 4 seconds, I believe) and how cheap the animation appeared. Stylized is one thing, but to me this just looked cheap. Nevertheless, I do not regret buying this DVD. As a Disney completist, I had to get Grievance for my collection, and I certainly don't mind having backups/quicker access to the other shorts on here than fumbling through my Treasures sets. So, if you don't own these shorts, this is worth getting, but if you have all the Treasures collections and Three Caballeros, you'll have to decide for yourself if you are a completist or not and NEED "Grievance of a Starmaker".
Click Here to see more reviews about: Walt Disney's It's a Small World of Fun, Vol. 1 (1946)
You'll discover that it truly is a small world after all as you travel around the globe with this sensational animated collection. Follow a host of lovable Disney characters as they star in magical adventures from all across the world. Sit back and laugh as you enjoy these unforgettable stories, including the hilarious exploits of "The Flying Gauchito," from South America, and watch as a young boy learns to make the heavens shine in Japan's "Grievance Of A Starmaker." Join Mickey, Goofy, Pluto, and more of their friends from around the world in a wonderful collection of tales your whole family will adore!
Click here for more information about Walt Disney's It's a Small World of Fun, Vol. 1 (1946)
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