Average Reviews:
(More customer reviews)Once again, Disney is reaching into its vaults and releasing DVD collections of rarer material. This set focuses on behind the scenes footage showing the studio at work.
Disc One opens with "A Trip through the Walt Disney Studios." This was the first short of this kind Disney did. It also served as a promo to movie houses for Snow White. The optional pop-ups are interesting, and I loved getting a chance to see the first studio.
"How Walt Disney Cartoons are made" is a slight edit released to the general public to build excitement for Snow White. Both of these were included on last year's release of that movie.
The last item on the first disc is "The Reluctant Dragon." In it, Robert Benchley takes a tour while trying to find Walt to pitch a story idea. There are several fun animated sequences as well.
Disc Two is three episodes of Disneyland that break the animation process down further. This is the real meat of the set. They are a fun mix of explanation and clips from their movies and each end with a segment from Fantasia.
"The Story of the Animated Drawing" has a fascinating look at the history that lead up to Disney. I'd never realized some of what came before. This one is shown in black and white, but it still interesting to watch.
"The Plausible Impossible" focuses on story-telling in animation. It features the famous "Music in Your Soup" sequence that was cut from Snow White. This was the first time I'd seen it all the way through, and I'm shocked it was cut.
The last episode, "Tricks of Our Trade," focuses on things animators do to help them draw realistically. Not much I didn't know here, but still fun to watch.
Maybe it just takes repetition with me, but I'm finally getting a picture of how animation works, and I've watched shows like these numerous times. As always, Disney educates us in a fun manner and manages to promo some of his own projects as well.
The set is great for the collector and serious Disney fan. Leonard Maltin is an informed and enthusiastic host, as always. (I want his job!) The sound is adequate, but the picture could have used a touch up in spots. This is especially true on disc two when they are showing clips from their films. Still, it serves the purpose well. I also wish that they had included chapter breaks, especially in the 80 minute "Reluctant Dragon." But, the information is so good I don't really mind.
Any fan of animation will love getting to see how things are really done. I think I finally have a complete picture of all the work that goes into making a cartoon of any length. Well worth the money and time spent.
Click Here to see more reviews about: Walt Disney Treasures - Behind the Scenes at the Walt Disney Studio (1941)
This volume goes inside the walls of the world’s most famous magic factory for an inside tour, via several "behind-the-scenes" films and television shows.
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