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Walt Disney Treasures - Silly Symphonies

Walt Disney Treasures - Silly Symphonies

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Rating: 4 stars
Summary: First Rate Material in a Third Rate Release.
Review: These wonderful cartoons deserve a better release than this. They have been cropped so severely on all sides that about thirty five to forty percent of the original image is lost. Not only are the proportions compromised, but parts of characters bodies and sometimes entire characters leave the screen. I don't suppose that Disney will re-release these shorts properly windowboxed anywhere in the near future, so we'll have to live with this release, but it's a frustrating disappointment.
The material itself is indispensible to animation buffs and fans of the original Disney cartoons.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: A great collection of early Disney work
Review: The Walt Disney Treasures collection of DVDs are great for any Disney fan or family to own. For early Walt Disney Company enthusiasts, this DVD set is a must own.

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: nothing's missing
Review: If you wonder why is the list of cartoons on the booklet is different from the list on screen, I don't know why but I did find "missing" cartoons with help of my computer. I looked at all contents of the disc and found them. I don't how to access The Practical Pig from the menu, but it's there. Also there are at least 5 (!) hidden features on Disc One. I looked through Disc One so far. You can access these "easter eggs" by highlighting various objects on the screen. (for example: word "Leonrd", a little sword, little angel etc.) This is a very beautiful DVD and has a lot of intersting cartoons, but it's so hard to find ones you want! Why did Disney do that?

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: ...totally delightful Disney...you can't go wrong ....
Review: ..with classic animation of this quality. Everyone will wish
for some favorite that is not included. I wish "Ferdinand
the Bull" were included. But what is included is simply
a history of Disney color animation beautifully produced.
Georgeous, entertaining, and delightful. If I were to turn
PRO I would probably sound too much like Leonard Maltin...
and there may be a few more minutes of Len than we would
actually need...he does seem to repeat himself...Probably
both he and I should be used sparingly. But nothing can
take away the delights of the animation on this two disc
set.

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: Pretty good way to educate your kids!
Review: I bought this dvd to entertain a little girl i know, and she absolutely loves it!

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: Wonderful shorts -- But
Review: Being a great fan of Disney's older shorts, I was thrilled when this came out. It's a wonderful compilation of short films -- BUT -- I really dislike the fact that so many of the cartoons are hidden. Looking at the table of contents in the accompanying brochure, my daughter immediately found a title she wanted to watch, but it was one of the hidden ones. I knew, from reading other reviews here, that you had to search, but they WEREN"T easy to find. I don't think, in fact, that we have managed to locate yet the title she wanted to see! I can think of no good reason for Disney to play games with us like that. If they say your going to have a particular cartoon, don't make us go on a treasure hunt to find it. (Hiding additional extras would be another matter entirely, and yes, they did that too.)
Still, looking forward to more of these. (More SS, B&W Mickeys, and more.)

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Another gem
Review: Disney truly stands the test of time. Even in this age of CGI the talent and spirit that went into these films shines through... It includes behind the scene looks into the process that went into creating these masterpieces. Not only entertaining, but informative as well.

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: Sumptuous Disc, perhaps too much talk.
Review: Whatever the outcome of Disney's current copyright entangles you cannot argue that the company doesn't take care of it's property.

I doubt you can find better quality prints of any films dating back over 70 years - 99% of them look brand new. There are some fantastic classics on the disc, along with many Silly Symphonies I had never seen. Good to see some of the black and white cartoons aswell! Also, I haven't encountered a disc with so many "easter eggs" before, it's always nice to get free stuff!

The only minor points (or major points depending on your point of view) are the following. Firstly, although the many Maltin documentaries included are fairly interesting and informative I doubt I will ever return to them. It may be nit-picking, but I would have preferred a couple more cartoons in their place. (Perhaps some of the early silent Disney "Laugh-o-grams" cartoons on which many of the ideas for the Symphonies were first based).

Secondly, Disney publicity claims the disc is UNCUT, whilst many of the films have reissue titles (a minor point, but one which is not referred to) and The Three Little Pigs is still presented in it's 1940s censored version. (Although we do see a tiny clip of the original censored material Maltin talks over it - it's not presented as part of a whole cartoon - therefore is still esentially "censored").

As I said, probably minor points - Disney should still be applauded for the disc. I would have liked, however, to have seen interviews or heard commentaries from survivng Disney animators. They won't be around forever.

Perhaps other companies who hold classic Hollywood animation to ransom should take note, and start releasing uncut, uncensored DVDs to the adult market - a market which accepts these films for what they are, true art forms of the 20th Century.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Sparkling, Little-Seen Disney Gems Are a Must!
Review: I am very pleased with thise remarkable DVD set, which include some of Disney's finest work from the early part of his career, the films he created in the thirties prior to moving into feature length works, and which the public of the present day are likely to be the least familiar with. A number of these films can be thought of as Disney's "test tubes" - experimental efforts in both animation technology and narrative form that would lay the foundation for Disney's later efforts. Though I've caught glimpses of some of the Silly Symphonies over the years, this is the first opportunity I've had to take a good look at many of these shorts. Simply, I was astonished; indeed, quite a few of these gems blew my socks off, displaying the sort of ingenuity, artistry and charm that, more lately, we've come to associate with the likes of Pixar features. (Needless to say, I would love to see Pixar try to recreate one of these in their own animation format - perhaps "Musicland" or "The Cookie Carnival") These films have a remarkable individuality and presence that was lost to some of the later Disney features, when Disney, busy with amusement parks, television and the tasks of empire building, relegated animation to a lesser perch. These films represent Disney as a brilliant, ambitious student, learning his craft, before he became "Disney" the business man with his carefully honed commercial instincts. Disney was never more innovative than during this period he was making Silly Symphonies in the thirties - and you can see his progress unfold before your eyes on these DVDs.

The menus take some effort to negotiate - contrary to what is claimed elsewhere, some of the easter eggs are difficult to find. The Practical Pig, Water Babies, and Farmyard Symphonies are not listed in the disc menus, but they are on the discs, some hidden in places you might not initially look - such as the captions menu! (Water Babies is hidden under The Robber Kitten's sword, which can only be accessed with a left to right cursor button, not up and down cursor. I found it by accident!)

All the same, though it is still early in 2002, these DVDs constitute one of the best releases of the year - already on my top ten list. Not to be missed!

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: Puts Modern Disney to Shame
Review: These shorts are magnificent, and a reminder of how Disney used to produce real art, not formulaic pap. The reason I'm deducting a star is because, in contrast to what other reviewers have written, I believe that at least some of the cartoons have been subjected to color restoration, to their detriment. On "Father Noah's Ark," for example, the color has an almost pastel quality to it. I remember seeing it on the Disney Channel and it looked different and better. In other Symphonies where there is graininess or spots, I think the overall quality is still quite good and less disturbing than the anachronistic color palette of the restored versions. Nevertheless, I can still highly recommend this set. It is unlikely that animation will ever rise to this level of inspiration again.


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