Walt Disney Treasures - Mickey Mouse in Black and White

Rating:
Summary: Minus a star for DVD menu faux pas
Review: For the most part, the reviews here are on target. This is an important collection of historical animation. It's important to note that these appear to be unedited. I have no reference of the original features, but I do instantly recognize additional material that isn't shown on Disney's "Ink and Paint Club" on the rare occasions when they show the back & whites.

What is most disappointing about this collection is that you can't play the features consecutively. The conclusion of each feature takes you back to the menu. Did someone at Disney conclude that the public would not want to watch these one after another? This impacts the disc's playability - knowing you're going to have to pick up the remote every five minutes to watch the entire thing - that 33 times if you want to watch the both discs in one sitting.

Rating:
Summary: Mickey is Great -- Maltin is Not.
Review: I haven't yet watched both discs in their entirety, but am thoroughly enjoying the shorts I've viewed so far. It is fascinating to see how Mickey, and his surroundings, change and improve over the years, from the crudely simplistic style of the earlist cartoons, to the more elaborate and 'colorful' (though still b&w, of course) films of half a decade later.

The set lost a star, in my view, because Leonard Maltin's commentary becomes extremely annoying. While the general introduction at the start of the first disc is fine, do we really need to see, before almost every story, the same reminder that .. gosh... life was different in the 1920's and '30's, so some of the humor might be "politically incorrect" by 21st century standards? While the message may be worth hearing, it could have easily been placed in the general intro, so we don't have to view it over and over again. (Or, he could have tailored his comments to each individual story, noting what was un-PC about that particular film. Instead, we get two generalized apologies; one explaining that Mickey sometimes smokes/drinks/chews/is cruel to animals, and one talking about ethnic stereotypes.)

My favorite, of the stories I've viewed so far, is "The Karnival Kid." Those hot dogs...

Rating:
Summary: A decent collection of Mickey Mouse shorts
Review: The newest set of Walt Disney Treasure DVDs are excellent collector's items. The Mickey Mouse in Black and White set has a decent selection of shorts that highlight early Mickey Mouse development.

Rating:
Summary: Finally available again
Review: This is a set that has been deserving to be put out for the past decade. As stated in other reviews, not all of the Mickey B&W cartoons are here, but the character is well represented by what is here. Its fun to watch the character evolve from Plane Crazy and Steamboat Willie as a happy-go-lucky sort to Mickey's Service Station where he is in the process of being straight man to Donald Duck and Goofy. The majority of the cartoons are fun to watch some near 70 years after their premiere with the sight gags usually associated with cartoons take a back seat to the musical and sound experimenting the studio revolutionized in animation. The sets only drawbacks are that the collection is incomplete (hopefully another Mickey set is due) and the play feature does not let you watch one cartoon to another as you have to select each and everyone. If you're looking at this set to make you feel the kid in your heart and relive times long ago, you'll not be disappointed and its well worth the price.

Rating:
Summary: Just might be the most important cartoons of our time
Review: The DVD is as good as it gets.These are one of the greatest and most important cartoons to see.This is a must have DVD and a very great thing to own.

Rating:
Summary: Simply Fascinating - Thank You Walt Disney & Leonard Maltin
Review: This DVD set is a real treasure. I am considering buying another copy just in case something happens to the one I already own.

It should be noted that the material presented on this DVD set (two discs) is absolutely intact. Even cartoons that contain ethnic and/or racial jokes and animal abuse gags, which might be considered offensive to some people today, are absolutely uncensored. Leonard Maltin should be congratulated for his effort to present these animated masterpieces in their original form. Maltin appears before every cartoon that contains politically incorrect bits and helps contextualize these films within the historical/cultural period in which they were made. He emphasizes over and over again that "to judge these films by today's norms and standards would be rather foolish". Warner Bros and MGM should learn from this DVD collection and realize that altering/censoring historical documents (and these cartoons ARE documents from our past) or locking them away is much more shameful than risking offending a few people who, if they take themselves so seriously to be offended by seeing animated films out of historical/cultural context, probably deserve to be offended. To lock these films just because we may find some of their contents inappropriate, to quote Leonard Maltin once again, "would be a real shame".

Having said that, you'll be happy to know that "Steamboat Willie" on this DVD set is presented in its ORIGINAL form. I've seen this film a million times, but I've never realized that what I'd been watching all these years was a CENSORED version of Mickey's 'first' film. Now, for the first time, you can see how very naughty Mickey was in his first theatrical appearance. The scene that I'm talking about comes right after Mickey finishes pulling little piglets' tails (I won't give out what happens).
This is also a warning to the easily offended parents, who want to buy this set for their kids, but who think that their children should, by all means, remain within the boundaries of magically enchanting, politically correct, shiny fairyland: You better get "Mickey's House of Mouse", or "Mickey's Magical Christmas and/or Easter" (whatever), or some other cheap simulacral garbage in colour.
Oh, yes...Real animation fans will also be pleased to see that the short "Pioneer Days" on this DVD set has its ORIGINAL ending. The ending of this film on the existing releases (including the laser disc) is incredibly abrupt and I've always wondered why Disney animators would do such a horrible job in terms of the story development, climax, and closure. Now I have my answer - they wouldn't and they didn't !!!!! The copies that we've had so far were incomplete. This cartoon makes much more sense with its original closure and, here it is, presented in its original form for your viewing pleasure on this fascinating DVD set.
The material on this DVD is digitally restored and looks amazing, especially taking into account how old these cartoons are. The menus are user-friendly and you can access the cartoons either in chronological or in alphabetical order. The only big flaw is that both discs lack the "Play All" option.

I have been very critical of Disney in the past (especially when they released a butchered/censored version of "Fantasia" (1940) and bluntly lied on the DVD cover that it was Walt Disney's original version). But, this time, we should all take our hats off to both Walt Disney studio and Leonard Maltin for presenting these masterpieces of classical animation in a wonderful uncensored format.
Warner Bros and MGM, learn from Disney !!!!

Rating:
Summary: Glad to see old animation is being released in good order!
Review: This is great for any animation/Disney fan, though the price should be lower. This shows Disney in it's early days. I can get 4 hours of WB cartoons for 10 dollars in a 2-pack.

Rating:
Summary: Before the Mouse was domesticated
Review: Of Mickey Mouse, E.M. Forster once noted, "Certainly one would not recognize him in a trap." This collection of early Mouse cartoons shows Mickey before he became a corporate symbol and his impish humor was toned down. (In the course of the series, you can see Mickey's character whittled down to a mere straight man, while supporting characters gradually steal the lion's share of laughs.)

Many of these cartoons were made before the Production Code was enforced, and they feature language and behavior that would shock a family audience today. But for animation fans who complain that the Disney studio was always too innocent and sentimental for its own good, this package is a useful corrective. It's about as far away from fairy tales and suburban reveries as it can get -- much closer to the surreal antics of the Fleischer studio than the sitcom blandness of later Disney films.

The quality of video and audio transfers varies widely from cartoon to cartoon. The picture ranges from adequate to excellent, and the sound, adapted from original source materials, is quite good given the age and condition of the source material. The plentiful extras are geared more to animation buffs than general viewers, but they're consistently interesting. Disney has put together a terrific package here, possibly the best of the "Walt Disney Treasures" series to date.

Warning to parents: Many of these cartoons (especially the ones made before 1933) are not for children.

Rating:
Summary: I am exciting in getting this!
Review: The classic VHS classic collection was out of print. This is the time to take this collection again. It is a must have for those Disney fans and animators.

Rating:
Summary: Mickey Mouse in B&W...
Review: Despite this being a seminal moment in DVD history having the black and white Mickey Mouse cartoons available in the best possible digital format, this Disney Treasures collection is not a complete set. As mentioned, this set will contain 34 black and white MM shorts, but they are only selections out of about 75 made between 1928-1935. Last year's "Silly Symphonies" collection was put together in a similar way with a little more than half of the 73 or so made. Rumors are that next year's DT series will include a "Mickey Mouse in Living Color Vol. 2", which means that host/compiler Leonard Maltin possibly intends to include second volumes of past and future collections in this series that don't contain everything in one set due to large amounts originally produced. When these MM black and white shorts were available on laserdisc years ago, they were also released in two volumes.

Here is a complete list of the B&W selections on this collection (year-by-year) straight from the Disney press release:

1928--"Steamboat Willie", "The Gallopin' Gaucho", "Plane Crazy" (actually the first official Mickey Mouse short--originally silent with sound added later and re-released following the success of "SW").

1929--"The Karnival Kid", "Mickey's Follies"

1930--"The Fire Fighters", "The Chain Gang", "The Gorilla Mystery", "The Pioneer Days"

1931--"The Birthday Party", "Mickey Steps Out", "Blue Rhythm", "Mickey Cuts Up", "Mickey's Orphans"

1932--"The Duck Hunt", "Mickey's Revue", "Mickey's Nightmare", "The Whoopee Party", "Touchdown Mickey", "The Klondike Kid"

1933--"Building a Building", "The Mad Doctor", "Ye Olden Days", "The Mail Pilot", "Mickey's Gala Premiere", "Puppy Love", "The Pet Store", "Giantland"

1934--"Camping Out", "Gulliver Mickey", "Orphan's Benefit", "The Dognapper", "Two-Gun Mickey"

1935--"Mickey's Service Station" (Curiously, "Mickey's Kangaroo" is not included here. This was really the last B&W Mickey cartoon done shortly after he premiered in color in "The Band Concert").

The press release has stated that, in addition to all the features mentioned above, there will also be rare footage of the only MM B&W pencil test known to exist. This pencil test was done for "The Mail Pilot." Also, new interviews were apparently done with the legendary animators Frank Thomas and Ollie Johnston for the documentary. Much-needed audio commentary (presumably by Leonard Maltin) has also been added to the poster gallery on disc 2 that was absent from last year's "Mickey Mouse in Living Color."

For those not acquainted with last year's "Mickey Mouse in Living Color": that collection collects Mickey's first three years in color between 1935-1938. Next year's rumored Vol. 2 will probably complete the color Mickey, going up to his last short under Walt Disney--"The Simple Gifts" (1953).

More rumors for next year's DT series: "Wartime Cartoons" (originally intended for this year) and "The Chronological Donald" (obviously the first phase of the many Donald Duck cartoons produced through the 1930's-1960's).