May 18, 2004 – The Third Wave of the Walt Disney Treasures is Released
Image Credit: Wikipedia
On May 18, 2004, Disney’s video distribution company, Buena Vista Home Entertainment, released the third wave of the popular Walt Disney Treasures. This set included Mickey Mouse in Living Color, Volume Two; The Chronological Donald; On The Front Lines; and Tomorrow Land. Although this wave was supposed to be released in December, as the other two were, the release had to be delayed to meet the demand of the popularity of the sets. As with the other two waves, the third set was introduced by film critic Leonard Maltin, who also provides commentary for the more politically incorrect works, known as the works “In the Vault.”
Mickey Mouse in Living Color. Image Credit: wikipedia
Mickey Mouse in Living Color, Volume Two is the second of the Mickey Mouse color short collections, and the fourth Mickey Mouse collection in all. The first disc gives the shorts from 1939 to the last Mickey Mouse short film in 1953, with bonus features including The Sorcerer’s Apprentice from Fantasia, Mickey and the Beanstalk from Fun and Fancy Free, as well as an Easter egg of Walt Disney performing the voice of Mickey for the short Mr. Mouse Takes a Trip. Disc two shows the modern revival of Mickey Mouse, which includes Mickey’s Christmas Carol, The Prince and the Pauper, and Runaway Brain. The bonus features are numerous on this disc, and include an interview with the voices of Mickey and Minnie (Wayne Allwine and Russi Taylor), an interview with Disney animators Mark Henn and Andreas Deja, and clips from the Walt Disney anthology series that use Mickey as an example of animation techniques.
The Chronological Donald. Image credit: wikipedia
The Chronological Donald is the first set of Donald Duck short films, which begins with the Silly Symphony The Wise Little Hen in 1934 on disc one, and ends with the 1941 short Chef Donald on disc two. The disc one bonus features include a clip from the film The Reluctant Dragon, where the voice of Donald, Clarence Nash, is heard performing with Florence Gill, the voice of Clara Cluck. Disc two includes a mini-biography about Clarence Nash, and how his unusual voice inspired the creation of Donald Duck, as well as another clip from The Reluctant Dragon, where Donald is explaining to Robert Benchley how animation comes to life.
On the Front Lines. Image credit: wikipedia
On the Front Lines is a collection of all the propaganda, educational shorts, and films released when the Disney Studios were taken over during World War II. Disc one includes mostly the short films, including the shorts where Donald is drafted into the army. In the vault, there are four films: Der Fuehrer’s Face (a propaganda film where Donald believes he lives in a land occupied by Nazis), Education for Death (a chilling film based on the book by Gregor Ziemer), Reason and Emotion (a humorous look about how people needed to keep their emotions in check during wartime), and Chicken Little (a horrifying update to the children’s story). Disc two is of the film Victory Through Air Power, which Walt Disney created to send a message to the American people that the war could be won through the use of aviation and long-range bombing. This DVD set is the first release of the film since its rerelease in 1944. This disc also includes some training shorts, behind the scenes documentaries of the film Victory Through Air Power, galleries of insignias and posters created during wartime, and an interesting interview with long-time Disney employee John Hench, who recounts his time at the studio after the attack at Pearl Harbor.
Tomorrow Land. Image credit: wikipedia
The last set in this wave is Tomorrow Land, which pulls together episodes from the anthology series about space and the future, with many of these episodes directed by Nine Old Men member Ward Kimball. The first disc has three episodes: Man in Space, Man and the Moon, and Mars and Beyond. The second disc includes Eyes in Outer Space, Our Friend the Atom, and EPCOT, a look at the Florida Project Walt Disney planned, which was to be a Tomorrowland type theme park. Bonus features include interviews with author Ray Bradbury and long-time employee Marty Sklar, as well as an Easter egg of the Sherman Brothers singing “There’s a Great Big Beautiful Tomorrow” with Walt, as the song was featured at the General Electric Pavilion at the 1964 World’s Fair.
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