Customer Reviews

Alice in Cartoonland: The Original (2000)

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This program produced by Ray Pointer focuses on the untold story of Margaret J. Winkler and her role in discovering Walt Disney. If she had not taken the chance, there never would have been the ALICE COMEDIES, and the world would never have heard of Walt Disney. It is an extraordinary collection of ten vintage Disney cartoons in a revised version of the original 2000 release. It combines wonderful documentary material with delightful narration by Wendy Mogul. All the cartoons are complete and uncensored, with two previously unreleased titles. Except for ALICE GETS STAGE STRUCK, taken completely from a Library of Congress transfer, there is no DVNR distortion. As if that weren't enough, the bonus features include a colorful theatrical poster gallery with printable feature, plus "bonus" cartoons and a promo for the entire ANIMATION ANTHOLOGIES series. But most importantly, this DVD, like all of Ray's releases of the past year, is duplicated on "Scratch proof" Media to ensure long lasting play; an important issue for all serious students and collectors of animation.

If you have had the pleasure of seeing BEFORE WALT and THE LEGENDARY LAUGH-O-GRAMS FAIRY TALES, then you must see this sequel. It only proves that you don't have to be a studio like The Walt Disney Company to turn out a quality product.

Richard G. Kish
Beacon, New York

Another entertaining and informative program from Inkwell Images! It is fun and revealing to see these rare Disney primatives, which are displayed in many of the history books as stills or poster reproductions. These early works seem to have a more genuine cartoon feel to them, and the viewer can see the evolution of Disney's later characters OSWALD THE RABBIT and MICKEY MOUSE coming from these ALICE COMEDIES. In fact, ALICE THE WHALER has a sequence with a mouse working as a gally slave that was used again in STEAMBOAT WILLIE.

Apparantly, most of these cartoons were reissued with sound recorded by Brunswick in the late 20s. Most do not use sound very imaginatively. However, three of the cartoons, ALICE THE TOREODOR, ALICE'S EGG PLANT, and ALICE THE WHALER have delightful uses of music and sound effects that enhance the viewing experience and compliment the comic effects. It is also interesting to see some of the social/political issues reflected in films such as ALICE'S ORPHAN, which hints at the social stigma of a kitten's illegitimate birth, or organized labor inspired by communist influences as in ALICE'S EGG PLANT. Altough crude, these cartoons still seem to have a purity about them that makes me want to see more from this landmark Disney series.

Inkwell Images has a reputation for putting out high-quality restorations from superb prints. They take their time and their effort shows. The quality isn't disappointing. I have been buying any VHS or DVD that has the Alice in Wonderland film shorts for years so I can state if you're going to buy two or three DVDs instead of 17, this is one of them you can buy with high expectations.

I personally get to meet Virginia Davis at the Mid-Atlantic Nostalgia Convention in Aberdeen, Maryland in September since she's a guest so I not only get to ask her a few questions, I get her autograph too!
Buy this DVD and add it to your collection. It's worth the admission price.