Customer Reviews

Disney Animation Collection 1: Mickey & Beanstalk

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It's a well known fact that the Walt Disney Company is the mastermind of how to make money off of anything. They can package and repackage things over and over and over and over and even though a person already owns three versions of something, they'll buy it again. Kind of like the new Disney Animation Collection. Disney is re-releasing many of the cartoon shorts that first made the studio famous. These shorts have all been released before in one form or the other. I have a feeling that the new re-packaging of these shorts is a prelude to the eventual Blu-ray release of the shorts in a better form a couple years from now.

As far as shorts go, MICKEY AND THE BEANSTALK is a great collection. The collection includes:

"Mickey and the Beanstalk"--a re-telling of the classic story of "Jack and the Beanstalk", but this time with Mickey, Donald, and Goofy as the heroes. This short was originally planned as a feature film, but due to budget constraints was shortened and included as part of the 1947 movie FUN AND FANCY FREE. This version of the short doesn't include the live action narration with Edgar Bergen, but the animated storytelling of Ludwig Von Drake and Herman the Cricket from the 1963 television airing of the short. "Mickey and Beanstalk" isn't just worth watching because it's a good story, but because it's also the last cartoon that Walt Disney himself did the voice of Mickey Mouse.

"The Brave Little Tailor"--of all the Disney shorts I watched as a kid, "The Brave Little Tailor" was my favorite. Mickey stars as the Tailor. The village he lives in is all worried about a giant. Meanwhile, oblivious to the giant worries, the tailor is trying to work but is pestered by a group of flies. He kills seven with one blow and shouts it out his window just after a peasant asks aloud, "Say, did you ever kill a giant." Thinking he means seven giants and not flies, they bring him to the king who promises the tailor the hand of Princess Minnie if he defeats the giant.

"Gulliver Mickey"--first released in 1934, "Gulliver Mickey" is a black and white cartoon that features Mickey retelling part of the story of Gulliver in Lilliput to his nieces and nephews. This short was later featured as a segment in KINGDOM HEARTS 2.

"Thru the Mirror"--first released in 1936 Mickey falls to sleep while reading THROUGH THE LOOKING GLASS and has a dream where he enters the looking glass, dances with a pair of gloves and a pack of cards, and is eventually attacked and chased by those same cards.

"Mr. Mouse Takes a Trip"--first released in 1940. Mickey and Pluto need to get from Burbank to Pomona, but dogs aren't allowed on the train as conductor Pete makes perfectly clear. Mickey sneaks Pluto on the train in his suitcase, but Pete finds out and chases them throughout the train.

As a collection of short cartoons, DISNEY ANIMATION COLLECTION 1: MICKEY AND THE BEANSTALK is a great collection. However, the pictures have in no way been cleaned-up or remastered. There's also no extras. If you don't already own these shorts, the DVD is worth buying. However, if you already own these shorts on other DVDs this is one you'll want to pass up.

I would like to make a couple of things clear before I begin my review.

1.) This review is for 'Mickey and The Beanstalk' Disney animated short only.

2.) I bought this at Target not Amazon.com

I've had for a really long time wanted to buy 'Mickey and The Beanstalk' ever since the VHS tape I had of it was lost in one of my many moves.

So when 'Disney Animation Collection 1: Mickey & the Beanstalk' was released I was ecstatic and bought it for a premium price of $20.

The packaging and title screens are pristine in quality and sound however 'Mickey and The Beanstalk' is not, the animation looks like it hasn't been cleaned up in decades, even the VHS Version was better, the sound is horrific with the music and sounds and sound effects being really loud while the speech is very soft.

I agree with other previous posters to rent before buying because as much of a classic as this is it's not worth $20 and it's probably not worth watching more than twice in a decade.

When I purchased this new DVD release, I was expecting the original version I had seen when I was growing up. HA!! What a disappointment!
This version is so heavily edited, and with useless narration by Ludwig Von Drake, that it was hard to watch and enjoy. And when I wrote to the Disney Studio about this version, I was told I was mistaken and that this is the only "true" version. Again, what a BIG DISAPPOINTMENT!!

Although known today primarily for its feature-length animated films, the Disney Company's bread and butter of the 1930's through the 1950's were its color shorts, many based on classic fairy tales incorporating Disney stars like Mickey Mouse and Goofy. The studio has just released a series of six DVD's under the Walt Disney Classic Short Films banner.
"Mickey and the Beanstalk" (Disney) is the best segment from the feature compilation "Fun and Fancy Free" (1947). It's the Disney take on the "Jack and the Beanstalk" tale, with Mickey Mouse standing in as Jack. Exquisite animation characterizes this adventure, as the beanstalk's vines twist and grow and slink about while Mickey attempts to grapple a singing harp from a goofy but dangerous giant.
"Thru the Mirror" (1936) is a splendidly surreal take on Lewis Carroll's Alice stories. Surrealism was wholeheartedly embraced by Disney's competitors, the Fleischer Brothers, but was uncommon at Disney. This cartoon is the exception, as Mickey is accosted by an angry umbrella, King Neptune emerges from the ocean on a globe, and playing cards dance in a Busby Berkeley-inspired extravaganza.
The other cartoons in this set are "The Brave Little Tailor," "Gulliver Mickey," and "Mr. Mouse Takes a Trip."
Though I love these shorts, I was disappointed in the overall quality. The cartoons are not remastered and the sound, though listed as Dolby Digital Surround Sound, is too often muddy. My suggestion would be to bypass this release or perhaps rent it, rather than buy. Disney cartoons are meant for repeat viewings and with the less-than-excellent visual quality, you'll likely become more annoyed with each subsequent viewing.

This new collection is almost the "Best of Mickey Mouse." The title film, "Mickey and the Beanstalk," (29:17) is certainly Mickey (and the Gang)'s greatest epic, skillfully combining great songs and slapstick humor into a thrilling adventure story. "The Brave Little Tailor" is an ideal second cartoon, since it is another middle ages fairy tale featuring a giant. "Thru the Mirror" is one of Mickey's more bizarre shorts. Presaging Disney's "Alice in Wonderland" by 15 years, it is included with the first two films because Mickey grows small and then large like a giant. But it also features some of the funniest and surreal gags this side of Fleischer, and a swinging big band tune! "Gulliver Mickey" a late black and white short is an inspired choice, but here the tables are turned -- it is Mickey who is the giant! I say "ALMOST the Best of" because of the final film "Mr. Mouse Takes a Trip." What is this film doing in this collection? It is a weak cartoon, and has no connection with the "theme" of this DVD. With the first 4 shorts, this disc would almost be "Best of Mickey" if they had "The Band Concert," "Clock Cleaners," or even "Sorcerer's Apprentice" for the umpteenth time, instead of "Mr. Mouse." Still, this is a great collection if you don't already own most of these shorts. For the record, "Mickey and the Beanstalk" is also available in the Disney DVD full-length feature "Fun and Fancy Free" (1947); "Brave Little Tailor" (1938) and "Thru the Mirror" (1935) are also available in the DVD tin box set "Disney Treasures: Mickey Mouse in Living Color " (Vol. 1); and "Gulliver Mickey" (1934) is also available in the DVD tin box set "Mickey Mouse in Black and White" (Vol. 1).

As a child, I can easily remember my prized possession was a Walt Disney book that my father purchased for me and it featured the chronology of the early classic Walt Disney animated shorts. Some of these shorts were shown on the Disney Channel when I was younger but suffice to say, with all the new animation, a lot of these classics have probably been forgotten or have been released on VHS video.

Walt Disney Studios Home Entertainment are now releasing a few of these shorts on DVD for the first time (some have appeared on past Disney DVD releases). The first three volumes were released on DVD on April 7, 2009.

A lot of these short films were created between the 1920-1940's and typically featured characters that were not reoccurring. Some were released under the "Silly Symphony" moniker of animated shorts released between 1929-1939 which rarely featured any character dialogue but focused more on the animation accompanied by music and a singing vocal track. Disney has continued to produce shorts today and while the majority of the short animated films are from the 1930's through the 1950's, volume 3 features an animated short ("The Prince & the Pauper) from 1990.

Of the six volumes that have been released from the "Walt Disney Animation Collection", for people looking specifically for Mickey Mouse classic animated shorts, you will be able to find them through volume 1 and 3.

Walt Disney Animation Collection Vol. 1 - Mickey and the Beanstalk

The first volume of the Walt Disney Animation Collection featuring "Mickey and the Beanstalk" includes a total of five animated shorts. All five which feature Mickey and popular Disney characters. Included are:

1. Mickey and the Beanstalk - (29:27) An animated short from 1947 featuring cameos from popular Disney films, the story focuses on Mickey Mouse, Goofy and Donald Duck. The three are poor and are very hungry. Mickey sells their cow but instead of getting money to buy more food, he buys three beans. The beans then grow to a tremendous height that their home is taken to another land where food is plenty and are larger than them. But what they realize is that they are in the land that a giant inhabits.
2. The Brave Little Tailor - (9:00) A Technicolor animated short from 1938 about a giant who has threatened towns but Mickey brags about killing seven flies with one swat, the townspeople accidentally believes that Mickey killed seven giants and now, Mickey is expected to protect the town from the giant.
3. Thru the Mirror - (8:57) A Technicolor animation from 1936 featuring Mickey Mouse who has been reading a story of "Alice in Wonderland", when he falls asleep, he finds himself in Wonderland.
4. Gulliver Mickey - (7:55) A black and white animated short from 1934 featuring Mickey and a group of orphans. He reads them a story of "Gulliver" and we see Mickey in the story as Gulliver.
5. Mr. Mouse Takes a Trip - (17:07) a 1940 Technicolor animated short featuring Mickey and Pluto. Mickey wants to go on vacation from Burbank to Pomona by train but Pete won't let him come aboard with his dog. So, Mickey tries to find a way to hide Pluto in the train from Pete.

VIDEO & AUDIO:

"Walt Disney Animation Collection" is featured with an aspect ratio of 1:33:1. These classics are available on DVD for the first time but its important to mention that these animated shorts have not been digitally remastered or cleaned up.

As a matter of fact, you will see a lot of the dust and scratches of the film and some of the animation look fine for being nearly 70 years old but others look grainy and a bit aged. Granted, these are not classic full featured films but I hope one of these days, many of these classics do get cleaned up or even digitally remastered.

As for the audio, audio is featured in Dolby Digital Surround Sound. I found that on my home theater system, the best selection on my receiver to view these animated shorts was to switch it to mono or (if you have this capability) select stereo for all channels.

SPECIAL FEATURES:

There are no special features included on this DVD. But each volume does come with a free collectible litho print typically of the characters from the main featured story.

JUDGMENT CALL:

As mentioned earlier in my review, my prized possession as a child was a Walt Disney booklet that covered the Walt Disney animated shorts in chronological order and had the opportunity to watch these classics. Now as an adult with children, a lot of the animation from Walt Disney that my child sees is the latest in CG animation.

But I wanted him to sit and watch these animated shorts with me and sure enough, he enjoyed them. These animated shorts, the majority of them are simple and have no dialogue. Just music and sound effects (there were a few especially all from vol. 6 that have dialogue) but nevertheless, are simple and easy to understand.

For fans of classic Walt Disney animation and you pretty much have moved on away from your VHS copies, the "Walt Disney Animation Collection" is a great collection of your classic Disney animated shorts on DVD.

Many people who have purchased the "Walt Disney Treasures" DVD box sets from 2001, "Walt Disney's Timeless Tales" from 2005 or the "Walt Disney's It's a Small World of Fun!" DVD release from 2007 probably may not need any of these shorts as quite a number of them have appeared on DVD already.

But a few of the short films that are featured on the six volumes of "Walt Disney Animation Collection" have not been released on DVD until now.

Overall, It all comes down to your preference to the classic animated shorts from long ago and whether or not you owned previous releases. For those who haven't owned the previous Disney DVD shorts or box sets, now is a good time to start because a lot of the past releases have been discontinued.

Otherwise, if you are a person who already owns the previous DVD releases that contain these shorts, unfortunately, these animated shorts offer nothing new and are not digitally remastered. There may be a few titles on these DVD's that have not been released before on prior Walt Disney DVD's but it all comes down to your preference and if these episodes are worth having on DVD.

Again, it's important to note that volume 1 and volume 3 feature animated shorts featuring Mickey Mouse or a well-known Disney animated character. So, if you are specifically looking for Mickey Mouse animated shorts, you will find it on those two volumes.

But if you are a parent or grandparent who wants to show your children or grandchildren the Walt Disney animation that you grew up with or a person who has never seen these shorts and have been curious about them, then definitely give "Walt Disney Animation Collection" a chance.

I rented this from Netflix before I committed to buy and I'm very glad I did. This is not the Sterling Halloway version I remember as a child but it is better than the "Fun and Fancy" version with Edgar Bergen, whom I found incredibly annoying. This version is instead narrated by German accented, Professor Ludwig von Drake (think Scrooge McDuck, but nicer) and his cricket, Herman. There is a bit of narrator with a break in the middle where they stop the story for a second and shift to Herman and the Professor. Hopefully one day, Disney will release the Sterling Halloway version.

My grandson (3 years old), told me he wanted to watch Mickey and the Beanstalk. I told him I did not have it but would look for it. I could not find it on Disney on Demand, I looked at several different stores at their video department. I finally looked it up on Amazon... and there it was!! My grandson absolutely loves it!! Thank you Amazon!! Amazon will be the first place I look next time.

I had been looking for Mickey and the Beanstalk on DVD and was happy to find this.I do remember watching this on Disney when I was a kid,and this is the version I watched.I never recall seeing it done with Edgar Bergen.There are five shorts on this DVD.The picture was for the most part clear and I heard no background noise as another review stated.The Brave Little Tailor was the only one where the picture could have been cleaned up a bit more,but it did not really detract much from the viewing.There could have been a few more shorts added on here,but all in all this is worth buying.

I really enjoy buying from amazon because prices are right and they have excellent service and never have to worry about not returning things.