Customer Reviews

Disney Animation Collection 2: Three Little Pigs

5 star:		(7)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(3)

 

 

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. 2.: Three Little Pigs

The second volume of the Walt Disney Animation Collection featuring "Three Little Pigs" contains a total of seven animated shorts. This volume features a good number of episodes of animals that are under the threat of a wolf. Included are:

1. Three Little Pigs - (8:51) A 1933 Silly Symphony animated short about the classic story of the "Three Little Pigs" who live in their own homes but a big bad wolf who wants to eat the pigs starts blowing the homes of two of the pigs down. Will the third pig's home be strong enough to prevent the wolf from getting to them?
2. The Big Bad Wolf - (9:30) A 1934 Silly Symphony animated short features the return of the three little pigs in a new story that involves Red Riding Hood who comes to visit her grandmother (featuring the wolf in disguise). Will the pigs be able to protect Red Riding Hood from the big bad wolf?
3. Three Little Wolves - (9:30) A 1936 Silly Symphony short featuring the three little pigs and the big bad wolf, who is training his three children how to go after the pigs. Directed by David Hand.
4. Lambert the Sheepish Lion - (8:26) A 1952 animated short about a stork who mistakenly delivers Lambert, a lion to a flock of sheep. The mother accepts Lambert as one of her own and raises it like a sheep but as Lambert grows up, he feels he may be different from the others. Directed by Jack Hannah and written by Bill Peet and Ralph Wright.
5. Chicken Little - (8:56) A Technicolor animated short from 1943, Foxy Loxy wants to eat chicken for dinner and convinces Chicken Little that the sky is falling. When he spreads the news to the chickens, the information proves to be false. But when Chicken Little sees the cloud actually falling, the chickens are reluctant to believe him. Foxy Loxy goes after the chickens.
6. Three Blind Mouseketeers - (8:53) A 1936 Silly Symphony short about three blind mice who are musketeers. Their nemesis a cat sets many traps in order to catch the mice. Directed by David Hand.
7. Elmer Elephant - (8:43) A Silly Symphony 1936 animated short about Elmer the Elephant who attends the birthday part of his friend Tilly Tiger. But all the animals at the party make fun of Elmer's trunk. When a fire breaks out in Tilly's treehouse, Elmer may become the hero who can save the day. Directed by Wilfred Jackson and written by Earl Hurd. Based on a story by Bianca Majolie.

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.

The "Three Little Pigs" DVD is great! It has the "Who's Afraid of the Big Bad Wolf?" song in it. The children love the song and action. There are two more Big Bad Wolf and Three Pigs short movies plus a couple more wolf short movies. I had the VHS version and the DVD version has more short movies. I teach kindergarten and I highly recommend this DVD for any age group.

I wasn't looking for the [...] box set of shorts so I was very happy with what I got. Classic Disney shorts that my 4 year old niece loves. I remember these from when I was little and they are as fun now as they were then. It doesn't say that they were "remastered" so I didn't expect or want a new looking shows. The sound was fine and the picture was fine so it is getting a 4 out of 5 from me.

We bought this DVD recently and I have to agree with the other two one star reviewers. This DVD was disappointing in overall audio/visual reproduction.

My biggest disappointment is that the DVD does not go from one story to the next without returning to the main menu. I have to choose to go to the next chapter/story. This is not the fault of my DVD player. No other DVD we own requires this function.

Pass this one by or if you must, rent it.

I have been looking and looking for a DVD of this for a long while. I am aware these cartoons were on vol 1. of the Silly Symphonies but that DVD is no longer available to purchase. Thank goodness for this re-release of cartoons which are great Disney classics. I intend to show this to my great niece and nephew. I appreciate the color and feel a classic cartoon which still deserves to be seen over and over again.

I teach pre-K. I have my students compare and contrast different written and illustrated versions of stories. I showed the Walt Disney Three Little Pigs 2 to my class. It was the favorite of all. The children begged to see it daily. I was able to use it as incentive and reward. They would complete all work and behave well to be able to see the film on Friday during our lunch time. With all the high tech materials available, I expected the children to review it badly. Instead, it was their favorite. It is a BIG HIT!

My grandsons just love this video they just love the old vintage cartoons, I thought it might have been easier to hear still a lot of the old static. Shipped out very fast.

My 2.5 year old son loves this collection and I enjoy it too. Simple easy to follow humor and dialogue. Beautifully detailed animation. And the soundtrack is excellent!! They don't have grand music like this on cartoons today. Enjoy!

I ordered this for my grandson but kept it for myself. I am a huge Disney fan. Cartoons today don't compare with Disney's works. They were beautifully executed and appropriate for the whole family, something that is sorely lacking in today's television. And the music created for them is unforgettable - you hum songs in your head all day long after watching a Disney movie. I'm so glad I was part of the generation in which most of Walt Disney's movies were produced.

My not quite 3 year old granddaughter is into big bad wolfs and 3 little pigs right now so I purchased this for her when she comes to visit. I must admit it was a little more graphic then I remembered it, but no matter my granddaughter just can't get enough of it. This DVD includes the song "who's afraid of the big bad wolf". She also loves Little Red Riding Hood which is also covered on this DVD. I myself like the Lambert segment which is a much more pleasant story no big bad wolf until the very end. So if your child is into the above and won't be scared by the angry wolves they will just love this. By the way great picture quality.
However for the more faint a heart there is always "Dora and the Three Little Pigs" too. I bought them both and they are both enjoyed.